Stock index futures unchanged

North Korea talks of 'sacred' nuke war
SEOUL, South Korea — One month after a deadly exchange of artillery fire, the two Koreas ramped up their Rhetoric, with South Korea’s president pledging unsparing retaliation if attacked again and a top North Korean official threatening a "sacred" Nuclear War if provoked. South Korean Troops, tanks and fighter jets put on a thundering display of force Thursday as President Lee Myung-bak visited with Soldiers at a base near the border, while North Korea’s elite marked a key mili...

North Korea threatens 'sacred war'
North Korea threatened a nuclear "sacred war" and South Korea vowed a "merciless counterattack" if it was attacked again as both sides raised the Rhetoric on a day of more Military exercises in the South. South Korea's land and sea exercises prompted North Korea, which has threatened to reduce the South to ashes on many occasions, to denounce its richer neighbour as a warmonger. "To counter the enemy's intentional drive to push the situation to the brink of war, our revolutionary forces are maki...

War rhetoric rises between North and South Korea
Source: AP Seoul, South Korea – One month after a deadly exchange of artillery fire, the two Koreas ramped up their Rhetoric, with South Korea's president pledging unsparing retaliation if attacked again and a top North Korean official threatening a "sacred" Nuclear War if provoked. South Korean Troops, tanks and fighter jets put on a thundering display of force Thursday as President Lee Myung-bak visited with Soldiers at a base near the border, while North Korea's elite marked a key Military an...

Drills ramp up Korea tensions
North Korea threatened a nuclear "sacred war" yesterday and South Korea vowed a "merciless counter-attack" if fired on again as more Military exercises took place in the South. South Korea's land and sea exercises prompted North Korea, which has threatened to reduce the South to ashes on many occasions, to accuse its much richer neighbour of warmongering. "To counter the enemy's intentional drive to push the situation to ADVERTISEMENT the brink of war, our revolutionary forces are making prepa...

Treasury prices fall, stocks end flat as holiday weekend begins
U.S. stocks ended a strong week on a quiet note Thursday, as mixed economic data kept investors from jumping in ahead of a long holiday weekend. The Dow Jones industrial average edged up 14 points, or 0.1%; the S&P 500 fell 2 points, or 0.2%; and the NASDAQ slipped 6 points, or 0.2%. The three major indexes were about 1% higher for the week. On Wednesday, stocks ended at fresh two-year highs as Oil Prices topped $90 a barrel. Reports Thursday showed Jobless Claims barely budging, new home sa...

US critical of Norks incoherent rant and threats
Image via Wikipedia BBC: The US has denounced North Korea for threatening a "sacred war" against the South, whose Military has been holding live-fire drills near the border. The State Department's Philip Crowley told the BBC there was no justification for Pyongyang's "belligerent words". In a day of rising tension, Seoul and Pyongyang traded strong Rhetoric, with the South warning of a "powerful response" to any attack from the North. ... Kim Yong-chun, quoted by state news agency KCNA, said t...

North Korea may have new atom test to boost heir: South
Source: Reuters Seoul (Reuters) – North Korea could conduct a third atomic test next year to boost the credentials of its leader-in-waiting, while prospects for bilateral talks with Seoul are slim, a South Korean Foreign Ministry report said on Friday. The regular report from a ministry research institute was published a day after Pyongyang vowed a nuclear "sacred war" after the South vowed to be "merciless" if attacked, and held a major Military drill near the border. The North, which carried o...

N.Korea may stage atom test to boost heir: think-tank
North Korea may carry out another atomic test next year to bolster the status of leader-in-waiting Kim Jong-un, a Seoul state think-tank said Friday, a day after the North threatened a Nuclear Attack. Tensions remain high on the peninsula a month after the North bombarded a South Korean border island and killed four people including civilians. The North may stage a third test "to demonstrate Kim Jong-Un's Military prowess, to improve Plutonium-based Nuclear Weapons and ratchet up Military tensio...

