IBT Staff Reporter

Stocks opened higher on Monday as stronger-than-expected quarterly results from No. 2 U.S. home improvement chain Lowe's Cos Inc boosted hopes the recession was abating and spending was stabilizing.

The United Auto Workers union expects a crucial round of restructuring talks with General Motors Corp to intensify this coming week ahead of an end-of-May deadline set by the Obama administration.

U.S. prosecutors have broadened their criminal investigation of the Bernard Madoff case beyond the friends and family of the confessed swindler to at least eight investors and associates, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Stocks headed for a higher open on Monday as stronger-than-expected quarterly results from No. 2 U.S. home improvement chain Lowe's Cos Inc boosted hopes the recession was abating and spending was stabilizing.

German solar companies that have not yet set up U.S. and Chinese production plants are likely to lose out on significant subsidies and will struggle to bring down their production costs to the levels of their Asian peers.

Samsung Electronics, the world's top TV brand, aims to outperform the overall flat-panel television market's growth this year, thanks in part to its newly launched LED models, a senior official said.

AIG is to speed up plans to list its Asian subsidiary through an IPO that could raise more than $4 billion, as the bailed-out U.S. insurer seeks to raise cash to pay back government loans.

Stock index futures rose on Monday as stronger-than-expected quarterly results from No. 2 U.S. home improvement chain Lowe's Cos Inc further boosted hopes the recession was abating and spending was stabilizing.

Lowe's Cos Inc posted a higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Monday and raised its forecast for the year, sending its shares up 11.1 percent in premarket trade.

State Street Corp said on Monday that it planned to sell stock and bonds to position itself to repay a taxpayer infusion, and took a $3.7 billion after-tax charge as it moved asset-backed commercial paper conduits onto its balance sheet.

The Obama administration's budget chief said on Sunday there are signs that the free-fall in the economy seems to have halted.

Oil rose to around $57 a barrel on Monday as traders saw the previous session's near 4 percent fall as excessive and violence in Africa's top oil exporter Nigeria lent support.

Germany could send a negotiation team to the United States at the end of the week to discuss solutions for General Motors unit Opel, Economy Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg said on Monday.

Equities in Europe and Japan fell on Monday although emerging markets got a big boost from Indian elections which raised hopes of a stable, pro-economic reform government.

Oil bounced back to $57 a barrel on Monday, recouping some of the previous session's near 4 percent loss, buoyed by short-covering despite a still uncertain outlook for the global economy.

Most Asian stock markets fell on Monday on concerns about corporate profits and a still-uncertain outlook for the global economy, but Indian shares surged following the ruling coalition's sweeping election victory.

Oil hovered little changed above $56 a barrel on Monday, pausing from the previous session's near 4 percent loss, as the market awaited further economic data and movements in equities markets for directions.

AIG said it would accelerate plans to separate its Asian subsidiary through an initial public offering as the bailed-out U.S. insurer seeks to raise cash and list the unit as soon as possible.

Asian shares fell on Monday as concerns about slumping corporate profits and the still-uncertain outlook for the global economy fueled a retreat from recent highs, keeping the safe-haven yen broadly higher.

Volkswagen, Europe's largest carmaker, has halted tie-up talks with Porsche as it said its smaller peer and major shareholder was not ready for a merger.

Japan's Nikkei stock average lost 2.9 percent on Monday, briefly touching its lowest point since May 1, as Sony Corp and other exporters fell in the wake of an advancing yen.

President Barack Obama urged both sides in the abortion debate on Sunday to pursue a fair-minded discussion as he sought to quell a firestorm over his invitation to speak at Notre Dame, a premier U.S. Catholic university.

Hundreds of firefighters, police and medical personnel descended on lower Manhattan on Sunday near the site of the September 11 attacks for an emergency response drill simulating an explosion on a commuter train in a tunnel between New York and New Jersey.

American Idol reaches its climax this week, still ruling the roost on U.S. television after eight seasons, but the battle of the songsters faces declining audiences and limits to its viewer-driven format.

Forget about bells and whistles. Asians have gone back to basics in the economic slowdown and are opting for no-frills, lower-priced products rather than brand names and items with fancy features that rarely get used.

Space shuttle Atlantis astronauts on Sunday repaired a failed instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope used to discover black holes and other galactic phenomena following a tedious spacewalk mired by equipment glitches.

American International Group Inc said on Sunday it would accelerate plans to separate its Asian subsidiary through an initial public offering.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc is revamping the electronics departments in its stores to attract customers who previously shopped at the now defunct Circuit City Stores Inc, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Japan's Nikkei stock average fell 2.5 percent on Monday as exporters such as Sony Corp were hit by a stronger yen, while Panasonic Corp tumbled in the wake of a gloomy earnings forecast. Panasonic lost 7 percent after it forecast a bigger-than-expected annual loss following a record quarter of red ink battered by weak demand, price falls and restructuring costs.