US job openings dip

US job openings slipped in December, a government report showed on Tuesday, but a decline in layoffs supported views of a gradual labour market recovery. Job openings, a measure of labour demand, eased 139,000 to a seasonally adjusted 3.1 million, the Labour Department said in its monthly Job Openings and Labour Turnover Survey.

Coca-Cola sales beat estimates

Coca-Cola Co reported higher-than-expected quarterly sales, as it gained market share and also saw growth in each of its major markets for the first time in years. Shares of the world's largest soft-drink maker rose 1.5 percent. The results on Wednesday are Coke's first to include its North American bottling operations, and improvement in the company's home region was a sign of success for that acquisition.

McDonald's rebounds in Europe

McDonald's Corp posted stronger-than-expected global sales at established restaurants as demand in Europe rebounded, coming in far above Wall Street estimates. The results sent McDonald's shares up more than 3 percent in morning trading. "Europe was the concern, and Europe blew it through," Oppenheimer analyst Matt DiFrisco said. "That will give people a little bit of increased confidence."

Wall Street Weekahead: A bout of profit taking likely

A bout of profit taking seems likely early next year after the S&P 500 ended its best December in almost two decades, but stocks may have further to run at the start of 2011. Technical indicators are pointing to a strained market, though recently stocks have been maintaining the momentum of late 2011.

London investors set to catch their breath ahead of 2011

Investors on the London stock market are set to catch their breath after the market gained more than nine percent in 2010 and with 2011 shaping up to be a difficult year. The FTSE 100 index dropped 1.81 percent over the week to end the week at 5,899.94 points. Nevertheless it still managed a gain of 9.2 percent over the year.

Global Markets Weekahead: three risks to start 2011

Financial markets enter 2011 with many investors persuaded that the world economy is on the mend and that riskier assets such as stocks are set to do well.

Dubai's global bourse hopes end but options remain

Dubai's ambition to become an international equity hub may have been put on ice by its need to repay debts, but the Gulf Arab state could still become a magnet for global equity funds if the UAE consolidates its bourses and earns MSCI emerging market status.