BUSINESS

Employment grew solidly for a third straight month in February, a sign the economic recovery was strengthening and in less need of further monetary stimulus from the Federal Reserve.

Employment grew solidly for a third straight month in February, a sign the economic recovery was broadening and in less need of further monetary stimulus from the Federal Reserve.

The U.S. trade deficit widened more than expected in January as high oil prices and resurgent demand helped pushed imports to a record high, a Commerce Department report showed on Friday.

Stocks were set for a higher open on Friday after a report showed the economy added more jobs than expected in February, which could push indexes into a higher trading range in the weeks ahead.

Stock index futures edged lower on Friday after their strongest two-day gain in nearly three months and ahead of a report likely to show employment grew solidly for a third straight month.

Greece averted the immediate risk of an uncontrolled default on Friday, winning strong acceptance from its private creditors for a bond swap deal which will eat into its mountainous public debt and clear the way for a new international bailout.

JPMorgan Chase & Co said it had entered into a partnership with AirPlus International, a business travel manager owned by Deutsche Lufthansa AG , to offer expense tracking systems and commercial credit cards to multinational corporations.

China's economy is on course for a soft landing, a clutch of indicators showed on Friday, easing investor fears of a sharp slowdown and revealing ample room for Beijing to loosen policy further to support growth.

Stock index futures pointed to a slightly lower open for equities on Wall Street on Friday, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 falling up to 0.2 percent.

Forbes released Wednesday its annual list of the richest people in the world for 2012. Out of the 1,226 billionaires who made it to the list, 48 people came from India alone.

Japan's government on Friday kept up pressure on the central bank to further support an economic recovery, but the Bank of Japan appears set to hold monetary policy steady at its regular policy meeting next week.

China's annual consumer inflation slowed sharply to a 20-month low in February, and factory output and retail sales also cooled more than forecast, giving policymakers ample room to further loosen monetary policy to support flagging growth.

Greece has successfully closed a bond swap offer aimed at reducing its colossal debt pile and averting a chaotic default that would pitch the euro zone into a fresh crisis.

Bank of America, one of five banks in $25 billion settlement with the government over foreclosure practices, has struck a side deal that will allow it to reduce penalties in return for bigger cuts to borrowers' mortgage balances, the Wall Street Journal said.

Citigroup Chief Executive Vikram Pandit finally got his payday. The third biggest U.S. bank company paid Pandit $14.86 million in 2011, compared with a salary of $1 and no bonus in 2010, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Committee.

One late-night visit by the FBI was all it took for the notorious hacker known as Sabu to switch sides and become a valued snitch.

Nathan Acosta is feeling a little overwhelmed.

Wall Street companies hired an extra 4,900 workers from January 2011 to January 2012, the New York Department of Labor said on Thursday in revised data that countered expectations of job losses in the securities industry.

Pininfarina and Bertone put new supercar concepts on display at the Geneva Auto Show, demonstrating that the two design houses are putting their financial troubles behind them, executives said.

In about a few weeks' time, the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the ocean liner Titanic will be coming up. The sinking of the Titanic on April 14, 1912, is one of the deadliest maritime disasters in the human history, claiming 1,517 lives. To date, the mystery behind the reason why Titanic sank has not been solved fully. However, a new theory by Texas State University's astronomers suggests that a a rare lunar event could have conspired against the Titanic by creating hazardous sea...

President Barack Obama summons the image of a scrappy auto worker or high-tech engineer when he calls for expanding a major corporate tax break for manufacturing, but he might just as well evoke the coffee-shop barista or the cable guy.

Families took on more debt in late 2011 for the first time in 3-1/2 years but a rise in after-tax incomes left consumers in better shape to spend.

Stocks rose on Thursday, recovering most of the week's losses, after Greece moved closer to a bond swap with private creditors to avoid a messy default.

Convicted swindler Allen Stanford should forfeit some $330 million stashed in foreign bank accounts, a jury found on Thursday.

Greece closed a bond swap offer to private creditors on Thursday after clearing the minimum threshold of acceptance to push the deal through, moving closer to unlocking funds it needs to avoid a dangerous debt default.

The number of Americans filing for jobless benefits unexpectedly rose last week, but not enough to change perceptions that the labor market was strengthening.

Stocks rose on Thursday as Greece moved closer to concluding a bond swap with private creditors that is needed to avoid a messy default.

Stocks rose on Thursday as Greece moved closer to concluding a bond swap with private creditors that is needed to stave off a messy default.

Greece moved closer to wrapping up its bond swap with private investors on Thursday, indicating that it had already cleared a vital threshold needed to pass a deal which will hand bondholders steep cuts in the value of their investments.