NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) – The yen swung wildly on Tuesday, reversing the previous day’s late sell-off against dollar and the euro after an official with the Group of Seven said it is worried about excess moves in the Japanese currency.

World stock markets were modestly higher, led by European shares. U.S. indexes were little changed, with the S&P 500 index just a few percentage points away from all-time highs.

NEW YORK, Dec 26 (Reuters) – The yen fell to a two-year low
against the dollar on Wednesday as Japan’s new prime minister
called for weakening the currency to stimulate inflation, while
U.S. stocks fell, led by declines in retailers’ shares.

Sales growth at U.S. retailers was projected to have fallen
short of expectations during the holiday shopping season,
according to preliminary estimates from firms that track retail
spending.

NEW YORK/TOKYO, Dec 26 (Reuters) – The yen fell to a
two-year low against the dollar on Wednesday after Japan swore
in a new prime minister who has called for weakening the
currency to stimulate inflation, while U.S. stocks slipped in
thin trading.

The dollar rose as high as 85.74 yen on trading
platform EBS, the highest since September 2010, following the
swearing-in of Shinzo Abe as premier and was last at 85.65. The
euro rose as high as 113.40 yen, a 16-month high, up
1.4 percent. The euro was at $1.3223 against the dollar,
up 0.3 percent.

NEW YORK/TOKYO (Reuters) – The yen fell to a 20-month low against the dollar on Wednesday after Japan swore in a new prime minister who has promised aggressive stimulus measures to rein in deflation, while U.S. stocks and oil rose in thin trading.

The dollar rose to a 20-month high of 85.48 yen on trading platform EBS following the swearing-in of Shinzo Abe as premier. Traders eyed the dollar’s 2011 high of 85.53 yen as the next target.

NEW YORK/TOKYO, Dec 21 (Reuters) – U.S. stock index futures
fell sharply after a Republican proposal for averting the
“fiscal cliff” failed to muster enough support on Thursday,
raising concerns lawmakers won’t be able to come to a deal,
putting the world’s largest economy at risk of recession.

S&P 500 E-Mini stock futures plunged on the news in a
matter of seconds – falling as much as 3.6 percent in a mini
“flash crash” that even caused a halt in trading of one March
E-Mini futures contract because of the sharp move.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York-based stock exchanges are sending officials into Manhattan on Sunday to stay in hotels and coworkers’ homes as the NYSE and Nasdaq prepare to open for business on Monday, even as Hurricane Sandy closes off public transportation links.

Hurricane Sandy is expected to slam into the East Coast on Monday night, bringing torrential rains, high winds, severe flooding and power outages, forecasters said. The rare “super storm,” created by an Arctic jetstream wrapping itself around a tropical storm, could be the biggest to hit the U.S. mainland.

By Ryan Vlastelica and David Gaffen

(Reuters) – The European debt crisis and the specter of slowing growth worldwide continue to take a toll on corporate profits, with third-quarter earnings for S&P 500 companies now seen falling year-over-year, Thomson Reuters data showed on Thursday.

Third-quarter earnings are expected to fall 0.1 percent, a sharp revision from the 3.1 percent growth that was forecast on July 1.

July 26 (Reuters) – The European debt crisis and the specter
of slowing growth worldwide continue to take a toll on corporate
profits, with third-quarter earnings for S&P 500 companies now
seen falling year-over-year, Thomson Reuters data showed on
Thursday.

Third-quarter earnings are expected to fall 0.1 percent, a
sharp revision from the 3.1 percent growth that was forecast on
July 1.

By Jennifer Ablan and David Gaffen

(Reuters) – Grim. Serious. Terrifying. Nerve-rattling.

These are the words some prominent American investors and strategists are using to describe the worsening debt crisis in the euro zone and its impact on the global economy.

While growth has been slowing in China and the United States and companies warn about the effect on earnings, there is a mounting sense among the financial community that politicians and markets are operating on two completely different timelines.

By Jennifer Ablan and David Gaffen

(Reuters) – Grim. Serious. Terrifying. Nerve-rattling.

These are the words some prominent American investors and strategists are using to describe the worsening debt crisis in the euro zone and its impact on the global economy.

While growth has been slowing in China and the United States and companies warn about the effect on earnings, there is a mounting sense among the financial community that politicians and markets are operating on two completely different timelines.