Korean military exercise escalates bitter war of words
North and South Korea beat the drums of war yesterday, each threatening the other with swift retaliation if attacked. Seoul has staged days of military drills in a show of force meant to deter North Korea, including live-fire exercises earlier this week on a frontline island shelled by the North last month. Angered by the exercises, North Korea threatened on Thursday that it would launch a "sacred" nuclear war if Seoul hit it, and warned that even the smallest intrusion would bring a devastati...

North Korea Warns of "Sacred War" in Standoff with South Korea
© Reuters/Jo Yong-Hak A North Korean Scud-B missile (C) and South Korean Hawk surface-to-air missiles are seen at the Korean War Memorial Museum in Seoul, December North Korea threatened a nuclear "sacred war" on Thursday and South Korea vowed a "merciless counterattack" if it was attacked again as both sides raised the Rhetoric on a day of more Military exercises in the South. South Korea's land and sea exercises prompted North Korea, which has threatened to reduce the South to ashes on...

Stocks open flat
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks opened flat Wednesday morning, as investors begin to pack up for the holidays and prepare for 2011. The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU), S&P 500 (SPX) and NASDAQ (COMP) all gained about 3 points at the opening bell. Email Print Comment Trading is expected to be light heading into the Holiday Season. But though there's little news on tap for the rest of the year, stocks have trended upward. December has been a strong month for stocks -- the blue-chip Do...

Two Koreas take tough stance as think-tank warns of war
The two Koreas are still talking tough one month after the North's artillery bombardment sent tensions soaring, with Pyongyang threatening Nuclear War and Seoul vowing strong retaliation for any new attack. The move is likely to anger Pyongyang since the date marks the birthday of its heir apparent Kim Jong-un. The Communist North sees the tree topped with a glowing cross as a provocative Propaganda symbol. The ministry said it hoped to send "a message of peace to the North" and the timing was j...

Tensions Soar as South Korea Continues Massive Live-Fire Drills
The threat of a full scale war in the Korean Peninsula seems as serious as ever, as South Korea continues with its massive live-fire drills again today, with President Lee Myung-bak promising an “unsparing” response if North Korea responded to the drills with any actions of their own. North Korea, meanwhile, threatened to launch a Nuclear War if the massive drilling turned into an attack on them. Both sides appear keen on harsh Rhetoric since a brief exchange of fire last month, in...

Gold and dollar slide Thursday
On the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, gold lost $7, 0.6 percent, to $1,380.40 per troy ounce. Crude Oil Prices for February delivery added $1.05 to $91.53 per barrel. The benchmark 10-year treasury note fell 13/32, causing yields to rise to 3.397 from Wednesday's 3.348 percent, as The Dollar index dropped 0.33 percent. The euro rose to $1.3117 from Wednesday's $1.3099. Against the yen, The Dollar dropped to 82.92 yen from Wednesday's 83.54 yen. The dollar fell across most of...

SKorea begins massive land, sea military drills...
In a brash move that many fear will again provoke a testy North Korea, Seoul officials Wednesday announced the start of massive new land and sea live-fire drills, just a month after the North's deadly artillery attack on a remote island. The exercises, which will run through Friday, involve Troops, tanks, fighter jets and anti-aircraft guns — as well as six naval ships and Lynx anti-submarine helicopters — as the Military remains on high alert for Pyongyang to retaliate for drills th...

N.Korea 'ready for sacred war' as South holds drill
South Korea's Military Thursday held a live-fire drill involving tanks, artillery and jet fighters, in a major show of strength staged exactly a month after North Korea's deadly attack on a border island. Washington expressed support for the exercise by its close ally, the second this week, but Pyongyang slammed the South's "puppet warmongers" and said it was ready to launch a "sacred war of justice" based on its nuclear deterrent. The South's President Lee Myung-bak, visiting a frontline army u...

NM Gov. Richardson: Diplomacy Needed on Korean Peninsula
Tensions are flaring on the Korean Peninsula, but New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson warned Thursday that anything other than careful Diplomacy could worsen the "tinderbox" situation. Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, returned this week from serving as an unofficial Envoy to the rogue North Korean regime. The visit came as the South Koreans began four days of live-fire Military exercises less than 20 miles from the border between nations. Military officials in Pyongyang ca...

