"Wallstreet" Reader

"Wallstreet" Reader

Asia Up on Oil Retreat

Posted: 03 Mar 2011 07:50 PM PST

Asian stock markets posted solid gains, with the Nikkei up 1.4%, cheered by Wall Street's charge higher and a retreat in oil prices.

Boehner Aims to Tame Benefits Programs

Posted: 03 Mar 2011 05:13 PM PST

House Speaker John Boehner said that he's determined to offer a budget this spring that curbs Social Security and Medicare, despite the political risks, and that Republicans will try to persuade voters that sacrifices are needed.

NFL, Union Extend Labor Talks

Posted: 03 Mar 2011 07:03 PM PST

NFL owners and the players union agreed to a 24-hour extension of their collective-bargaining agreement, putting off for now a potential season-threatening lockout.

Forex Firms Slump After IPOs

Posted: 03 Mar 2011 07:46 PM PST

Retail demand to trade currency is yielding a bonanza for online brokers, and few are as well positioned to benefit as Gain Capital and FXCM. But their bid to dominate has faced headwinds.

Renault Has Doubts in Espionage Case

Posted: 03 Mar 2011 07:50 PM PST

A top Renault official said the company is no longer certain that its electric-car development efforts were the target of corporate espionage, throwing doubts on a high-profile case.

Beazer CEO to Return Incentive Pay in Settlement

Posted: 03 Mar 2011 04:36 PM PST

Beazer Homes' CEO agreed in a settlement with the SEC to repay $6.5 million and return tens of thousands of company shares he got while Beazer was filing allegedly fraudulent financial statements.

Web Video Rivalry Sparks U.S. Probe

Posted: 03 Mar 2011 06:40 PM PST

The Justice Department is investigating whether a group representing some top technology firms is unfairly trying to smother a free online-video technology backed by Google.

Billionaires Feud in Mexico

Posted: 03 Mar 2011 04:00 PM PST

Three of Mexico's most prominent billionaires—who were once a cozy group of amigos protecting each other's backs—are now battling over how to divvy up the country's $35-billion-a-year telecommunication and TV-broadcast market.

Brazilian Firm Under Scrutiny in Probe

Posted: 03 Mar 2011 06:25 PM PST

Brazilian authorities are investigating a possible fraud at a São Paulo financing company partly owned by a Goldman Sachs Group vice president.

Windfall for HCA Investors

Posted: 03 Mar 2011 07:32 PM PST

Bain Capital,Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., Bank of America Corp. and the brother of former Senate Majority Leader William Frist are each in line to make nearly $3 billion from $1.2 billion investments in the 2006 leveraged buyout of hospital chain HCA Holdings Inc.

AT&T Tweaks Data Plan for iPad 2

Posted: 03 Mar 2011 06:08 PM PST

AT&T is adding a postpaid billing option for tablet customers, though its pricing is largely unchanged: $15 or $25 a month based on data usage.

Madoff Trustee, 'Net Winners' Face Off

Posted: 03 Mar 2011 07:48 PM PST

Former investors of Madoff and a trustee recovering money after his giant Ponzi scheme argued before an appellate panel over who constitutes a victim entitled to claim losses in the fraud.

John Hancock Sued Over Policy Purchase

Posted: 03 Mar 2011 03:59 PM PST

A big buyer of life-insurance policies on the secondary market has sued Manulife Financial's John Hancock unit, accusing it of interfering with a planned purchase of a $1 million policy.

BP Denies Bonuses to Top Executives

Posted: 03 Mar 2011 05:32 PM PST

Criticized for its handling of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, BP's board denied bonuses to three executives responsible for operations during the Gulf of Mexico oil-well disaster.

U.S., Mexico Agree to Settle Truck Feud

Posted: 03 Mar 2011 07:25 PM PST

The U.S. and Mexico unveiled a deal to resolve a longstanding dispute over cross-border trucking, an agreement that could help ease tense relations between the two neighbors.

Portugal Plans Bond Issue, Buyback

Posted: 03 Mar 2011 11:08 AM PST

Portugal's Treasury and Government Debt Agency said that it will buy back some government bonds and issue new debt worth €750 million ($1.04 billion) to €1 billion on Wednesday.

Portugal May Have €4 Billion Cash

Posted: 03 Mar 2011 08:46 AM PST

Portugal had about €2 billion in cash at the end of 2010, an official of the country's debt-management office said. Fresh borrowing and other public transactions suggest Portugal has this year likely increased that number to around €4 billion.

Tablets Sapping Demand for PCs

Posted: 03 Mar 2011 04:09 PM PST

Consumer demand for Apple's iPad and other tablet computers is sapping demand for traditional laptop computers, research firm Gartner said as it reduced its forecast for global PC shipments.

Bombardier Reaches Deal in China

Posted: 03 Mar 2011 03:44 PM PST

Bombardier has signed an $8 billion aircraft-leasing pact with ICBC Financial Leasing and ICBC's major shareholder, Industrial Commercial Bank of China.

UBS Loses Asia Dealmaker

Posted: 03 Mar 2011 01:53 PM PST

UBS lost one of its top Asia dealmakers to Bank of America-Merrill Lynch, the latest in a series of defections that has rivals hoping they can dethrone the region's longtime No. 1 bank.