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Fannie, Freddie plan to aid mortgage banks: report

U.S. government-controlled mortgage finance companies Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are working on a program to help independent mortgage banks get access to short-term credit needed to make home loans, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

Asia shares up as confidence in recovery grows

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Asian shares pushed up for a second day on Wednesday, with Taiwan's benchmark index nearing a 16-month high, as growing confidence in a strengthening global recovery boosted resource and financial companies.

Julius Baer to buy ING Swiss private bank: sources

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Julius Baer , bulking up in its home market, has won the auction to buy the Swiss private banking assets of Dutch financial services group ING for around $500 million, two sources with knowledge of the deal said.
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Economic Good Times? 11 Pct of Americans say 'Yes'

The U.S. may be exiting its worst recession since the Great Depression but there is still a small minority of Americans who rate the national economy as being excellent or great, according to a new survey.
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Boeing eyes defense, commercial uses for trailers

Boeing Co , looking to win more business as the U.S. Defense Department seeks to bolster support to soldiers, said on Tuesday that it sees many applications for a family of advanced trailers it has developed that can be used to retrieve damaged military vehicles from hostile environments.
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China drives Yum profit beat; raises '09 view

Yum Brands Inc , parent of the Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC chains, posted a quarterly profit that blew past Wall Street's target, boosted by results from China, and raised its full-year profit forecast.
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Gold drops from record but more gains seen

Gold held below its record high in early Asian trade on Wednesday, but could be set for another spike up as the U.S. dollar continues to struggle and inflation concerns grow, analysts said.
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Google, Microsoft, Palm rev up smartphone race

Google Inc, Microsoft Corp and Palm Inc stepped up efforts to bolster their smartphone line-ups, as the tech industry's key players increasingly move to challenge Apple Inc's popular iPhone.
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AT&T allowing iPhone users to access Skype

AT&T, the biggest U.S. cellphone provider, said Tuesday that Apple iPhone users will be able to use Skype over its cellphone network, a move that will lower the cost of local and international voice calls.
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Patent chief worried about funds, backs reform

The U.S. patent office, which can take up to three years to approve a patent application, has a $200 million shortfall that may require a temporary 15 percent fee hike, its director said on Tuesday.
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OpenGate, Zuckerman drop BusinessWeek bid: sources

Private equity firm OpenGate Capital and New York Daily News owner Mort Zuckerman have dropped out of the bidding for McGraw-Hill Cos Inc's BusinessWeek magazine, people familiar with the matter said, leaving Bloomberg LP and ZelnickMedia to vie for the money-losing asset.
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Ex-party boss, fund manager plead guilty to NY kickbacks

The former head of New York's Liberal Party and a founding partner of Aldus Equity have pleaded guilty to taking part in a kickback scheme that corrupted how the state pension fund chose investment managers, state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday.
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Daily Commentary and forecasts - 07/10/2009

Investors flocked to the Aussie dollar following yesterday's surprise interest rate increase by the RBA. Despite the central bank having previously provided strong rhetoric pointing to an increase from 3% most analysts had been expecting the first increase in the cycle to come later in the year. The immediate reaction to the news saw the AUD/USD jump from 0.8750 to trade around 0.8850 within an hour and headed into offshore exchange looking to add to the gains.
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Obama's dilemma on Tibet and China

President Barack Obama breaks a precedent of not meeting with the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama during his five-day trip to Washington, but intends to meet the exiled leader sometime in December after his November Summit with Chinese president Hu Jintao.
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Calorie labeling doesn't curb NYC fast food habits

A rule that requires New York City fast food restaurants to post calorie information on their menu boards has not changed consumer habits in low-income neighborhoods, according to a study published on Tuesday.
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Gold sets record high above $1,040 per ounce

Gold surged to a record high above $1,040 per ounce on Tuesday, as investors piled into the metal to preserve the value of their dollar-denominated assets against erosion by a weakening dollar and inflation.

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