MARKETS / FINANCE

The Obama administration on Friday opted against closing a loan of up to $730 million for steelmaker Severstal North America, whose financing bid to expand a plant for auto steel production drew the attention of congressional investigators looking at Energy Department loan programs.

Whistleblowers earned more than $532 million in 2011 through lawsuits alleging fraud against the U.S. government, a record for such payouts, according to a law firm study published on Friday.

EBay Inc's PayPal unit is testing in-store payments with Home Depot, one of the largest retailers in the United States, as the online payments provider moves to expand into the physical world of brick and mortar.

Two weeks after disclosing that its website had been hacked, a private intelligence analysis firm on Friday warned subscribers that hackers were now circulating false emails offering the company's services for free.

Yahoo Inc is searching for new members for its board of directors, following its hiring of a new chief executive, according to a person familiar with the matter.

U.S. stocks have strayed from their recent link to euro moves, and the start of U.S. corporate earnings next week could help shift investor focus back to U.S. fundamentals from Europe.

A federal bankruptcy judge rejected Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc's bid to block a company run by billionaire Sam Zell from buying part of apartment company Archstone, impeding Lehman's efforts to ultimately buy the entire company at a lower price.

Stocks rose in the first week of 2012, even though news that the U.S. jobless rate neared a three-year low did not whet interest in equities on Friday.

Canadian mining company Claude Resources Inc.'s proposed acquisition of St. Eugene Mining Corporation Limited will be voted on at a St. Eugene shareholder's meeting on Jan. 17. , the companies announced on Friday.

Three top Federal Reserve officials aggressively pushed on Friday for more stimulus for the U.S. housing market, saying that other government policymakers as well as the central bank should be looking at ways to help the sector in order to speed the economic recovery.

Silver mining company shares declined Friday as the price of the gray metal fell more than 2 percent. U.S. stock indexes mostly edged down, suggesting that investors are measuring the improvement in labor market against a declining euro.

It been eight years since columnist and gay rights activist Dan Savage redefined his name to be a neologism for anal sex, but Santorum's Google problem continues to plague his campaign... in part because both Santorum and supporters like the pro-life, anti-gay group AFTAH keep calling voters' attention to it.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti warned the European Union on Friday not to let divisions over managing its debt crisis blow up into serious splits, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned that a euro collapse could trigger instability.

A few months before MF Global collapsed in bankruptcy, some top executives at the futures firm were talking about a plan code-named Project Honeydew as a way of freeing-up badly needed capital and cash.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti warned the European Union on Friday not to let divisions over managing its debt crisis blow up into serious splits, and President Nicolas Sarkozy warned that a euro collapse could trigger instability.

The futures regulator has been investigating whether the CME Group did enough to safeguard customer money before the collapse of MF Global last year, sources said on Friday.

Friday's stronger-than-expected December U.S. jobs growth figures drew a sharp contrast with European numbers, but staffing executives who track labor demand on both sides of the Atlantic caution Europe's impact on jobs in the United States may yet prove deeper than it has so far.

Stocks were slightly lower on Friday as investors were pulled in a tug-of-war between strong domestic data and continued concerns about Europe's debt crisis.

Louis Castle has been preparing for this moment for months.

Stocks were slightly lower on Friday as investors were pulled in a tug-of-war between strong domestic data and continued concerns about Europe's debt crisis.

Friday's stronger-than-expected December U.S. jobs growth figures drew a sharp contrast with European numbers, but staffing executives who track labor demand on both sides of the Atlantic caution Europe's impact on jobs in the United States may yet prove deeper than it has so far.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. often gets an unfair rap. With the demise of Borders and the advancement of Amazon, it is easy to suggest that America's larget bookseller is ultimately doomed.

Stocks edged lower on Friday as investors were pulled in a tug-of-war between strong domestic data and continued concerns about Europe's debt crisis.

Employment growth accelerated last month and the jobless rate dropped to a near three-year low of 8.5 percent, offering the strongest evidence yet the economic recovery was gaining steam.

The United States Mint said Friday public tours of its production plant in Philadelphia are being closed until this summer so the facility can be renovated.

Hundreds of thousands of Burmese Ronhingya are currently living in neighboring Bangladesh, where they are unwanted refugees

U.S. stocks cut losses and the Nasdaq turned positive on Friday after a strong jobs report and strength in large-cap Internet stocks.

Employment grew solidly last month and the jobless rate dropped to a near three-year low of 8.5 percent, offering the strongest evidence yet of an acceleration in economic activity.

The deteriorating global growth outlook has meant the underperformance of the platinum group metals relative to gold, although supply disruptions could provide some relief to weaker demand. Of the PGM group, palladium is more likely to outperform in 2012, given its stronger links to U.S. and Chinese demand.