San Francisco, New York and Boston are the United States' most walkable cities, according to new rankings from a Web site that evaluates how easy it is to live in the nation's cities and neighborhoods without a car.

The United States is heading for recession despite modest growth in the first half of the year, but strength in Germany is keeping European growth prospects a bit brighter, Fitch Ratings said on Thursday.

Investors should ignore recent signs of strength and face up to the fact that we will face a prolonged bear market, John carter, president of Trade The Markets, told CNBC Wednesday.

The market for initial public offerings in the United States suffered its worst quarter since the third quarter of 2003, as canceled IPOs easily outpaced the number of new offerings, according to preliminary Thomson Reuters data.

Massachusetts authorities sued two subsidiaries of Swiss bank UBS Thursday, charging they misled investors about how safe auction rate securities were.

California on Thursday took a major step forward on its global warming fight by unveiling an ambitious plan for clean cars, renewable energy and stringent caps on big polluting industries.

Bank shares rose on Wednesday after a report that Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov is buying stakes in major Western banks and wants other tycoons to join him.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on Monday defended the dollar's status as the world's reserve currency and said its recent decline was only a small factor behind a surge in oil prices.

Toyota Motor is considering downgrading its U.S. sales forecast to account for a worsening outlook for pick-up trucks and other big vehicles, the Financial Times newspaper said on Monday.

Stocks closed higher, led by technology shares, ending the a holiday-shortened week in the positive.

Stocks moved higher on positive earnings in technology and a report that inflation appeared to be moderating.

Stocks were set for a positive open, as Dell boosted tech futures and the market awaited numers that would help clear up the inflation picture.

Corporate Express, a Dutch office supplier fighting off a hostile bid from U.S. rival Staples, has agreed to buy French rival Lyreco for 1.39 billion euros ($2.16 billion) in cash and equity.

Shares in Dutch office goods supplier Corporate Express slipped on Tuesday after U.S. office supplies retailer Staples launched a hostile 1.5 billion euro ($2.3 billion) bid for the firm.

U.S. prosecutors are expected to approach UBS with a subpoena for the names of rich American clients who may have used the Swiss bank's services to skirt income taxes, the Wall Street Journal said on Thursday, citing lawyers and others involved in the case.