NEW YORK (Reuters) - Struggling retailer Best Buy Co Inc said its founder Richard Schulze has turned down an offer from the board to conduct due diligence in connection with his proposal to take the company private at a valuation of more than $8 billion.

LONDON (Reuters) - As European banks retrench to recover from the global financial meltdown, they are finding ready buyers in Asia for everything from loans to entire insurance and broking operations.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Facebook's disastrous May IPO took on a new dimension on Tuesday, as Swiss bank UBS said it lost more than $350 million on botched order execution and would take legal action against Nasdaq for the exchange's alleged failures.

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Home prices rose for the fourth month in a row in May, suggesting the recovery in the housing market continued to gain traction, even as the broader economy wobbles.

DETROIT (Reuters) - The pace of auto sales is expected to hold steady in July, when sweeter financing deals prompted American consumers to replace aging cars and trucks despite languishing consumer confidence and high unemployment.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc is postponing the launch of the Nexus Q, the Internet giant's first self-designed and marketed consumer electronics device, in a smudge on its budding hardware credentials.

SAN JOSE, California (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd told jurors that its products are not copycats of Apple Inc's iPhone but rather an example of legitimate American-style competition from the South Korean company.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The rebound in U.S. office building sales hit a speed bump in the second quarter as weak demand for office space made it more difficult for prospective buyers to predict the income from their investments.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's official factory purchasing managers' index fell to an eight-month low of 50.1 in July, suggesting the sector is barely growing, while a rival HSBC survey indicated the more market-sensitive private sector is starting to recover.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve is likely to show on Wednesday that it is ready to act against a weakening U.S. economy but stop short of aggressive measures for now.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian shares fell on Wednesday as soft Chinese manufacturing data further undermined investor confidence and as hopes faded for bold stimulus action this week by the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank to underpin faltering economies.

ROME/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Joblessness in the euro zone hit on Tuesday its highest level since the single currency was born, a further sign of economic desperation as hopes erode that the bloc will be saved by its central bank this week.