FALL

KB Home posted a lower fourth-quarter profit on reduced margins, sending shares down as much as 8.5 percent, but said orders for new homes surged and home prices rose in another sign that the beleaguered housing market was gaining a foothold.

Contract manufacturer Jabil Circuit Inc posted quarterly revenue below analysts' estimates as its large customers battled inventory pile-ups, and sees lower revenue in the second quarter from its high-velocity segment which services digital products.

Business software maker Red Hat Inc forecast fourth-quarter revenue largely below analysts' expectations hurt mainly by a weaker euro, sending its shares down 7 percent in after-market trade.

Shares of silver mining companies got hammered Monday as the futures price of the metal fell on dimming prospects from China and Europe that next year will bring any improvement in demand.

Prices for silver and palladium, the two precious metals with the most industrial applications, fell Monday on growing evidence of weakening demand from China and a possible recession in Europe.

Zynga shares fell as much as 13 percent below their IPO price, in their second trading session, as investors worried about the online game publisher's growth prospects.

European Goldfields, which has agreed a C$2.5 billion ($2.4 billion) takeover by Canadian group Eldorado Gold, is hoping to keep an investment deal with Qatar's sovereign wealth fund as a fall back option.

Although still at levels above the five-year national average, natural gas inventories shrunk in the week ending in Dec. 9 from previous weeks, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Spain saw solid demand for its bonds on Thursday, paying more than 2 percentage points less to borrow over 5-years than Italy a day earlier as budget cuts helped ease concerns it could be among the next to fall in the euro zone's debt crisis.

A dash for cash has overwhelmed gold's traditional status as a haven from risk, putting the metal on course for its first quarterly fall since end-September 2008, when the global credit crunch was at its worst.

Gold prices Thursday appeared to halt the previous session's big plunge, though prospects they were carving a bottom defied the extent of damage precious metals prices suffered.

Two of Hong Kong's biggest recent initial public offerings slumped in their trading debuts on Thursday, falling victim to weak investor demand that has pressured new listings in the once booming global IPO powerhouse.

Swedish fashion group Hennez & Mauritz (H&M) posted a third straight monthly fall in sales at established stores in November as economic woes and unusually warm autumn weather across its main markets kept customers away from the shops.

A Midtown Manhattan elevator accident killed a woman and injured two others on Wednesday, according to a report.

The euro hit an 11-month low against the dollar and stocks eased on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve warned Europe's sovereign debt crisis could hurt the U.S. economy but failed to signal fresh action to stimulate growth.

Asian shares drifted lower and the euro idled near an 11-month low on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve failed to take any new steps to stimulate growth and offset the chilling effects of Europe's still-unresolved sovereign debt crisis.

Asian shares drifted lower and the euro idled near an 11-month low on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve failed to take any new steps to stimulate growth and offset the chilling effects of Europe's still-unresolved sovereign debt crisis.

Gold prices slipped Tuesday, its seventh consecutive daily decline, to a two-month low as the dollar posted big gains in light trading.

William Beinlich, 18, has been identified as the teenager that tragically fell to his death at Hocking Hills State Park, while hiking on Sunday.

Gold and gold receivables held by euro zone central banks fell by 1 million euros to 419.822 billion euros in the week ending Dec. 9, the European Central Bank said on Tuesday.

Malaria deaths have fallen dramatically in the past decade thanks to increased aid allowing more people access to nets and medicines, but the economic slowdown threatens to curb future progress, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday.