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Demand for public stock offerings in Hong Kong and throughout the region remains strong, despite a few recent deals that struggled, according to a panel of three investment bankers and one hedge fund investor.

U.S. retailers that pushed deep, margin-sapping discounts in 2008 to try to lure holiday shoppers during the recession are going to try to break consumers of the 70 percent-off habit in 2009.

Liz Claiborne Inc will move its namesake brand to JC Penney Co Inc Department Stores and take a line by celebrity designer Isaac Mizrahi off department store shelves in a strategy shift that pushed shares up nearly 33 percent to their highest level in 11 months.

The number of U.S. workers filing new jobless claims hit a 9-month low last week, and retailers posted their first monthly sales gain in over a year, easing fears recovery from recession would be unsustainable.

U.S. retailers gave investors an early Christmas present, posting their first monthly sales increase in more than a year and suggesting that wounded consumers might begin to heal in time for the crucial holiday season.

HSBC has resumed talks with Royal Bank of Scotland over the purchase of the remaining retail and commercial units that bailed-out RBS owns in Asia, sources said on Thursday.

Stocks rose at the open on Thursday after a surprise profit from Alcoa Inc boosted the start of the earnings season.

Stocks headed for a higher open on Thursday as a surprise profit from Alcoa Inc boosted the start of the earnings season and surging commodity prices underpinned a global equity advance.

U.S. retailers, including Macy's Inc and Abercrombie & Fitch , surprised Wall Street with better-than-expected September sales, suggesting shoppers could be loosening their purse strings ahead of the crucial holiday season.

U.S. retailers, including Limited Brands Inc and Children's Place , surprised Wall Street with small increases in September sales, suggesting that shoppers could be heading back for the crucial holiday season.

U.S. financial advisors are due for upheaval as baby boomers, controlling $10 trillion in assets, reach retirement age and shift their investment priorities, said a senior executive at asset manager BlackRock Inc.

Family Dollar Stores Inc and Costco Wholesale Corp reported better-than-expected quarterly profits on Wednesday and said sales improved in September from preceding months, sending their shares higher.

HSBC Holdings Plc is in advanced discussions to acquire the banking assets of Royal Bank of Scotland in three Asian countries, the Wall Street Journal online reported on Wednesday.

HSBC Holdings Plc is in advanced discussions to acquire the banking assets of Royal Bank of Scotland in three Asian countries, the Wall Street Journal online reported on Wednesday.

U.S. retailers probably saw sales decline again in September, signaling weak demand leading into the holiday season that will require chains to sharpen their focus on value.

Female Health Co's new version of its female condom is now available to state health agencies and nonprofit organizations, but the company is still trying to make it more widely available in stores.

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion could see its share of the smartphone market eroded by competing devices like Apple's iPhone, analysts warned on Friday as RIM's stock plunged more than 16 percent in the wake of a disappointing profit and outlook report.

Citigroup Inc's U.S. retail banking business plans to focus its marketing efforts on six cities, a source familiar with the matter said, but the bank's chief executive said he does not plan to dramatically shrink its branch network.

Sales of the PlayStation 3 video game console jumped in the weeks after a $100 price cut last month, and strong demand could lead to empty shelves at retail, a Sony Corp executive said on Wednesday.

Corrects to read Sony's God of War and Activision Blizzard's Call of Duty in penultimate paragraph; names of video game publishers were transposed

U.S. holiday spending is expected to be flat versus a year ago, as consumers remain cautious and the national unemployment rate hovers at nearly 10 percent, Deloitte said in a forecast released late on Sunday.