IBT Staff Reporter

Italian automaker Fiat is open to issuing a bond for institutional or retail investors, or both, Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne said on Saturday, according to news agency Ansa.

South Korea's Kumho Asiana Group said on Sunday it had decided to put Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co up for a sale to ease investors worries about its liquidity.

Management consulting firms Towers Perrin Forster & Crosby Inc and Watson Wyatt Worldwide Inc on Sunday announced an agreement to merge into a new publicly listed company called Towers Watson & Co.

Consulting firms Towers Perrin Forster & Crosby and Watson Wyatt Worldwide said on Sunday they plan to merge in an all-stock deal valued at about $3.5 billion, as they hope to cut costs amid an economic slump that has caused clients to curb discretionary spending.

General Motors Corp has agreed to accept liability for future product defects as one of several concessions offered in a bid to win court approval for a quick sale from bankruptcy.

Cash-rich German carmaker Volkswagen AG and its ailing majority owner Porsche SE must decide soon whether to integrate or not, VW's home state of Lower Saxony said on Monday.

U.S. stock futures were flat to higher on Monday as investors looked to new data later in the holiday-shortened week for clues over the direction of the recession-hit economy.

Oil rose toward $70 a barrel on Monday after Nigeria's main militant group said it attacked a Royal Dutch Shell oil platform, outweighing a fairly bearish report from the International Energy Agency .

Oil rose above $69 a barrel on Monday after Nigeria's main militant group said it attacked a Royal Dutch Shell oil platform, outweighing a fairly bearish report from the International Energy Agency .

Dow Jones futures dipped 0.1 percent, S&P 500 futures were down 0.01 percent while Nasdaq futures traded 0.02 percent higher on Monday morning at 4:45 a.m. EDT, pointing to a flat opening for Wall Street's main equity indexes.

Oil rose above $69 a barrel on Monday after Nigeria's main militant group said it attacked an oil platform belonging to Royal Dutch Shell despite an amnesty offer from President Umaru Yar'Adua.

The dollar recovered a little ground on Monday after falling late last week on a renewed call by China for a super-sovereign reserve currency, and stocks traded just below the top of recent ranges.

Asian stock markets retreated on Monday as weaker oil prices hit energy shares, even with many investors sticking to the sidelines as the second quarter winds down.

Oil fell below $69 a barrel on Monday as the easing of tensions in energy-rich Nigeria prompted some investors to take profit.

Iran accused the United States of trying to destabilize it and sparked a new row with Britain on Sunday, underscoring the hardline leadership's efforts to blame post-election unrest on foreign powers rather than popular anger.

A partial recount of Iran's disputed June 12 presidential election began Monday, al-Alam state television reported.

Both Michael Jackson's family and his personal physician were at pains to explain on Sunday what caused the troubled pop star's sudden death weeks before his long-awaited comeback.

Asian stock markets were mixed on Monday as many investors stuck to the sidelines as the second quarter winds down, while the dollar recovered from a slide on worries about the push by major emerging countries for a reserve currency alternative.

Bernard Madoff, who became a symbol of greed in the financial crisis for masterminding Wall Street's biggest investment fraud, faces the rest of his life in prison in one of the stiffest punishments for white-collar crime when he is sentenced on Monday.

A British newspaper reported gruesome details from Michael Jackson's autopsy on Monday.

Tata Motors Ltd , India's largest vehicles maker, on Sunday announced the launch in India of Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles, the marquee brands it bought from Ford Motors last year.

Swiss drugmaker Novartis is in talks to buy parts of Irish peer Elan , including its flagship multiple sclerosis products and its Alzheimer's disease pipeline, the Sunday Times said.

Los Angeles police investigating the cause of Michael Jackson's death questioned Jacksons doctor extensively on Saturday and determined he has no involvement in the stars death.

For investors, June's job data could determine in this short July 4th holiday week if the stock market's recent rally is reignited or sputters out like a wet firecracker.

A fake antivirus software is making its way around the Internet, duping users and potentially destroying people's computers.

Anglo American is building its defenses against a 41 billion pound ($67.74 billion) merger approach from Xstrata by plotting talks about a major Chinese investment, the Sunday Telegraph reported.

U.S. President Barack Obama has written a private letter to Michael Jackson's family, David Axelrod said on Sunday, a top White House adviser.

After two days of Michael Jackson's death, the family released a statement to fans on Saturday, the full text posted to people.com as following:

The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, has reportedly left 200 unpublished songs worth $100 million for his three children.