Market and Exchange

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Critics ridiculed European Union bureaucrats on Saturday for taking time off fighting the euro zone's debt crisis to impose strict new rules on how restaurants serve olive oil. From January 1, 2014, eateries will be banned from...

WASHINGTON -- Consumer sentiment perked up in May to its highest level in more than six years, according to a survey released Friday, helped by falling gasoline prices, a rising stock market and firmer housing prices. The preliminary May reading of the...

* Fed's Williams says stimulus reduction could start this summer * U.S. consumer sentiment rises to nearly six-year high * U.S. dollar index hits nearly three-year high * Dow, S&P 500 surge to record closing highs By Herbert Lash NEW YORK, May 17...

(Nicholas Wapshott is a Reuters columnist but his opinions are his own.) By Nicholas Wapshott May 17 (Reuters) - In the nearly five years since the worst financial crash since the Great Depression, the remedy for the world's economic doldrums has...

* C$ at C$1.0311 vs US$, or 96.98 U.S. cents * US$ strengthens near 10-mth high on Fed QE debate * Bond prices rise across curve By Solarina Ho TORONTO, May 17 (Reuters) - The Canadian dollar weakened to its softest level against its U.S. counterpart...

* Fed's Williams says could begin stimulus withdrawal this summer * U.S. consumer sentiment rises to highest in nearly 6 years * U.S. dollar index hits nearly three-year high, stocks climb * U.S. Treasuries prices fall further after sentiment data By...

* FTSEurofirst 300 up 0.2 pct, Euro STOXX 50 up 0.4 * Indexes up for 4th consecutive week * U.S. data pushes FTSEurofirst 300 to new 5-yr high * Auto stocks lead cyclical rally after sales increase By Francesco Canepa LONDON, May 17 (Reuters) - A...

* Dollar retreats from gains against euro and yen * Equity markets decline on soft housing, labor market data * Bond prices rise on data, Brent oil edges higher By Herbert Lash NEW YORK, May 16 (Reuters) - Global equity markets traded slightly lower and...

* Dollar recovers after president of San Francisco Fed speaks * Wall Street drops further but Cisco surges on earnings * Bond prices rise on poor U.S. economic data * Brent oil settles slightly higher By Herbert Lash NEW YORK, May 16 (Reuters) -...

* Euro zone annual inflation down to 1.2 pct in April * Bloc's trade surplus widens to 22.9 bln euros in March By Robin Emmott BRUSSELS, May 16 (Reuters) - Falling prices in Germany and France pulled euro zone consumer inflation to a three-year low...

* Euro slides 0.1 against dollar after weak euro zone inflation * Data reinforces expectations of monetary policy easing * European shares dip but still near multi-year highs * Japanese growth spurt 'proves Abenomics is working' By Richard Hubbard...

* Cisco jumps after earnings, outlook * CPI, housing starts, jobless claims data on tap * Futures: Dow up 3 pts, S&P flat, Nasdaq up 2 pts By Chuck Mikolajczak NEW YORK, May 16 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Thursday,...