Wall Street buoyed by upbeat economic data (Reuters)

Reuters - Stocks rose modestly on Thursday as better-than-expected jobs and trade data added to optimism over the economic recovery.

3 Texas men indicted in Va. in $103M scam (AP)

AP - A federal grand jury in Richmond has indicted three Texas men for allegedly defrauding investors in their life insurance settlement businesses.

Ford summons dealers to discuss Lincoln's future (Reuters)

Reuters - Ford Motor Co will host a meeting for its Lincoln dealers in early October to discuss its plans for re-energizing a brand that has long trailed luxury market competitors such as Cadillac and Mercedes.

McDonald's France lags in August, shares fall (Reuters)

Reuters - McDonald's Corp's European sales growth fell in August from the sizzling levels it experienced for much of the year due to weakness in France, which generates the company's biggest European sales, and its shares fell nearly 3 percent.

Obama firm against tax cuts for rich (Reuters)

Reuters - President Barack Obama stood firm on Thursday in opposition to a Republican push to extend Bush-era tax cuts for the rich but stopped short of threatening to veto such a measure if passed by Congress.

Gulf oil dilemma: accept payout from BP or sue? (AP)

AP - Alabama seafood market owner David Scott faces a difficult decision as he tries to rejuvenate his business after the Gulf oil spill: He can accept a piece of BP's $20 billion claims fund — relatively fast, easy money — or sue the oil giant for a bigger payday, wait years and risk ending up with nothing.

CA-CANADA Summary (Reuters)

Reuters - Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said on Thursday he is concerned by the record high trade deficit Canada had in July and he called on the private sector to step up investment to improve productivity and help support economic growth. Canada's monthly trade deficit in July rose more than expected as anemic demand from the United States sapped exports, while imports surged to their highest level since November 2008.

As Wall Street Sheriff, Coffey would be discreet (Reuters)

Reuters - New York state attorney general candidate Sean Coffey on Thursday said he was the only contender qualified to police Wall Street and called Democratic rivals career politicians fixated on becoming governor.

Data shows economic recovery still on track (Reuters)

Reuters - New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week to a two-month low, while the trade deficit narrowed sharply in July, hopeful signs for the stuttering economic recovery.

Struggling Spain OKs labor market reforms (AP)

AP - Spain gave final approval Thursday to labor market reforms designed to shake up a listless economy and help slash a bloated deficit that has prompted European-wide worries of another Greek-style debt crisis.

US trade deficit narrows sharply in July (AFP)

AFP - The US trade deficit dropped more than expected in July as exports reached their highest level in two years, official data showed Thursday, boosting hopes for the US economic recovery.

Web Impostors May Face Prison in California (BusinessWeek)

BusinessWeek - California Web impostors beware: You may soon be breaking the law, even if you aren't one of the perpetrators targeted by the state's "e-personation" bill.

Toys R Us to double U.S. store print for holiday season (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. retailer Toys R Us, which has filed for an initial public offering, said it plans to open about 600 temporary stores in malls and shopping centers nationwide, doubling the number of store locations for the holiday season.

British MPs to grill BP CEO Hayward (Reuters)

Reuters - British Members of Parliament (MPs) will next week grill outgoing BP Plc Chief Executive Tony Hayward, as part of an investigation into risks around deepwater drilling in the North Sea.

FDIC's Bair warns of government "exposure" in mortgages (Reuters)

Reuters - A key U.S. banking regulator raised concern on Wednesday about the risk of "exposure" the government is taking on in the mortgage market and urged more stringent standards for underwriting mortgages.

Spartech posts fiscal 3Q loss, misses expectations (AP)

AP - Plastic sheet and packaging maker Spartech Corp. reported a net loss for its fiscal third quarter on Wednesday and said that despite higher revenue, the overall market recover is slower than expected.

Kuwait appoints first stock market regulator (AFP)

AFP - Kuwait has appointed its first independent regulatory body, the Capital Market Authority, to oversee its stock exchange, Commerce Minister Ahmad al-Harun said on Wednesday.