European shares and the euro gradually recovered on Monday from early losses triggered by the mass downgrade of euro zone sovereign ratings last week, but they still looked vulnerable amid rising fears of a disorderly Greek debt default.
The European sovereign debt crisis has been festering for nearly three years, and some observers wonder whether the credit default swaps (CDS) that have been written on the government of Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain represent another source of risk for the world's financial institutions.
Greece debt talks are at an impasse and concerns are rising that the country will face a hard default within six weeks if a plan is not reached. Greek leaders are set to resume negotiations with private-sector creditors this week with hopes of reaching the base points of a debt deal to avoid national default by a Feb. 23 meeting of Eurozone finance ministers.
Euro zone bank shares fell but stocks seen as resilient to an economic slowdown gained on Monday in the wake of Standard and Poor's mass downgrade of euro zone sovereign ratings, while the euro hovered near 17-month lows against the dollar.
Japan's Nikkei average fell to a one-month closing low on Monday after downgrades of nine European countries, including a cut in France's triple-A rating, escalated fears over the region's ability to end its debt crisis.
The top aftermarket NYSE gainers on Friday were: AOL, CVR Energy, Frontline, Dolby Laboratories and Covance. The top after market NYSE Losers were: Wabash National Corp, Kemet Corp, Walter Energy, Primerica and Teekay Tankers.
Richard Branson's Virgin Australia has announced the launch of international-grade service on its Airbus A330-Melbourne routes, to target the business sector traveler in Australia.
Walk softly. Global growth looks to be smoothly downshifting as China slows, the U.S. economy firms, and troubled Europe, at least for now, avoids a messy crash.
The five-year slide in U.S. home prices will stop this year, followed by the start of a weak recovery next year, according to a Reuters poll that also showed economists split on whether the government would make new efforts to support the market.
Stock investors will return to a tug of war between signs of domestic strength and overseas concerns next week as a batch of critical earnings reports look to add credence to the idea the economy is improving, while credit rating downgrades in Europe will keep that region's difficulties in view.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao pressed Saudi Arabia to open its huge oil and gas resources to expanded Chinese investment, media reports said on Sunday against a backdrop of growing tension centered on Iran and worries over its crude exports to the Asian power.
Tunisia is one of the few Arab Muslim countries that still has a significant Jewish community (which traces its origins back 2,000 years).
Tunisians Saturday marked the first anniversary of the revolution that started the Arab Spring with celebrations that were true to the spirit of the revolt: raucous, unscripted and driven by the energy of ordinary people.
Stocks dropped on Friday, snapping a four-day winning streak, after news reports that Standard & Poor's would downgrade credit ratings on several euro-zone countries.
It doesn't matter that some Americans have had enough of the Kardashian family and are actively protesting to take Keeping up with the Kardashians off the air. There are some others who continue to remain hooked! Even legendary investor Warren Buffett isn't, apparently, able to ignore the clan that became famous for reasons nobody really knows any more.
A whopping 44 percent of all mutual-fund shareholders are baby boomers, according to an Investment Company Institute report. As they take withdrawals from their retirement kitties over the next couple of decades, you're looking at a major, potentially market-altering event.
U.S. stock investors will return to a tug-of-war between signs of domestic strength and overseas concerns next week as a batch of critical earnings reports look to add credence to the idea the economy is improving, while credit-rating downgrades in Europe will keep that region's difficulties in view.
Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), author of the controversial SOPA congressional bill, said Friday he would move to strike the ISP-blocking powers from the proposed law. SOPA and its sister bill in the Senate, the Protect IP Act, were written late in 2011 to help fight against online piracy and copyright infringement.
Canada posted an unexpected trade surplus in November as a strengthening U.S. economy helped push exports to a three-year high, offering hope to a hard-hit sector.
The head of Canada's most storied pension fund wants rivals to be partners as debt-laden governments offload assets, and says a recent bid with two other pension funds for the nation's leading stock market operator is a good start.
W.J. Deutsch & Sons, Ltd. has worked with a variety of foreign companies in the past three decades, growing with the globalization of drinks.
DETROIT -- As Marc Harlow walked around Detroit's Cobo Center during the first day of the 2012 North American International Auto Show, he saw a different scene from recent years. To Harlow, one of the members of the show's public relations team, the buzz of the Detroit Auto Show had returned amid a brightening global outlook on the automotive industry.
Afghan farmers produced 6,400 tons of opium last year, versus 4,000 tons in 2010.
DETROIT -- Five years ago, Bob Lutz stood in front of a curious crowd at the North American International Auto Show and introduced a radical concept car to the world. Lutz, then the vice chairman of product development for General Motors, revealed the first electric plug-in concept car from a major automaker: the Chevrolet Volt. He still calls it the most important car the company has ever made.
Goldman Sachs said it expected upside in prices of oil, gold and copper this year, citing greater supply risks and stronger fundamentals.
Asian shares rose to a one-month high and the euro clung near its strongest in a week Friday as strong demand in Spanish and Italian debt sales tempered risk aversion ahead of another auction from Rome later in the day.
The S&P 500 closed at a five-month high for the third day on Thursday but had difficulty extending gains in the face of lackluster economic data and another European bond market test.
Fitch Ratings analysts continued their saber-rattling over Italy on Thursday, making remarks observers fear signal a coming downgrade of that country's sovereign credit rating. The comments carry an element of the ratings agency playing catch-up to its two main competitors: New York-based Moody's Investor's Services and Standard & Poor's. Fitch currently holds a rating of A+ on Italian government debt, a notch above the ratings assigned by those competitors
While reports that the world's largest wind turbine maker was firing thousands of workers globally shook the renewable energy industry Thursday morning, the bad news did not seem to diminish investor appetite in solar energy stocks, which has picked up considerably over the past week.
The media days at the 2012 North American International Auto Show are over, and it's time to recap what we've seen over the past few days.
