JC Penney reports quarterly results, with investors primed for the department store operator to beat estimates as its rivals Macy’s and Kohl’s did earlier in the week.

Other highlights:

*  Barack Obama makes his first trip to Asia as president, leaving behind a host of domestic problems on a visit that recognizes the region’s economic and diplomatic importance to the United States.

*  Google and a group representing authors and publishers face a Friday Department of Justice-set deadline to submit a revised agreement over modifications to a controversial electronic books licensing deal.

*  Initial public offerings from Dollar General, a leading discount chain owned by KKR, and rue21, a fast growth youth apparel chain owned by Apax Partners, begin trading on the NYSE.

*  On the economic front, expect international trade data and a preliminary reading on the November Reuters/University of Michigan sentiment index.

IPOs remain in the spotlight with Wynn Macau’s debut in Hong Kong. In the U.S., President Obama rallies support for a financial products watchdog.

*  President Barack Obama will seek to rally support for his proposal to create a watchdog agency that would protect consumers from risky financial products.

*  Investors betting on Wynn Macau’s stock when it debuts in Hong Kong may need a little luck, as recent lukewarm listings and a relatively high IPO price could limit the upside and even send shares down.

*  U.S. international trade data for August, released on Friday, is expected to show the trade gap continues to widen.

The global economic crisis is the biggest story in modern times and a record audience is turning to Reuters for information you can trust. I share with you some changes we’ve brought to Reuters.com and Reuters.co.uk to help you understand the financial turmoil and benefit from the expertise of our 2,550 journalists around the globe. You’ll notice more headlines from our financial correspondents and more video interviews with business newsmakers. We’ve added a new Economy section, increased our coverage of regulation and will soon relaunch our small business and environment pages.

Our Great Debate section has added more financial commentary from our growing team of Reuters columnists, with technology expert Eric Auchard among the writers joining James Saft, John Kemp and Bernd Debusmann. We also offer more graphics for better insight into the financial markets. And we continue to add specialist blogs, with Hedge Hub providing a place for readers to discuss the hedge fund industry with journalists such as Laurence Fletcher.

Of course, we know you rely on us for news of the political and cultural trends that influence our personal and professional worlds. You’ll find full coverage of the new U.S. administration on our Barack Obama: First 100 Days page, while pages ranging from Afghanistan to Wine can be found in our Topics section. Our India edition has a page dedicated to the national elections there. Bureaus in China, Japan, Israel and the Palestinian Territories have blogs to share their insights and we offer more video from our entertainment reporters. China and Japan have added native language blogs on their local editions.

There will be many more changes throughout 2009 that will help you navigate the unrivaled breadth and depth of Thomson Reuters news and data.  We look forward to unveiling them and to hearing your ideas on what else you would like to see on Reuters.com.

Sincerely,

David Schlesinger

Editor-in-Chief

Reuters News

No way, says North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr.  “But I understand why (Democrats) say it’s in play,” he tells Inside the Tent contributor John Steward. “If you eliminate Virginia and North Carolina, it’s hard for Barack Obama to get to 270 (electoral votes).”

Inside the Tent has more than 40 delegates and other attendees in Denver and St. Paul, equipped with video cameras to capture the conventions from the ground up. Steward is not a Reuters employee and any opinions expressed are his own.

Click here for a full list of contributors at the Republican National Convention.

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Barack Obama’s acceptance speech in Denver — although quickly overshadowed by John McCain’s surprise vice president choice and the looming presence of Hurricane Gustav — drew heavy praise from the Democratic faithful last week. The most common response was a single word: “Awesome.”

The following video was made by Kelly Nuxoll of Huffington Post’s Off the Bus, a partner in the Reuters Inside the Tent project.

Inside the Tent has more than 40 delegates and other attendees in Denver and St. Paul, equipped with video cameras to capture the conventions from the ground up. Nuxol is not a Reuters employee and any opinions expressed are her own.

Click here for a full list of contributors at the Democratic National Convention. We’ll be moving to St. Paul for the Republican National Convention next week.

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Kristine Fallstone, whose son was killed in an Army training exercise after he spent a year in Iraq, talks to Inside the Tent contributor Kathleen Miller about her support for Barack Obama and her evangelical Christian faith.

Inside the Tent has more than 40 delegates and other attendees in Denver and St. Paul, equipped with video cameras to capture the conventions from the ground up. Miller is not a Reuters employee and any opinions expressed are her own.

Click here for a full list of contributors at the Democratic National Convention. We’ll be moving to St. Paul for the Republican National Convention next week.

Click here for more Inside the Tent contributions.

Click here for more Reuters 2008 election coverage.

What goes on behind the scenes and away from the spotlight at the Democratic National Convention? The following video is from Gina McCauley, a contributor to Reuters Inside the Tent.

Inside the Tent has more than 40 delegates and other attendees in Denver and St. Paul, equipped with video cameras to capture the conventions from the ground up. Mccauley is not a Reuters employee and any opinions expressed are her own.

Click here for a full list of contributors at the Democratic National Convention. We’ll be moving to St. Paul for the Republican National Convention next week.

Click here for more Inside the Tent contributions.

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Dilia Schack, a Hillary Clinton delegate for New York, talks to Reuters Inside the Tent contributor Beth Marlowe about the senator’s efforts to convince supporters to back Barack Obama.

Clinton offered a rousing plea for Democratic unity on Tuesday evening, promising to work for Obama and challenging her supporters to bury their grudges and rally behind his White House bid.

Reuters Inside the Tent has more than 40 delegates and other attendees in Denver and St. Paul, equipped with video cameras to capture the conventions from the ground up.

Click here for a full list of contributors at the Democratic National Convention. We’ll be moving to St. Paul for the Republican National Convention next week.

Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.

Political consultant and pollster Frank Luntz discusses Joe Biden as the Democratic running mate, union support for the party’s presidential hopeful Barack Obama, and recent poll figures. The following video is from Mike Smith, a contributor to Reuters Inside the Tent.

Reuters Inside the Tent has more than 40 delegates and other attendees in Denver and St. Paul, equipped with video cameras to capture the conventions from the ground up. Smith is not a Reuters employee and any opinions expressed are his own.

Click here for a full list of contributors at the Democratic National Convention. We’ll be moving to St. Paul for the Republican National Convention next week.

Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.

Alabama state representative Merika Coleman discusses why as a parent, she supports Barack Obama. This video is from Barbara Scarpella Reed, one of the contributors to Reuters Inside the Tent.

Reuters Inside the Tent has more than 40 delegates and other attendees in Denver and St. Paul, equipped with video cameras to capture the conventions from the ground up. Scarpella Reed is not a Reuters employee and any opinions expressed are her own.

Click here for a full list of contributors at the Democratic National Convention. We’ll be moving to St. Paul for the Republican National Convention next week.

Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.