BUSINESS

Moneysupermarket.com FY profit more than doubles

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Price comparison website Moneysupermarket.com Group PLC said its full-year profit more than doubled as more consumers used its online services, boosting performance particularly in the company's insurance and money segments.

Barclays at centre of UK tax avoidance clampdown

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Barclays Plc said it was the bank at the centre of a clampdown by Britain on two tax avoidance schemes that the government said would close loopholes and raise more than 500 million pounds ($792 million) in tax.
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Big Four auditors brace for big changes in China

The Big Four global audit firms, which dominate the Chinese market, are negotiating with Beijing to lessen the impact of forced changes that could mean only accountants with Chinese qualifications can be partners in their audit practices.
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Morgan Stanley details effect of possible downgrade

Morgan Stanley said it will have to post another $6.52 billion in collateral to counterparties and clearinghouses if Moody's follows through on a warning that it might cut the Wall Street bank's long-term debt rating by up to three notches.
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BofA $8.5 billion deal returned to NY state court

Bank of America Corp won a victory when a U.S. appeals court ruled that a proposed $8.5 billion settlement with investors in mortgage-backed securities should be reviewed in New York state court, not federal court.
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Bloomberg gives market data service a facelift

Bloomberg LP revamped its market data service on Monday in an effort to make its flagship terminal more intuitive and simpler to use for financial clients who have seen their budgets slashed in recent years.
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Merkel scrapes win on Greek bailout, rebels grow

German Chancellor Angela Merkel scraped through a parliamentary vote endorsing a second bailout for Greece on Monday but faced a growing backbench revolt against pouring in more money in support of the euro zone.
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Falling oil lifts Wall St to highest since 2008

The benchmark S&P 500 closed at its highest level since mid-2008 on Monday, extending gains for a third session as oil prices retreated after a recent rally and data showed further improvement in the U.S. housing market.
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Consumer debt falls in Q4 on mortgage balances

U.S. households continued to shave debt in the fourth quarter as mortgage balances declined, while there were tentative signs Americans are increasingly willing to spend, according to a report released on Monday by the New York Federal Reserve.
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U.S. consumer debt falls in Q4 on mortgage balances

U.S. households continued to shave debt in the fourth quarter as mortgage balances declined, while there were tentative signs Americans are increasingly willing to spend, according to a report released on Monday by the New York Federal Reserve.
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U.S. consumers shed debt in Q4

U.S. consumer debt fell a modest 1.1 percent in the fourth quarter as mortgage debt continued to decline, the New York Federal Reserve said on Monday.
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Pending home sales near 2-year high

Contracts to purchase previously owned U.S. homes neared a two-year high in January, an industry group said on Monday, further evidence the housing market was slowly turning the corner.
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S&P ticks up to 4-year high

The S&P 500 edged higher in afternoon trading on Monday to hit its highest level since June 2008 as data showed continued improvement in the beaten-down U.S. housing market, adding to hopes for a strengthening economy.
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Wall Street edges up on housing data, oil dip

Stocks edged higher on Monday, reversing early losses, as oil prices retreated from worrisome levels and new data showed continued improvement in the struggling U.S. housing market.
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Buffett: My successor is in the dark too

Warren Buffett resisted pressure on Monday to identify his successor as chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway, saying the person who has been chosen does not even know it himself.
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More U.S. customers changed banks last year: survey

Nearly 10 percent of customers of U.S. banks moved their accounts last year, often after they became frustrated with fees and the quality of service, market research firm J.D. Power and Associates said on Monday.
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Wall Street retreats from 4-year high

Stocks opened lower on Monday following the S&P 500's four-year closing high last week and after the Group of 20 leading economies told Europe it must commit more money to fight the EU debt crisis before seeking broader help.
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Japan regulator investigates broker in pension scandal: sources

Japan's securities watchdog is investigating a small Tokyo-based broker, ITM Securities Co, over its possible role in a scandal involving the suspected disappearance of more than $2 billion in corporate pension funds, two sources with knowledge of the matter said.
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Italy 6-month borrowing costs plummet at auction

Italy's cost of borrowing over six months sank towards 1 percent at an auction on Monday, the lowest in 17 months, as cheap loans from the European Central Bank fuelled banks' interest in lending to euro zone governments over the short-term.
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ECB wall of cash averts credit crunch

The euro zone avoided a credit crunch in January but banks showed scant sign of lending on the funds they snapped up at the European Central Bank's first 3-year lending operation to companies which have been starved of investment funds.
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Greek banks continue to hemorrhage deposits: ECB data

Firms and consumers continued to pull their money out of Greek banks at a rapid rate in January, European Central Bank data showed on Monday, underscoring the ongoing lack of trust the country's banking system faces.
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HSBC upbeat on Asia as profit hits $22 billion

HSBC Holdings Plc , Europe's biggest bank, predicted growth in Asia and other emerging markets would outweigh sluggish European economies this year as it posted a $21.9 billion profit for 2011, the best outturn by a western bank so far.
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Alliance forms web-based rival to Android, Apple

An industry alliance including the top wireless chipset provider Qualcomm will step up competition in the smartphone software market on Monday, with a new Internet-based free technology for cheaper smartphones.

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