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U.S. retailers reported their 11th straight month of sales declines in July as shoppers continued to search for bargains and basics in the downturn.

U.S. retailers reported their 11th straight month of sales declines in July, as shoppers continued to search for bargains and basics in the downturn.

U.S. retailers reported disappointing sales declines for July, suggesting shoppers are still searching for bargains and basics in the downturn.

Some U.S. retailers reported sales declines for July that were not as steep as expected, suggesting that more shoppers may be buying discretionary items.

U.S. retailers could post their 11th consecutive drop in monthly same-store sales this week as cool weather, a weak job market, and a lack of tax-free holidays had shoppers picking through the clearance racks in July instead of buying full-priced back-to-school clothes.

Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd has agreed to pay about $550 million to buy some Asian units from British lender Royal Bank of Scotland, building up its Asia presence.

Standard Chartered is set to buy Royal Bank of Scotland's retail and small and medium enterprises operations in India, China and Malaysia for about $250 million, the Economic Times said on Friday, citing two unnamed sources familiar with the deal.

Independent power producer NRG Energy Inc posted higher second-quarter earnings, helped by the acquisition of Reliant Energy's Texas retail business and a tax gain on the sale of its equity stake in Mibrag.

$2.2 trillion of properties acquired or refi nanced after this point in early 2004 have lost value since the transaction.

Futures for the Dow Jones industrial average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 fall 0.2-0.3 percent, pointing to a weaker Wall Street open on Tuesday.

EBay Inc will slash fees by 20 percent for its top-rated sellers and push their listings higher up in the search queue, part of steps to try to rev up its long-stagnant Marketplaces arm.

EBay Inc posted better-than-expected quarterly results after managing to slow a persistent deterioration in its main Web auctions and retail business, propelling its shares nearly 5 percent higher.

Signs of life in the struggling auto sector helped boost Canadian retail sales by 1.2 percent in May from April, outstripping expectations and more than offsetting April's 0.6 percent decline.

Microsoft Corp is strengthening its focus on its planned to open a retail store this fall. The company hired George Blankenship former Apple Vice President of real estate who helps Apple to acquire property for its controversial retail store strategy way back in 2001.

Stock index futures rose on Tuesday, a day after the S&P 500 hit its highest closing level in eight months, after Caterpillar Inc posted stronger-than-expected quarterly results.

Stock index futures rose on Tuesday, a day after the S&P 500 hit its highest closing level in eight months, after Caterpillar Inc posted stronger-than-expected quarterly results.

Stock index futures were little changed on Tuesday, a day after the S&P 500 hit its highest closing level in eight months and ahead of one of the busiest days of this quarter's earnings season.

U.S. commercial property prices plunged for a second straight month in May as distressed transactions weighed, but the pace of decline may signal a bottoming process, Moody's Investors Service said on Monday.

LaSalle Investment Management on Monday said investor sentiment in the European commercial property sector had stabilised, that repricing had found a floor and that there was rising interest in the UK market.

Stocks were set to open higher on Monday, extending gains following Wall Street's best week in 4 months, after CIT Group Inc clinched a deal that could help avoid bankruptcy, removing some uncertainty as the financial sector recovers from a deep crisis.

Stock index futures rose on Monday after CIT Group Inc clinched a deal that could avoid bankruptcy, removing some uncertainty as the financial sector recovers from a deep crisis.