Reuters - U.S. stocks slipped on Friday, shedding strong gains from the past two days as tough talk on inflation from Federal Reserve officials fueled investor speculation that the central bank will keep raising interest rates.

Reuters - NYSE Group Inc. Chief Executive John Thain said on Friday that Deutsche Boerse (DB1Gn.DE) could not compete strategically or financially for Euronext , the Paris-based exchange the NYSE has struck an agreement to buy.

Reuters - U.S. consumers were more optimistic in June as once-soaring gasoline prices eased, and the government reported that a key measure of the nation's trade deficit narrowed more than expected in the first quarter.

Reuters - The Federal Reserve will likely end its two-year credit tightening cycle at the end of June when it raises interest rates to 5.25 percent, an influential New York-based think tank said on Friday.