BARACK OBAMA

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.42 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.53 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.36 percent at 5 a.m. EST.

President Barack Obama will seek on Monday to strike a balance between taming skyrocketing U.S. budget deficits and giving the economy a boost to ease the pain of double-digit unemployment.

Gold prices retreated to hover near $1,080 on Monday after posting a third straight week of declines as investors remained wary of gains in the dollar which weaken bullion's appeal as a currency hedge. A U.S. proposal to limit bank risks continued to weigh on investor sentiment.

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn on Sunday urged the United States, Britain and other countries to cooperate on new policies and regulations in the wake of the financial crisis.

The economic recovery is suddenly looking more robust. If it is going to stay that way, the labor market will need to catch up soon.

President Barack Obama will unveil a $3.8 trillion budget proposal on Monday for fiscal 2011, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

President Barack Obama will propose making a popular stimulus bond program permanent and expanding its use in the budget plan he presents on Monday, a U.S. Treasury Department official said on Saturday.

President Barack Obama renewed his pledge on Saturday to make job creation his top priority in 2010 but said it was also critical to rein in a record budget deficit that threatened an economic recovery.

Commerzbank's Chief Executive cautiously welcomed Barack Obama's proposals for tougher banking rules, as politicians and regulators accuse bankers of dragging their feet on financial reform.

Trade ministers expressed gloom on Saturday about the prospects of concluding stalled global trade liberalization talks this year, with many blaming the United States for foot-dragging.

Trade ministers were skeptical on Saturday about the prospects of concluding stalled global trade liberalization talks this year, with some blaming the United States for foot-dragging.

President Barack Obama addressed the GOP House Issues Conference in Baltimore on Friday where he criticized the Republican party of trying to prevent passage of his policies and made a call for their support in the creation of jobs.

The economy grew at its fastest pace in more than six years in the fourth quarter, surprising economists, as businesses curbed their aggressive cut in stocks and stepped up spending.

President Barack Obama on Friday proposed a $5,000 tax credit per new employee in 2010 as well as tax break for salary increases.

The day after President Barack Obama's State of the Union address to the Congress, leaders in the Senate and the House of Representatives said they would not abandon the bill despite sharp Democratic divisions on how to proceed.

The competing agendas of House Republicans and President Barack Obama are set to clash on Friday.

Top bank regulator Sheila Bair said on Friday that proposed proprietary trading limits are very positive, but said they would not have necessarily reined in risk-taking at the institutions that required massive bailouts.

The U.S. economy grew at a faster-than-expected 5.7 percent pace in the fourth quarter, the quickest in more than six years, as businesses made less-aggressive cuts to inventories and stepped up spending.

Two House leaders are calling for investigations into how hackers managed to access and deface government websites this past Wednesday.

The U.S. economy likely grew at its fastest pace in nearly four years in the fourth quarter as businesses made less-aggressive cutbacks on inventories, a government report is expected to show on Friday.

The Afghan government on Thursday invited the Taliban to a peace council as its Western allies worked out plans to try to end the war in Afghanistan.