CITIGROUP

Stocks headed for a flat open on Friday as upbeat housing data for June counteracted worry over the quality of corporate profits from General Electric Co and Google Inc .

Citigroup Inc on Friday reported quarterly earnings.

Dow Jones futures were down 0.01 percent by 4.38 a.m. ET while S&P 500 futures ticked down 0.05 percent and Nasdaq futures rose 0.3 percent, suggesting a mixed start for U.S. stocks on Friday after four days of gains.

Asian shares extended gains on Friday on hopes the global recession is receding after key U.S. companies beat earnings expectations, but deadly blasts in Jakarta weighed on Indonesian stocks and the rupiah.

Investors were looking to Bank of America and Citigroup for a fresh dose of earnings optimism on Friday, after strong reports from JPMorgan Chase and IBM raised hopes for a global recovery.

Most Asian shares extended gains on Friday as key U.S. earnings reports beat expectations, fueling hopes that the global recession is receding, but deadly explosions at two Jakarta hotels weighed on Indonesia stocks and the rupiah.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner expressed confidence on Thursday that global financial markets were mending but would not comment on lender CIT Group Inc, which U.S. authorities seemed ready to let sink.

Brazil's state development bank BNDES will lend 25 billion reais ($12.8 billion) to Petrobras denominated in local Treasury notes, the first loan of its kind in Latin America's largest economy, daily newspaper Valor Economico said on Thursday.

JPMorgan Chase & Co said investment banking and trading drove a larger-than-expected 36 percent jump in quarterly profit despite a surge in credit card and loan losses that could worsen.

Citigroup Inc said on Wednesday it will outsource the core processing elements of a U.S. receivables management business to First Data Corp, saving money and reducing about 500 jobs.

Citigroup has become the latest bank to rebuild its European oil and gas investment banking team, rehiring James Sleeman and naming another senior banker as a global co-head covering the sector.

Two of the biggest U.S. credit card companies, Capital One Financial Corp and Discover Financial Services , reported lower-than-expected defaults and delinquencies in June, sending their shares sharply higher.

Johnson & Johnson posted a 5 percent drop in second-quarter earnings on Tuesday, but profit and revenue beat analysts' forecasts thanks to surprisingly resilient pharmaceutical and consumer product sales.

Johnson & Johnson posted a 5 percent drop in second-quarter earnings, but profit and revenue beat analyst forecasts helped by surprisingly resilient pharmaceutical and consumer product sales.

The survival of CIT Group Inc , a key source of financing for thousands of small and medium-sized companies, became ensnared in disagreements between regulators in Washington on Monday.

Ricardo Lacerda, Citigroup's top investment banker for Brazil and Latin America, will leave his post within the next three months, a local newspaper reported on Monday.

CIT Group Inc stock and bond prices tumbled Monday as the company sought to bolster liquidity and U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said he was keeping close watch on the lender to small and mid-sized businesses.

Mexico's central bank has established rules on paying for goods and services and making other financial transactions through bank accounts associated with mobile telephones.

CIT Group Inc stock and bond prices tumbled Monday as the company sought to bolster liquidity and U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said he was keeping close watch on the lender to small and mid-sized businesses.

Barclays has hired mergers and acquisitions banker Mark Todd from Citigroup, a person familiar with the matter said on Monday, the latest in a string of hires as the British bank beefs up in European M&A.

Bank of America Corp is trying to avoid paying billions of dollars in fees to U.S. taxpayers for guarantees against losses at Merrill Lynch, saying the rescue agreement was never signed and the funding never used, Bloomberg reported citing people familiar with the matter.