MARKETS / FINANCE

Bank of America Corp posted an unexpectedly sharp decline in first-quarter profit, plagued by losses in the mortgage business, and the bank named a new chief financial officer.

Stock index futures fell slightly on Friday after Bank of America Corp reported a sharp drop in earnings, adding to investors' caution shortly after the start of the earnings season.

China and India reported higher-than-expected inflation readings on Friday, giving fresh ammunition to central bankers and investors alike who are worried about mounting price pressures in the global economy.

Stock index futures pointed to a lower open for Wall Street on Friday, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq all down around 0.2 percent by 0819 GMT.

IT firm Micro Focus Intl parted company with chief executive Nigel Clifford on Friday, leaving chairman Kevin Loosemore to take control at the British firm which issued a third profit warning in February.

Faced with an uneven world recovery and uncertain outlook, finance leaders were hoping on Friday to flesh out a plan to build a global economy less prone to the booms and busts of recent decades.

China's annual gross domestic product growth eased ever so slightly in the first quarter of 2011 to 9.7 percent from 9.8 percent in the previous quarter, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Friday.

The United States tried to instill confidence on Thursday that the global recovery was not at risk as finance leaders from around the world gathered to advance a plan aimed at preventing future economic crises.

Federal Reserve officials differed on Thursday over the urgency of withdrawing monetary stimulus on Thursday, with some saying inflation is in check despite oil price rises while others warned of risks if the central bank drags its feet.

Groupon is likely to pick Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to lead a second-half initial public offering that could value the fast-growing daily deals site at $15 billion to $20 billion, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

Morgan Stanley Chief Executive Officer James Gorman's total compensation reached $15.2 million in 2010, according to a regulatory filing on Thursday.

Auditor Ernst and Young LLP must face a lawsuit over its role in a $2.2 billion stock options backdating scheme at Broadcom Corp , a U.S. appeals court ruled.

The recent surge in oil prices is no prelude to broader price increases that would force the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates, top Fed officials said on Thursday in what appears to be the predominant view at the central bank.

Greek borrowing costs soared to new highs on Thursday and pressure rose on other financially weak euro zone countries after Germany suggested for the first time that Athens may have to restructure its debt.

Google Inc's quarterly earnings missed Wall Street's target by a tad as operating expenses soared, sending its shares 5 percent lower.

Nasdaq OMX Group Inc named a Bank of America Merrill Lynch investment banker as chief financial officer on Thursday, bringing in a seasoned dealmaker as it pursues a takeover bid of NYSE Euronext .

Hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam and his family have invested $25 million in a $35 million fund managed by one of his former top executives who testified at Rajaratnam's insider trading trial, the jury heard on Thursday.

Stocks that outperform in a weak economy helped the Dow and S&P 500 eke out gains on Thursday as concerns about faltering growth and inflation prompted investors to seek out less volatile names.

Stocks that outperform in a weak economy helped buoy the Dow and S&P 500 on Thursday as concerns about faltering growth and inflation prompted investors to seek out less volatile names.

The Dow and S&P edged higher in late trading on Thursday as concerns about higher inflation prompted investors to buy staples and health shares, but a Senate investigation of Goldman Sachs hurt financials.

People surfing European websites will be able to turn off the cookies used to spy on their Internet habits under rules hammered out by the region's online advertisers, an industry body said on Thursday.

Prices paid by U.S. factories picked up pace in March as the disruption caused by Japan's earthquake began to be felt in the auto industry and fuel prices rose strongly.

Stocks slipped on Thursday as Goldman Sachs pulled financials lower and an unexpected rise in jobless claims added to bearish sentiment that put the S&P on track for its fifth day of losses in six.

The recent surge in oil prices is no prelude to broader price increases that would force the U.S. Federal Reserve to raise interest rates, two top Fed officials said on Thursday.

Top commodity trader Glencore aims to raise up to $12.1 billion with a dual listing that will boost firepower for deals at the height of a resources boom and make paper fortunes for its publicity-shy partners.

New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week, bouncing back above the key 400,000 level, a government report showed on Thursday.

Stocks fell on Thursday after an unexpected rise in jobless claims and concerns about higher inflation overseas pushed investors toward defensive stocks.

In a frenzy to protect its interests at the start of the credit crisis, Goldman Sachs Group Inc sold mortgage-linked derivatives to clients at inflated prices and misrepresented the nature of the deals, according to documents released by a Senate subcommittee.

U.S. regulators are probing whether some major banks colluded to manipulate a global benchmark interest rate before and during the financial crisis, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the situation.