VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Hong Kong's financial watchdog is set to finalize new rules on so-called "dark pools" within the next few days, a source familiar with the regulator's thinking said on Thursday.

A surge in imports lifted the U.S. trade deficit in March to its highest level in nearly 6-1/2 years, suggesting the economy contracted in the first quarter.

A holiday in most of Europe thinned trade on Friday after a tumultuous week when the dollar dove, bond yields soared and stock markets in Europe and the United States weakened.

Ford Motor Co (F.N) said on Wednesday it is recalling more than 591,000 vehicles in North America for four separate problems, including possible broken bolts that could make steering more difficult.

Italian refiner Saras (SRS.MI) and Russian energy giant Rosneft (ROSN.MM) have called off plans to set up a trading joint venture, Saras Managing Director Dario Scaffardi said on Tuesday.

Cost cutting and an improving European car market helped Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) beat first-quarter profit forecasts, easing the pressure on management following the shock ouster of long-standing chairman Ferdinand Piech.

Detroit automakers have come full circle, relying as they did before the financial crisis on profits from selling trucks and sport utility vehicles in the United States to cover losses overseas.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday asked China to drop a ban on imports of U.S. poultry imposed because of an outbreak of bird flu in chickens and turkeys.

Xerox Corp cut its full-year profit forecast, blaming a strong dollar, and the company reported lower-than-expected quarterly revenue as its printer sales fell and costs rose.

The euro hit a two-week high against a soft dollar on Friday, supported by a rise in a key German business sentiment survey and hopes that cash-strapped Greece was making tentative progress toward securing fresh funding.

Negotiators for the Trans-Pacific Partnership have agreed trade rules for six broad categories as officials race to conclude a trade pact, a Japanese government source said on Thursday.

Japan's top trade negotiator sounded an optimistic note on Tuesday that he could reach a deal with the United States that is essential to creating a free trade pact covering 12 countries.

China will switch to a "registration system" for initial public offerings (IPO), ending the current approval process, the official China Securities Journal reported on Tuesday, a day after parliament began reviewing draft changes to the Securities Law.

Members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) should prepare for extra Iranian crude production when Western sanctions on Tehran are lifted, Iran's oil minister was quoted on Tuesday by state news agency IRNA as saying.

Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi says Saudi Arabia is producing near record levels of crude in April, underscoring the kingdom's willingness to defend market share at a time when oil markets have staged a fragile recovery.