AP - Japanese tiremaker Bridgestone Corp. said Monday net profit for the first quarter rose 4 percent as strong global sales of tires offset the jump in raw material costs.

Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - The Canadian dollar soared over the 90-cent U.S. mark in international trading today.

FT.com - Following overnight gains on Wall Street, European equity markets made an upbeat start to trading helped by a range of positive corporate earnings. However, a further rise in crude oil prices close to $75 a barrel weighed on investor sentiment.

AP - Hyundai Motor Co., whose chairman was recently arrested in a bribery scandal, said Thursday its net profit tumbled 37.5 percent in the first quarter from a year ago as the strong South Korean won eroded export income.

FT.com - European equity markets made a positive start to trading on Friday at the end of a busy week for corporate earnings.

Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - A new record high for the world's most-watched stock market measure is in sight this week.

Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - Big mergers grabbed the spotlight early Monday and global indicators were mixed for North American stock markets.

AP - Munich Re AG, the world's largest reinsurer, said Tuesday that first-quarter net profit rose 41 percent, helped by a better performance from its primary insurance arm, lower costs and a lack of large-scale disaster claims.

AP - Japan Airlines sank into a 47.2 billion yen loss ($423 million) for the fiscal year through March, as fliers switched in droves to rivals after a spate of safety lapses, the carrier said Wednesday.

AP - With the Federal Reserve's interest-rate decision out of the way, markets Thursday returned to the familiar trend of bidding up commodity prices, with stock futures higher as well after last session's mixed performance.

AP - Anxious investors sent stocks plunging Thursday as surging commodities prices fed fears that the Federal Reserve would extend its two-year streak of interest rate hikes. The major indexes saw their biggest one-day drops since mid-January.

Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - Gains are likely to be elusive on stock markets this week as nervousness grows over a recent sharp run-up in commodity prices.

Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - Global indicators were mostly negative for North American stock markets early Monday as falling commodity prices set a pessimistic tone.

AP - BAA PLC, which operates Heathrow and other major British airports, reported Tuesday that its profits fell 21 percent in 2005 compared to a year earlier.

Reuters - The Nikkei average gained 0.92 percent at Wednesday's close, snapping a six-day losing streak as waning concern about a strong yen encouraged investors to buy recently battered issues such as Tokyo Electron Ltd.

AP - U.S. stock market futures were pointing to a mild rebound Thursday after the last session's drubbing on concerns about continued interest rate hikes.

AP - Wall Street extended its losses Thursday, a day after an inflation scare sent the Dow Jones industrial average on its biggest one-day drop in three years and put the Nasdaq composite index in the red for 2006.

AFP - Euronext and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) are due to announce an all-share merger this week that will create the world's first transatlantic bourse.

AFP - Deutsche Boerse, operator of the German stock exchange, refused to budge on the terms of its offer to merge with Euronex , indicating it would not increase its bid or be drawn into a bidding battle with the New York Stock Exchange for the pan-European rival.

AP - Marks & Spencer Group PLC on Tuesday reported a 46.6 percent gain in profit from continuing operations in the 52 weeks ended April 1.

AP - U.S. stock market futures were mixed Wednesday, with bulls and bears having data on durable goods and new home sales to argue about. Concerns about a possible bird-flu outbreak also may impact.

AP - TiVo Inc., a provider of digital video recorders, posted a wider first-quarter loss on Wednesday, citing legal costs, aggressive pricing and stock option expenses.

Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - Ahead of a three-day holiday weekend in the United States, oil prices rose and global indicators were mostly positive for North American stock markets early Friday.

AP - Although Wall Street has shown signs of recuperating from its recent selloff, this week's batch of critical economic reports could easily shatter investors' fragile optimism and send stocks sliding again.

Reuters - The Nikkei share average gave up early gains to close 0.34 percent lower on Monday on profit-taking in such index heavyweights as Tokyo Electron Ltd. (8035.T) after the index topped 16,000 for the first time in a week.

Reuters - The Nikkei average slipped 0.35 percent on Tuesday as heavyweights like Kyocera Corp fell as losses in small-cap shares dampened overall market sentiment and concerns began to emerge about the global economy.

Reuters - The dollar stayed under pressure on Wednesday after falling sharply the previous day, as the nomination of a top Wall Street banker for Treasury chief did little to dispel suspicions that Washington wants a weaker dollar.