NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures slipped on Wednesday, indicating the S&P 500 may snap a three-day winning streak after weaker-than-expected euro zone economic data and ahead of a report on the U.S. housing market. European shares fell for a second straight session as recession concerns increased after data showed the euro zone's service sector ...

Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg The Alibaba.com logo is seen on a shirt at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The Alibaba.com logo is seen on a shirt at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg Feb. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Justin Weiss, an analyst at JI Asia in Tokyo, talks about Aliba ...

Meredith Whitney, the banking analyst whose prediction of “hundreds of billions of dollars” of municipal-bond defaults last year didn't prove true, plans to write a book about the market, according to the New York Times. The book, to be titled “Downgraded: Why the Next Economic Crisis Will Be Local,” is set to be published by Portfolio, a Penguin Group impri ...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks opened slightly lower on Wednesday, putting the S&P 500's three-day winning streak in jeopardy after weaker-than-expected euro zone economic data. The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI was down 12.11 points, or 0.09 percent, at 12,953.58. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index .SPX dipped 1.86 points, or 0.14 percent, at 1,360.35. The Na ...

U.S. 10-year note yields approached a one-month high before an industry report that economists said will show sales of existing homes increased for a fourth month, damping demand for the safest securities. Five-year debt held three days of losses as the government prepared to auction $35 billion of the securities today, part of $99 billion of notes it is sel ...

LONDON (Reuters) - The yen hit a seven-month low against the dollar on Wednesday and looked set to remain on the defensive after recent monetary easing from the Bank of Japan, while the euro struggled to make headway against the greenback following Greece's bailout deal. The single currency also came under pressure from a euro zone services sector flash PMI ...

The yen weakened to a seven-month low versus the dollar amid speculation U.S. growth is gathering strength, damping demand for the Asian nation's currency. The euro reached a three-month high versus the yen as the Greek government sent debt-swap and austerity measures to parliament for approval after winning a second aid package yesterday. The Dollar Index s ...

LONDON (Reuters) - Gold prices retreated from an earlier two-week high in Europe on Wednesday as persistent concerns over Europe's finances hurt the euro and weighed on stock markets, while supply upsets in major producer South Africa lifted platinum to a five-month high. Spot gold was down 0.3 percent at $1,753.29 an ounce at 1044 GMT, having earlier touche ...

Oil fell on speculation that prices near a nine-month high will curb demand as Europe continues to struggle with its debt crisis and crude stockpiles rise in the U.S., the world's biggest consumer of the commodity. Futures slid as much as 0.4 percent, heading for the first decline in more than a week as prices approached a technical resistance level. U.S. tr ...

Bank of England Deputy Governor Charlie Bean said agreement on a second bailout for Greece may not be enough to end the debt crisis and countries in the euro- area periphery must reduce debt and improve competitiveness. While the agreement “between the Greek government and the euro-area authorities is certainly welcome, there still remains a possibility that ...