MARKETS / FINANCE

China's big factories were surprisingly busy in March as a stream of new orders lifted activity to an 11-month high, but credit-constrained smaller manufacturers struggled, suggesting that the economy is still losing steam.

After two years of hard work to improve Singapore's largest bank and lift its underperforming Hong Kong unit, DBS Group chief executive Piyush Gupta is embarking on his biggest challenge yet - a bid for Indonesia's Bank Danamon .

Japanese electronics giant Panasonic Corp is expected to shift all production of its mobile phone handsets abroad as early as this summer as it looks to re-enter overseas markets this fiscal year, the Nikkei daily said on Sunday.

South Korean exports in March fell 1.4 percent from a year ago, missing a consensus forecast for a small gain and adding to questions about the strength of a global recovery even with a boost to shipments in the first month of a landmark free trade pact with the United States.

Mitt Romney calls his wife Ann the heavyweight champion of my life -- and for good reason. While she may not have been very visible on the campaign trail so far, her ability to connect with the average voter may give the U.S. presidential candidate his best chance to win the general election.

Euro zone finance ministers agreed on Friday to increase their financial firewall to 700 billion euros to ward off a new flare-up of Europe's sovereign debt crisis, drawing a positive initial reaction from G20 partners and markets.

The hysteria over the Mega Millions lottery, which teased Americans with its biggest jackpot in history on Friday night -- a whopping $640 million -- has finally concluded, at least for now. The Mega Millions group claims that three winners purchased the winning lottery tickets in Maryland, Illinois and Kansas; the winning numbers drawn on Friday night in Atlanta were 2, 4, 23, 38, 46, and the Mega Ball was 23.

In the words of author Emile Zola when he supported Captain Alfred Dreyfus, the French Jewish officer charged with treason: “Dreyfus is innocent. I swear it! I stake my life on it — my honor!”

Myanmar will hold the first auction on Monday under a new currency regime that aims to unify its multiple exchange rates, a senior banker said, outlining the country's boldest economic reform yet after years of isolation.

Two million German public-sector workers will get a pay rise of 6.3 percent over a 24-month period, according to the government official leading the talks, ending a labor dispute that disrupted services across Germany in recent weeks.

Groupon Inc unnerved investors again after it increased its previously reported fourth-quarter net loss and cut its revenue, blaming higher-than-anticipated refunds on deals.

The U.S. Secret Service is investigating a major cyber intrusion at an Atlanta-based payment processor that could expose millions of MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover cardholders to fraudulent charges.

The upheaval within billionaire investor George Soros' firm continues as one of his sons is separating some of his personal fortune to manage it himself.

A U.S. judge on Friday dismissed five out of nine claims against Bank of New York Mellon over its foreign exchange pricing practices, and shipped off four remaining claims to be tried in different state courts, according to a ruling.

After the best first quarter in 14 years, the S&P 500 may be poised for a pullback as investors look to a slew of economic data for insight on the strength of the domestic economy.

Groupon Inc unnerved investors yet again after it cut its previously reported fourth-quarter revenue and net income, blaming higher-than-anticipated refunds on deals for the sharp downward revision in the numbers.

A U.S. appeals court was asked on Friday to decide whether Goldman Sachs Group Inc and TCW Asset Management Co should have foreseen the housing market implosion that caused a $37 million loss for German state-owned Landesbank Baden-Wurttemberg.

The largest U.S. banks including Morgan Stanley, Bank of America and Citigroup are facing what could be a historic shift to lower credit ratings which could increase their cost of funding and reduce competitiveness in their capital markets businesses.

Groupon Inc pared back revenue and net income for the fourth quarter, blaming higher refunds on deals for the sharp downward revision in its previously reported numbers.

Groupon Inc pared back revenue and net income for the fourth quarter, blaming higher refunds on deals for the sharp downward revision in its previously reported numbers.

Ford Motor Co boosted Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally's total compensation by 11 percent to nearly $30 million last year, despite the automaker falling short of its targets on market share, quality and costs.

Gold prices will continue to rise steadily throughout the next 12 months, as long as the U.S. economy maintains its tepid recovery, according to a note recently released by Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

A Canadian court has granted Sino-Forest Corp protection from its creditors and has approved an agreement with some of its noteholders to start the process of selling the embattled Chinese forestry company.

Stocks closed their strongest quarter in more than two years on a positive note on Friday, led by recently underperforming sectors, including energy and health care.

Stocks ended their strongest quarter in more than two years on a positive note on Friday, led by recently underperforming consumer staples and health care sectors.

Sino-Forest Corp , a Toronto-listed Chinese forestry company accused of fraud, is seeking protection from its creditors and a court's approval of an agreement with some of noteholders to put its embattled business up for sale.

Online travel agency Expedia on Friday accused Google of breaching EU rules with a formal complaint to EU antitrust regulators as it joined a dozen other firms that have taken their case to the European Commission in the last two years.

MasterCard Inc, Visa Inc and Discover Financial Services have been victims of a potential security breach, the latest in a string of incidents that have put the personal information of millions of credit cardholders at risk.

Oil companies Exxon Mobil Corp , BP Plc and Conoco Phillips have reached a settlement with the state of Alaska that will allow the companies to build a pipeline from a North Slope natural gas field, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.