Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper is seeking to break a deadlock in trade talks with the EU by stepping up his part in negotiations, people familiar with the strategy said.

Wall Street showed signs of confidence in the credit markets today, surging higher in response to a pullback in Treasurys and an increase in borrowing by banks.

Wall Street stocks jumped today, pushing up the Dow Jones industrials by more than 100 points as a report that two companies are trying to buy Alcoa Inc. stoked investors’ hopes for a pickup in takeover activity.

The world's second largest miner, Rio Tinto, reported a 10% decline in full year profit as currency rates affected strong demand in China.