Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - Global indicators suggested a positive start for North American stock markets Thursday even as crude prices climbed.

AFP - German reinsurer Hannover Re estimated that Hurricane Katrina, described as the worst natural disaster ever to hit the United States, would knock around 250 million euros (312 million dollars) off earnings this year.

Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - It will be a cautious week on stock markets as investors try to take in the enormity of the devastation caused to the U.S. Gulf Coast by hurricane Katrina.

AP - Telstra Corp., the government-controlled telecommunications company that is preparing for full privatization, said Monday it expects earnings before interest and tax to fall 7 percent to 10 percent in the fiscal year through next June.

AP - U.S. stock futures are trading higher Tuesday following the long holiday weekend. Investors await non-manufacturing, or service-sector, data for August.

AP - Tyson Foods Inc. lowered its 2005 earnings forecast on Tuesday citing damage to its four Mississippi poultry processing plants.

Reuters - The dollar lost ground against the euro and Swiss franc on Thursday as uncertainty persisted over whether the Federal Reserve will raise U.S. interest rates following Hurricane Katrina.

Reuters - Japan's Nikkei average rose 0.61 percent on Friday on gains in chip stocks such as Advantest Corp. (6857.T) and as economic optimism lifted regional banks, but analysts said caution had set in as Sunday's election neared.

AP - Stock investors are feeling bullish these days, shrugging off so far the effects of $3-per-gallon gasoline and the short-term economic impact of Hurricane Katrina's devastation.

Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - Global indicators were mostly positive for North American stock markets early Monday amid a flurry of U.S. takeover deals.

AP - U.S. stocks are expected to open lower Tuesday, as concerns remain over the prospect of the combination of higher inflation and borrowing costs, despite oil futures remaining flat, at around $63 to $64 a barrel.

AP - U.S. stock futures are trading higher Wednesday after losses Tuesday on Wall Street. Traders will seek direction from the retail sales and industrial production reports for August.

Reuters - U.S. stock futures are pointing to a higher start on Wall Street on Thursday with energy stocks set to rise after European peers were boosted while August's consumer prices index will be closely watched.

Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - Canada's benchmark stock index surpassed the 11,000-point mark Friday morning - trading at levels not seen since the fall of 2000 - with rising gold prices boosting Toronto's gold sector even as crude oil prices slipped after OPEC lowered its demand forecast.

AP - Stocks gained Friday, narrowing the week's losses as the energy and basic materials sectors improved and Dow components Exxon Mobil Corp. and Intel Corp. climbed on upgrades.

Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - North American investors will focus their attention on the U.S. Federal Reserve this week, as chairman Alan Greenspan steps into the spotlight and settles raging speculation over the prospects for more interest rate hikes in the wake of hurricane Katrina.

Reuters - The euro fell more than 3/4ths of a U.S. cent to a one-month low on Monday after provisional results from German elections revealed no clear winners, clouding the outlook for much-needed reforms in Europe's biggest economy.

Reuters - The dollar fell on Tuesday but still held fairly near the previous session's seven-week high against the euro as the Federal Reserve was widely expected to raise U.S. rates for an 11th straight time later in the day.

Reuters - The dollar slid against the euro on Wednesday, despite a rise in U.S. official interest rates, as investors feared a rapidly strengthening hurricane threatening the U.S. Gulf Coast could wreak as much damage as Hurricane Katrina.

Reuters - Tokyo's Nikkei average fell 0.32 percent on Thursday after concerns that Hurricane Rita may inflict more damage on the U.S. economy prompted investors to cash in winners such as Mizuho Financial Group Inc. T>

Reuters - The dollar held firm on Friday, as Hurricane Rita weakened to a Category 4 storm and shifted direction slightly, easing fears of a direct hit on key U.S. oil refineries in Texas.

Reuters - The dollar and Treasury yields could move higher on Monday after Hurricane Rita mostly spared Texas oil refiners, and crude and gasoline prices slipped, analysts said.

AP - U.S. stock futures are sharply higher Monday on investor relief that Hurricane Rita was tamer than expected. Traders await existing home-sales figures for August, seen declining moderately.

AP - Stocks turned modestly lower Tuesday as consumer confidence hit its lowest point in two years.

Reuters - The dollar stayed near two-month highs against the yen and the euro on Wednesday as a swelling chorus of comments from Federal Reserve officials suggested the currency's interest rate advantage would keep strengthening.

Reuters - The dollar slipped further from two-month highs against the yen on Thursday as foreign investors helped drive Tokyo share indices to new four-year highs and took heart from Japan's brightening economic outlook.

AP - U.S. stock markets on Friday looked set to finish out the third quarter quietly, despite a burst of buying at the end of the last session.