IBT Staff Reporter

Gold crawled higher on Monday on bullish energy prices and slight falls in the dollar, while Tokyo futures prices rallied to a two-week high.

Two main Egyptian stock indexes broke lifetime closing highs on Sunday as Orascom Construction Industries continued a share price rise sparked by fresh expansion, traders said.

U.S. stocks could rise this week if the first wave of quarterly earnings inject optimism about results for the period and on economic growth that has surprised on the upside.

Package delivery company FedEx Corp. could become a target for private equity buyers because of its modest valuation and turnaround potential, Barron's reported in its July 9 issue.

A stronger-than-expected reading on Japanese machinery orders pushed up machinery stocks such as industrial robot maker Fanuc Ltd. on Monday, sending the Nikkei average 0.55 percent higher.

United Engineers, Singapore's biggest builder by market value, plans to reduce its dependence on the volatile property and construction industries by investing in the wastewater treatment business in China.

Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. said on Monday it had acquired a 10 percent stake in Vietnam's top stock broker Saigon Securities Inc. for US$88 million, further boosting its Asian expansion.

Microsoft Corp. said on Monday it does not expect hardware problems to affect sales of its Xbox game console in Japan.

Rubles, rupees and renminbis will be a much bigger part of mom and pop's portfolio in less than 10 years as consumers become more tolerant of risk-taking and more knowledgeable about global economies, according to a study released on Monday.

Dow Jones & Co., which has been in talks for a takeover by News Corp., will meet with supermarket magnate Ron Burkle as Dow Jones explores its options, a source familiar with the situation said on Sunday.

Boeing Co. unveils its 787 Dreamliner on Sunday, the first commercial plane predominantly made of carbon-composite materials, and Boeing's first all-new plane in more than a decade.

Boeing Co. unveiled its lightweight, carbon-composite 787 Dreamliner on Sunday in front of 15,000 cheering employees, customers and suppliers, capping a weekend of hype and a flurry of orders for the new fuel-efficient plane.

German low-cost airline Air Berlin said on Saturday it ordered 25 of Boeing Co.'s new 787 Dreamliner planes, in a deal worth $4 billion at list prices.

The IntercontinentalExchange Inc. may still raise its bid for the Chicago Board of Trade, even at the risk of overpaying, after rival suitor Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. sought to deliver a knockout blow.

Volkswagen, the world's fourth-largest carmaker, is considering building a new North American factory if the dollar stays weak, Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn said in an interview with German magazine Focus.

Blackstone's big payout for the hotel chain shows buyout firms are still confident about debt financing for the right properties.

If globalization were put on the balot in the U.S. it would lose, GE chief Jeffrey Immelt warns.

The private Internet club that began as a college hangout is becoming the hottest tech ticket.

Dow Jones & Co. denied on Friday that it has come to an agreement with Rupert Murdoch to sell itself, rebuffing published reports that it accepted News Corp's $5 billion takeover bid.

Microsoft said late Thursday that it will take a charge of up to $1.15 billion for the month of June due to a new expanded warranty program and for a number of repairs and failures in its Xbox 360 game consoles.

Oil surged to an 11-month high above $76 a barrel on Friday, closing in on the all-time record as Nigerian disruptions and OPEC output cuts stirred supply concerns amid rising U.S. refiner demand.

Stocks rose on Friday, with all three major Wall Street indexes poised to end the week higher, after rising oil prices lifted energy shares and a stronger-than-expected jobs report indicated strength in the economy.

The dollar fell against the euro on Friday after an unexpectedly strong U.S. jobs report failed to change views that U.S. interest rates will stay on hold this year while overseas rates rise.

Employers added 132,000 jobs in June and payrolls rose more strongly than previously thought in April and May, according to a Labor Department report that underlined a strengthening job market.

More than 150 companies including Airbus, Coca-Cola and IKEA pledged on Friday to reduce the carbon burden of their operations in a voluntary pact urging governments to do more to confront climate change.

No. 2 microprocessor maker Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD). invested $7.5 million for preferred stock in Transmeta Corp., the companies said on Friday, sending Transmeta shares up 32 percent.

Amid an uproar over a decline in foreign initial public offerings on U.S. stock exchanges, dozens of overseas companies are more quietly heading for the exits.

Advanced Medical Optics Inc. has offered to buy larger eye-care company Bausch & Lomb Inc. for $4.23 billion, topping a rival offer of $3.67 billion from private equity firm Warburg Pincus, the two companies said on Thursday.

The Harry Potter author reveals broke down in tears during the completion of her final book in the series.