VENTURE CAPITAL POST

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite rose on Wednesday following three days of losses as tech shares advanced, while the blue-chip Dow index ticked lower, weighed by Disney's largest daily drop in almost seven years.

The 40-year record high of US dollar against some major currencies is ringing alarm bells for another currency crisis. The ongoing situation could also trigger for another round of crash in the emerging markets. The world is more integrated now than in those days of 1980s and 1990s that witnessed major currency crisis.

U.S. retail sales unexpectedly fell in June as households cut back on purchases of automobiles and a range of other goods, raising concerns the economy was slowing again.

A dozen of the largest Wall Street banks on Monday published detailed plans to show how they would shut down their business during a crisis without the help of taxpayer money, a crucial step to prevent being broken up by regulators.

U.S. stock index futures fell around 1 percent on Monday as fears that Greece could be the first country to exit the euro zone intensified after bailout talks with lenders broke down over the weekend.

A September interest rate hike is "very much in play" if the U.S. economy continues to strengthen, though the Federal Reserve could also wait until December to start tightening policy, an influential Fed official said in a newspaper interview.

The S&P 500 closed flat on Friday but ended lower for the week, with investors cautious ahead of a meeting in Europe that could decide whether Greece will default on critical loans.

Sentiment at some of Asia's biggest firms has deteriorated as a slowing Chinese economy, Greek sovereign debt crisis and looming U.S. interest rate hike create deepening concern about the state of the world economy, a Thomson Reuters/INSEAD survey showed.

Asian shares rose for a third consecutive day on Friday even as China stocks tumbled into correction territory, while the Federal Reserve's cautious stance towards lifting interest rates kept the dollar on the back foot.

U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday following back-to-back daily declines, with merger activity more than offsetting market concerns as Greece struggles to avoid a default on its debt.

European shares hit a near four-month low and yields on lower-rated euro zone sovereign debt climbed to their highest point since November, as financial markets braced for the possibility of Greece defaulting on its debt.

Wall Street was set to open lower as optimism regarding a resolution of the Greek debt crisis faded with the International Monetary Fund pulling out of bailout talks.

The World Bank on Wednesday cut its global growth outlook for this year and urged countries to "fasten their seat belts" as they adjust to lower commodity prices and a looming rise in U.S. interest rates.

U.S. stocks fell on Thursday, hit by nervousness ahead of Friday's jobs report and lingering uncertainty over a Greece aid deal with creditors.

U.S. stocks ended with modest gains on Monday, recovering part of last week's losses in a session marked by cautious trading as investors reacted to mixed economic data.