NEW YORK (Reuters) – Wall Street was poised to open modestly higher on Thursday after data showed the number of people filing for jobless benefits fell last week, while stocks eyed their best yearly gains since 2003.

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Wall Street set for modest rise, eyes best year since ’03

What caused the great financial crisis of 2008-2009, how are we adjusting to its aftermath and what have we learned in the process?

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Risk-Taking Reined in Needed to Restore Markets: Burton Malkiel

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The number of U.S. workers filing new applications for jobless benefits fell last week to the lowest level in about 17 months, suggesting the economy might be on the cusp of job creation.

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Jobless claims hit 17-month low

Fewer Americans than anticipated filed claims for unemployment benefits last week, pointing to an improvement in the labor market that will help sustain economic growth next year.

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U.S. Jobless Claims Drop to Lowest Level Since 2008

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stock index futures held gains on Thursday following a report showing the number of workers filing new applications for jobless benefits fell last week to the lowest level in about 17 months.

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Stock futures hold gains after jobless data

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The number of workers filing new applications for jobless benefits fell last week to the lowest level in about 17 months, according to U.S. government data on Thursday.

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Jobless claims fall in latest week

SEAN KILPATRICK/APSocial networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter will likely be targets for emerging internet threats. McAfee is becoming the Nostradamus of the antivirus software world. This week, the Santa Clara, Calif., firm came out with its 2010 threat…

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Expect new, evolving computer viruses in 2010

LONDON (Reuters) – Oil steadied above $79 a barrel on Thursday, poised for the biggest annual climb in a decade, a year after posting huge falls as the global economic crisis sapped demand.

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Oil above $79 after year of recovery

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How Good is Your 401(k)?

Q. With Uncle Sam bulking up bigger government, more regulation and higher taxes, how will that affect my investments in the new year? — Wondering in West Caldwell A. The federal budget picture is ugly. Goldman Sachs projects the United…

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Protecting investments in the new year

Turkish bonds surged, cutting yields the most since 2004, on speculation the government is close to signing an accord with the International Monetary Fund and plans to reduce a tax for domestic investors on bond income.

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Turkey Yields Drop Most Since 2004 on IMF Talks, Tax Cut Report

GMAC Inc., the home and auto lender that counts the U.S. taxpayer as its largest stakeholder, received $3.8 billion from the Treasury Department in a third government bailout.

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GMAC Gets $3.8 Billion in Third Package of U.S. Aid (Update1)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – S&P 500 index futures edged higher on Thursday as investors awaited data on the health of the hobbled labor market, which poses a potential hurdle for the nascent economic recovery.

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S&P futures edge up on last day of year

LONDON (Reuters) – Oil rose toward $80 on Thursday, poised for the biggest annual climb in a decade, a year after posting huge losses as the global economic crisis sapped demand.

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Oil nears $80 after year of recovery

The Taliban claimed responsibility Thursday for two separate bomb attacks in Afghanistan that killed eight Americans, five Canadians and an Afghan in a surge of violence in the war-battered country. A U.S. congressional official said CIA employees were…

Afghanistan – Khost Province – Suicide attack – Military base – United States

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Taliban claim blasts that kill 13 in Afghanistan