NEW YORK (Reuters) - If the bulls have their way, Wall Street's rally will keep going next week on signs of stability in the labor market. But concerns about penny-pinching consumers during the holiday shopping season and the specter of higher interest rates may be a hurdle to jump.

  MILAN (Reuters) - Countries with mounting public debt jeopardize the sustainability of their economic recovery from the global financial crisis over the next several years, the OECD's new chief economist said in a interview in an Italian newspaper.

  TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's government plans to guarantee about 700 billion yen ($7.7 billion) in loans and other funds provided by financial institutions to keep Japan Airlines Corp. afloat, the Nikkei business daily reported.

  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - U.S. security regulators are investigating possible ties between a former chief executive of California pension fund Calpers and a former Calpers board member, and a financier who has pleaded guilty in a New York pension fund corruption case, The Sacramento Bee said on Saturday, citing court documents.

  FRANKFURT (Reuters) - General Motors will not cut more jobs at Opel in Germany if the German government refuses to give state aid although the U.S. carmaker said it remains confident Berlin will soften its current stance.

  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than one-quarter of homeowners receiving help under a U.S. government foreclosure prevention plan are behind on their new mortgage payments, a Treasury Department survey has found.

  MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Mining giants BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto on Saturday signed a $116 billion iron ore joint venture agreement to combine their Western Australian iron ore operations.

  LONDON (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc, the world's largest online retailer, is planning to open high street shops in Britain to complement its Web site, the Sunday Times newspaper reported.

  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. employers cut far fewer jobs than expected last month in the best showing for the labor market since the recession began, lifting the beleaguered U.S. dollar as investors bet a sustainable recovery was building.

  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Regulators seized six more U.S. banks on Friday, bringing the tally of failures to 130 this year as the bank industry continues to suffer under the weight of deteriorating loans.