Markets close flat before holiday
Published: Dec. 23, 2010 at 4:24 PM The "Wall Street" sign is seen with the flags that decorated the facade of the New York Stock Exchange as stocks rebound a bit from their early morning plunge after the news that the Federal Reserve has cut Interest Rates by .75 percentage point as Recession fears grow in New York City. (UPI Photo/Monika Graff)... NEW YORK, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- U.S. markets were flat Thursday, the day before a holiday break, as the Commerce Department said durable goods ...

Stocks flat on last trading day before Christmas
FILE - In this Dec. 14, 2010 photo, traders Marshall Ryan, left, and Thomas... NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks and bonds were little changed in quiet trading Thursday after a report showed that consumers didn't increase their spending last month as much as analysts anticipated. The Commerce Department said that Consumer Spending rose 0.4 percent in November from the month before. That was slightly below analysts' forecast of a 0.5 percent gain. Separately, the Labor Department said the number of people...

Markets flat before holiday
Published: Dec. 23, 2010 at 2:09 PM The "Wall Street" sign is seen with the flags that decorated the facade of the New York Stock Exchange as stocks rebound a bit from their early morning plunge after the news that the Federal Reserve has cut Interest Rates by .75 percentage point as Recession fears grow in New York City. (UPI Photo/Monika Graff)... NEW YORK, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- U.S. markets opened soft Thursday, the day before a holiday break, as the Commerce Department said durable good...

Two Koreas take tough stance as think-tank warns of war
Source: AFP Seoul (AFP) – The two Koreas are still talking tough one month after the North's artillery bombardment sent tensions soaring, with Pyongyang threatening Nuclear War and Seoul vowing strong retaliation for any new attack. One day after deploying tanks, artillery and jet fighters in a Military show of force, Seoul's defence ministry said Friday that a giant Christmas Tree near the North Korean border would stay lit up till January 8. The move is likely to anger Pyongyang since the date...

The day's most popular stories
The five most popular stories on CNN.com in the past 24 hours, according to NewsPulse. Nicole Kidman says kids chose to live with Tom: Nicole Kidman stars as a mother dealing with the pain of losing a child in the movie “Rabbit Hole,” but in real life, she’s dealt with the difficulty of being separated from her Children. Finger points to prehistoric human species: An overlooked female pinkie bone put in storage after it was discovered in a Siberian cave two years ago point...

New Interest in Turning Gas to Diesel
By MATTHEW L. WALD NYT WASHINGTON — Diesel and jet fuel are usually made from Crude Oil. But with Oil Prices rising even as a glut of Natural Gas keeps prices for that fuel extraordinarily cheap, a bit of expensive alchemy is suddenly starting to look financially appealing: turning Natural Gas into liquid fuels. A South African firm, Sasol, announced Monday that it would spend just over 1 billion Canadian Dollars to buy a half-interest in a Canadian Shale Gas field, so it can explore turning...

Oil prices trade near two-year highs...
Oil prices traded close to recent two-year highs on Thursday, as traders continued to absorb news that US crude reserves fell by more than double market expectations last week. Brent North Sea crude for delivery in February rose eight cents to 93.73 dollars per barrel after soaring on Wednesday to 93.94 dollars -- a level last seen in early October 2008. New York's main contract, light sweet crude for February, gained 10 cents to 90.58 dollars on Thursday, after touching a similar peak of 90.8...

J. Andrews, others to get special Grammys
A formal acknowledgment of the presentation of the prizes for career excellence will be made as well during the 53rd annual Grammy Awards telecast, which will be held at Staples Center in Los Angeles Feb. 13, the Academy said Wednesday. LOS ANGELES, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Prince Frederic von Anhalt, the husband of Hungarian-born actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, was hospitalized in California after accidentally gluing his eye shut. 'Speak' is No. 1 on the U.S. album chart NEW YORK, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Crude Oil ...