"Wallstreet" Reader

"Wallstreet" Reader

Dollar's Decline Speeds Up

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 04:09 PM PDT

The U.S. dollar's downward slide is accelerating as low interest rates, inflation concerns and the massive federal budget deficit undermine the currency.

Hancock in Settlement Over Death Benefits

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 06:20 PM PDT

California accused insurer John Hancock Financial Services of withholding benefits from widows and other beneficiaries by allegedly failing to determine if its customers were dead.

Spill Report Faults Transocean Rig

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 05:26 PM PDT

Improper maintenance, insufficient staff training and badly designed safety systems may have contributed to last year's deadly explosion on Transocean Ltd.'s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig and subsequent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Groupon Taps Google For New Executive

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 03:49 PM PDT

Groupon has hired away a Google executive to serve as its chief operating officer, filling a vacancy created last month and feeding the rivalry between the two companies.

Pricing Brightens for Paint Makers

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 03:32 PM PDT

Just in time for the spring house-painting season, paint prices are heading higher, another example of rising commodity prices rippling through to consumers' pocketbooks

Amazon Battles a Glitch in Its Cloud

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 03:41 PM PDT

Amazon said technical problems with its Web-services business were lingering, but it expects the issues to be fixed later Friday.

Google Defends Way It Gets Phone Data

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 04:19 PM PDT

Amid rising scrutiny of their practices, Google defended the way it collects location data from Android phones, while Apple remained silent for a third day about its iPhones.

Twitter Will Stay in San Francisco

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 02:23 PM PDT

Twitter Inc., the fast-growing microblogging service, on Friday said it will stay in San Francisco after considering a move south of the city.

Foursquare Seeks Funds

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 04:23 PM PDT

Foursquare is looking to raise fresh funds at a price that would value the location-based service at as much a $500 million.

BOJ Head Concedes Contraction Is Possible

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 05:46 PM PDT

Bank of Japan Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa in an interview acknowledged the possibility that Japan's quake-stricken economy may shrink in the first half of the year, and vowed to take action should conditions deteriorate further.

Judge Clears Bonuses at Borders

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 04:30 PM PDT

A bankruptcy judge signed off on more than $6 million in bonuses at Borders after the bookseller stiffened payment provisions.

J.P. Morgan Settles Military-Lending Case

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 10:03 AM PDT

The class-action lawsuit had accused the bank of overcharging thousands of active-duty military members and wrongly foreclosing on a handful of them.

Morgan Stanley Now Says No Vote Needed on MUFG Swap

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 08:13 AM PDT

Morgan Stanley said no shareholder vote is required for its renegotiated conversion agreement with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group following consultation with the New York Stock Exchange.

Syrian Forces Fire Upon Protesters

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 07:25 AM PDT

Syrian security forces moved forcefully in an attempt to disperse protests before they gained momentum Friday, in some places by shooting at even potential protesters.

MUFG Goal: U.S. Top 10

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 05:38 PM PDT

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group wants to use its restructured deal with Morgan Stanley as one way to enhance its commercial-banking interests in the U.S.

Battered Dollar Gets A Holiday Reprieve

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 06:00 PM PDT

The dollar got a respite Friday and could gain from a market correction early next week after being caught in a downdraft most of the week on U.S. monetary and fiscal policy deficiencies.

Iraq Troop Talks Falter

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 08:01 AM PDT

Discussions about keeping some 10,000 American troops in Iraq beyond the scheduled withdrawal date have faltered recently because of Iraqi worries about the effect of a continued U.S. military presence.

World Is Bitten by Gold Bug

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 12:00 PM PDT

Gold continued its upward march in a time of global financial tumult, closing above $1,500 an ounce Thursday for the first time as investors seek safe haven in the metal.

Toyota Signals a Bleak Year

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 06:14 PM PDT

In a stark illustration of Japanese automotive woes, Toyota, the world's biggest auto maker by sales, says it doesn't expect to return to normal production levels before November.

China Shares Slip; Tokyo, Seoul End Flat

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 08:23 AM PDT

Chinese stocks fell for the first time in three days as financials and property developers felt the impact of policy tightening. Many markets around the world are closed for the Good Friday holiday.