(Reuters) - New orders for U.S. manufactured goods rose in December and a gauge of future business investment rebounded, showing the U.S. economy ended the year with more momentum than previously thought. Other reports on Thursday showed new claims for jobless benefits rose only moderately last week, suggesting the labor market was still healing, while new U.S. single-family home sales unexpectedly fell in December.

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(Reuters) - New single-family home sales unexpectedly fell in December for the first time in four months and the median home price dropped, dampening some of the hopes the housing sector will boost the economy this year. The Commerce Department said on Thursday sales decreased 2.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted 307,000-unit annual rate.

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(Reuters) - Slowing growth in China is emerging as a concern in some of this quarter's earnings reports from U.S. multinationals that have long relied on strong growth in China and other emerging markets to drive their profits. Though China's economic growth is still well above that in other economies, its efforts to cool that growth -- for example, by restricting credit -- are now translating into weaker sales at some U.S. companies that do business there.

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(Reuters) - The World Economic Forum's signature closed-session on banking saw financiers increasingly hopeful that the euro zone's debt crisis can be resolved and confident of a deal to ensure Greece's now inevitable debt default will be orderly. The private meeting of financial services CEOs from major players including JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N), Barclays (BARC.L), Citigroup (C.N) and UBS (UBSN.VX), acknowledged that progress had been made, participants said on Thursday.

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(Reuters) - The Dow and S&P 500 fell on Wednesday on concerns over Greek debt talks, stalling a strong rally from last year, but the Nasdaq rose on Apple's forecast-beating results. Apple Inc (AAPL.O) was a standout in what has otherwise been a fairly lackluster earnings season. So far, 58 percent of companies have beat forecasts while at this stage in past earnings seasons, 70 percent topped estimates.

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(Reuters) - Signed contracts for the sale of existing U.S. homes retreated from a 1-1/2-year high in December and demand for home loans fell last week, pointing to a moderation in home sales after recent hefty gains. But the reports on Wednesday did not change perceptions that a nascent recovery is under way in the housing market, which continues to be challenged by an oversupply of properties.

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(Reuters) - The Federal Reserve looks set to keep monetary policy on hold on Wednesday, even as it releases forecasts expected to show interest rates will be near zero for at least two more years. Given recent improvement in the U.S. economy, the central bank will probably remain non-committal regarding the prospect for additional bond purchases, but will leave the door open to further action if Europe's banking problems spill over into the United States.

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(Reuters) - HSBC Holdings PLC is under investigation by a Senate panel in a money-laundering inquiry, the latest step in a long-running U.S. effort to halt shadowy money flows through global banks, according to people familiar with the situation and a company securities filing. The inquiry being conducted by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations could yield a report and congressional hearing later this spring, these people said. The subcommittee has a history of conducting high-profile hearings that have proved embarrassing for the world's biggest banks.

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(Reuters) - Apple Inc shares surged the most in more than three years, after skyrocketing iPhone and iPad sales helped it smash Wall Street expectations, prompting analysts to raise their price targets on the stock by as much as $100. Shares of the company, which reported results for its first full quarter without charismatic founder Steve Jobs, were up as much as 8 percent in early trading to $454.45.

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(Reuters) - Stocks dipped on Tuesday as talks to resolve Greece's debt crisis hit a snag and some lackluster earnings put the S&P 500 index's five-day string of gains in jeopardy. Greece moved closer to the possibility of a chaotic default after euro zone officials rejected a bond swap offer from the country's private bondholders, who pleaded with European officials to reach a deal.

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