BARCLAYS

Gold prices fell sharply Tuesday but regained much of the lost ground to close down 0.8 percent on reports that retail investors are increasing their exposure to gold-back exchange-traded products.

Pfizer Inc., the world's largest drug maker, reported third-quarter profit that topped analysts' expectations based on U.S. growth of their cholesterol block-buster drug Lipitor, favorable foreign exchange rates and increases in overseas sales.

Barclays Bank of Kenya said on Tuesday its pretax profit increased 26 percent to 8.87 billion shillings in the nine months ended September, driven higher by the benefits of cost-cutting and sharply reduced bad loan provisions.

Banks led European shares lower on Monday, giving up some of last week's hefty gains as demand for detail on the recent euro zone debt deal teed up a weak end to a bumper month, with the broader market on course to snap a five-month losing streak.

Banks led European shares lower on Monday, giving up some of last week's hefty gains as demand for detail on the recent euro zone debt deal teed up a weak end to a bumper month, with the broader market on course to snap a five-month losing streak.

The China unit of investment bank JP Morgan has won approval to become a trading member of the Shanghai Gold Exchange, the eighth foreign financial institute to obtain such membership, said the exchange on its Web stie (www.sge.com.cn).

The top after market NYSE gainers on Friday were: Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Nabors Industries, Canadian Pacific Railway, 3D Systems and Carter's, Inc. The top after market NYSE Losers were: Freescale Semiconductor, China New Borun, Mindray Medical International, Swift Transportation and Jones Lang LaSalle.

MF Global Holdings Ltd was in talks on Sunday with possible buyers with the aim squarely on doing a deal, though all options were on the table, a person briefed on the matter said.

MF Global Holdings Ltd. is racing to sell all or part of its business this weekend, with its futures brokerage business seen as the most attractive, a source familiar with the situation said Friday.

A look past the upbeat headlines from this week's third-quarter gross domestic product report points to a more tentative diagnosis of the U.S. economy than initial responses indicated.

European shares extended the previous session's rally Friday, with investors still buoyant over a deal struck by euro zone leaders early Thursday to help end the bloc's two-year-old debt crisis.

Amazon.com Inc Chief Executive Jeff Bezos is thumbing his nose at Wall Street again and some investors don't like it.

The company blamed the revenue drop-off to a sharp contraction in European demand.

Canon Inc. (NYSE: CAJ) reported a 14.2 percent increase in third quarter earnings, due to ongoing cost cutting measures. Because of historically strong yen and lower production activities, the company lowered its full year 2011 outlook.

Hurricanes, earthquakes, lightning, slow play, burrowing moles -- Mark Russell has had to contend with a wide range of obstacles in his role as a tournament director for the PGA Tour.

The Kenyan shilling slipped against the dollar on Tuesday, weighed on by offshore banks closing out dollar positions after the central bank issued new trading rules, while stock rose slightly on the back of banks' nine-months earnings.

Former world number one Ernie Els will be joined by a host of other major winners in next month's Singapore Open which has secured a strong field despite clashing with an Australian event headlined by Tiger Woods.

Israeli technology companies, once the darlings of New York's Nasdaq, have turned their backs on the exchange and are looking for suitors to acquire them.

The long-awaited biography, Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, was made available Monday. Isaacson briefly mentions that Jobs wanted to create a television with a simple user interface, rescuing consumers from multiple confusing remotes.

The Ghana cedi continues to extend gains made late last week and could pursue the upward trend if the central bank and mining sector keep supplying the market with dollars, traders said.

Rapper and entrepreneur Shawn Carter a.k.a. Jay-Z has invested in part of the New Jersey Nets, and now, actor Will Smith has become part owner of his hometown team: the Philadelphia 76ers.