MARKETS / FINANCE

Galleon hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam, accused of fraud and conspiracy in a complex insider trading case, attacked the U.S. government's wiretap evidence on Tuesday, as he won approval to stay free on bail.

DoubleLine Capital LP, the money management firm started last month by star bond fund manager Jeffrey Gundlach, plans to open three new mutual funds for the general public, according to a registration statement filed on Tuesday.

U.S. stocks slid in a broad selloff on Tuesday as investors pummeled financials on concerns about a potential government levy on banks, while Alcoa Inc's disappointing results tempered optimism about the economic recovery.

U.S. bank stocks fell on Tuesday after reports that the Obama administration might charge banks more than $100 billion made investors worry about the sector's profits.

The Australian Dollar opens lower today at 0.9210 after failing to hang onto its recent gains above US93 cents.

U.S. stocks slid in a broad selloff on Tuesday as investors pummeled financials on concerns about a potential government levy on banks, while Alcoa Inc's disappointing results tempered optimism about the economic recovery.

A fee being considered for banks could raise more than $100 billion if the Obama administration seeks to recoup the current estimate of financial bailout costs, but exact figures are preliminary.

France wants to start a digital book exchange with Internet giant Google to solve a spat over online publication of the world's literary heritage, according to a government report published on Tuesday.

The Federal Reserve paid a record $46.1 billion to the U.S. Treasury last year as aggressive bond purchases and lending to fight the financial crisis swelled its net income by 46.8 percent.

U.S. banks whose compensation plans encourage excessive risk-taking would have to pay more for deposit insurance under a proposal floated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp on Tuesday.

Some Wall Street executives in line for fat bonuses are akin to mad scientists whose brilliance justifies the size of their pay packages, the head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said on Tuesday.

The president of the world's largest money manager, BlackRock Inc , said on Tuesday that emerging markets are a bright spot for investment and warned U.S. real estate prices are likely to fall further.

The Securities and Exchange Commission sued Bank of America Corp for a second time over its takeover of Merrill Lynch & Co, accusing the bank of failing to disclose huge losses at Merrill before shareholders voted on the merger.

Calls for an inquiry into whether the New York Federal Reserve improperly urged insurer AIG to limit discussions of payments to banks grew on Tuesday as a senior lawmaker issued a subpoena for fuller disclosure.

U.S. regulators should investigate whether laws were violated when the New York Federal Reserve Bank under Timothy Geithner urged insurer AIG to limit discussions about payments to banks, a Republican lawmaker said on Tuesday.

More U.S. business hired people in November, but workers had limited choices as the number of jobs open fell despite an economy inching forward, government data showed on Tuesday.

Retailers are using a host of strategies in adapting to the downturn -- from improving their products to expanding their e-commerce businesses -- which they hope will better position themselves for a rebound in the economy.

Stocks fell on Tuesday, halting a six-day streak of gains, after weaker-than-expected results from Alcoa Inc and on concerns banks could face fees from the government to recoup losses tied to bailouts.

KB Home posted its first profit in almost three years on Tuesday, beating Wall Street estimates, but its shares fell as orders for its new line of smaller, cheaper houses came in lower than expected.

Mega buyout funds have been a bad bet over the past year, generating the worst returns when compared with small and mid-market funds, a study by research firm Preqin said on Tuesday.

Alcoa's stock plummeted on Tuesday as Wall Street digested the aluminum producer's worse-than-expected quarterly results amid nagging concerns over whether the metal's price rally can keep going.

A Delaware court dismissed a complaint by Dow Chemical shareholders that claimed the company's board acted irresponsibly when it approved the buyout of rival Rohm And Haas last year.

U.S. stocks fell on Tuesday, halting a six-day streak of gains, after weaker-than-expected results from Alcoa Inc and on concerns banks could face fees from the government to recoup losses tied to bailouts.

U.S. banks with compensation plans that encourage risk-taking would have to pay more for deposit insurance under a plan floated by the staff of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp on Tuesday.

Shares of Alcoa Inc fell over 9 percent on Tuesday, a day after the aluminum producer reported fourth-quarter results that fell short of Wall Street expectations.

The Canadian dollar is continuing to reverse the gains it made in the first week of 2010 against the dollar. The Canadian dollar rose from a low of 1.0576 on December 30 to a high of 1.0249 yesterday at 3 a.m. London time on rising stock and oil prices and prospects of a worldwide economic recovery.

Stocks fell on Tuesday, dragged lower by Alcoa Inc's worse-than-expected results and a warning from Chevron Corp that its fourth-quarter earnings will drop.

U.S. stocks fell on Tuesday, dragged lower by Alcoa Inc's worse-than-expected results and a warning from Chevron Corp that its fourth-quarter earnings will drop.

Recruitment in Europe was unchanged in December compared to the preceding month as increased demand in the legal and public sector offset a fall in the production and construction sector, a survey showed on Tuesday.