MARKETS / FINANCE

When it comes to Cisco Systems Inc and dealmaking, the prevailing sentiment in Silicon Valley is: You can't predict what Cisco will buy next, but you can see why it fits.

The House Financial Services Committee is to begin work on Wednesday on a top priority for the U.S. Congress -- legislation to mend regulatory holes exposed by last fall's financial crisis.

The Bank of Japan kept markets guessing on Wednesday on the future of its support for corporate finance, avoiding any reference to the measures in a statement after its latest policy review.

The House Financial Services Committee is to begin work on Wednesday on a top priority for the U.S. Congress -- legislation to mend regulatory holes exposed by last fall's financial crisis.

The Bank of Japan may decide to start withdrawing support for corporate finance on Wednesday, despite government criticism, at a policy meeting that may set the tone for its relationship with the new government.

Oil surged for a fifth day toward its 2009 high of $75 a barrel, boosted by a weak dollar and strong earnings from Intel that pushed U.S. stock futures sharply higher.

Oil surged for a fifth day toward its 2009 high of $75 a barrel, boosted by a weak dollar and strong earnings from Intel that pushed U.S. stock futures sharply higher.

U.S. officials must figure out what to do about an economy that is growing yet not generating enough jobs before they can shift their focus to dismantling their multi-trillion-dollar rescue programs.

The United Auto Workers and Ford Motor Co announced a tentative agreement on Tuesday with a no-strike provision and other concessions to bring its labor costs in line with U.S. rivals.

The U.S. Treasury Department is pushing American International Group to cut big pay incentives it claims were needed to retain staff, but which have stoked a controversy over pay at taxpayer-supported firms.

Two prospective jurors who wrote comments about wrongdoing and bending the rules on Wall Street were rejected by a U.S. judge on Tuesday for the trial of two former Bear Stearns Cos hedge fund managers on fraud charges.

The U.S. dollar slipped to a 14-month low on Tuesday, pushing gold to a record peak and helping lift oil to a seven-week high on worries that U.S. interest rates would remain at rock-bottom lows for some time.

Gold prices hit a record high in choppy trade on Tuesday, and silver, platinum, palladium and rhodium rallied to multi-month peaks, as the dollar's slide to its lowest level since August 2008 against the euro fueled buying of precious metals.

U.S. stocks weakened on Tuesday as disappointing sales from Johnson & Johnson stirred jitters about the strength of earnings, snapping the S&P 500's six-day winning streak.

A softer than expected result in the NAB business confidence survey did little to curb enthusiasm for the Aussie dollar in Asia yesterday as it held on to intraday support at 0.9050. During the offshore session the AUD momentarily jumped above the 91 cent mark following a rally in the Euro only to pull back to exchange at 0.9050 this morning ahead of the release of Westpac's Consumer Confidence survey.

U.S. stocks weakened on Tuesday as disappointing sales from Johnson & Johnson stirred jitters about the strength of earnings, snapping the S&P 500's six-day winning streak.

If emotions are getting the better of you while trading online, The Rationalizer may be just the thing to tell you when it's time to take a break.

Two prospective jurors who wrote comments about wrongdoing and bending the rules on Wall Street were rejected by a U.S. judge on Tuesday for the trial of two former Bear Stearns Cos hedge fund managers on fraud charges.

U.S. stocks weakened on Tuesday as disappointing sales from Johnson & Johnson stirred jitters about the strength of earnings, threatening to break the S&P 500's six-day winning streak.

President Barack Obama remains committed to ending unfair loopholes and tax breaks for international corporations, but congressional tax writers and others doubt that will happen without broader reforms, such as cutting the top corporate tax rate.

The Dow and S&P 500 fell on Tuesday after Johnson & Johnson reported disappointing third-quarter sales, while the Nasdaq edged up after Cisco Systems Inc announced a large acquisition.

Major U.S. defense contractors, braced for restrained U.S. spending and higher pension costs, are likely to forecast flat or slow growth for 2010, while commercial aerospace firms could offer more evidence that economic conditions are firming.

President Barack Obama remains committed to reforming international corporate taxation to end unfair loopholes, although congressional tax writers and others doubt that will happen without broader reforms such as cutting the top corporate tax rate.

Stocks traded mixed on Tuesday on the heels of a six-day streak of gains, after Johnson & Johnson's third-quarter sales disappointed investors and stirred doubts about the strength of the latest earnings season.

CIT Group Inc is seeing little interest from bondholders in a debt exchange offer aimed at repairing its fragile balance sheet, making bankruptcy increasingly likely, sources familiar with the matter said.

Investors have bid up General Electric Co shares to almost triple their March lows but the largest U.S. conglomerate will have to deliver solid quarterly results for them to rise much further.

Stocks fell on Tuesday, threatening to break a six-day winning streak, as Johnson & Johnson's third-quarter sales figures disappointed investors.

Oil rose for the fourth straight session on Tuesday, edging higher above $73 a barrel after OPEC raised its 2010 demand forecast and the dollar slumped.

Bank of America Corp agreed to give federal authorities more information about why it refrained from disclosing details about Merrill Lynch's performance before it bought the investment bank, U.S. regulators said on Tuesday.