BARGAINS: Electronics were the big-draw items, while toys did well. Clothing proved to be less popular, but overall retailers were happy. Some wonder if the trend will last
US shoppers set aside worries about higher gas prices and a slumping housing market and proved their resilience over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, giving what the nation's merchants wished for -- a strong start to the Christmas shopping season.

[ FULL STORY ]

OFFER: The consortium would repay £11 billion of the £25 billion the Bank of England loaned to Northern Rock, with the rest to come later. Shareholders are not sure
Northern Rock PLC will hold accelerated takeover discussions with a consortium led by Virgin Group, the battered mortgage lender said yesterday.

[ FULL STORY ]

by Andy Mukherjee
There just isn't enough evidence to support the increasingly popular hypothesis that Asian economies are "decoupling" from a slowing US.

[ FULL STORY ]

China and France signed nuclear, aviation and other contracts yesterday that officials said were worth around US$30 billion, an amount French President Nicolas Sarkozy called unprecedented.

[ FULL STORY ]

■ ENERGY

[ FULL STORY ]