MARKETS / FINANCE

Instinet, a U.S. agency-only brokerage hoping to fill a gap left by the diminishing number of sellside analysts, launched a dating-like service on Monday that allows companies to connect directly with institutional investors.

South Korean government bond prices retreated further on Monday, with European Union leaders' agreement on an aid package for Greece and stronger U.S. sentiment data raising investors' risk appetite.

China's annual economic growth will reach 12 percent this quarter, a government researcher said in remarks published on Monday, as economists ratchet up growth forecasts following strong industrial output growth last month.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp is not yet on board with Washington Mutual Inc's bankruptcy reorganization plan, including a massive tax refund to JPMorgan Chase & Co , according to the company and a Wall Street Journal report.

The departure of the head of American International Group Inc's aircraft leasing unit was driven partly by U.S. pay restrictions imposed on the insurer, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

General Growth Properties Inc is getting closer to filing a bankruptcy exit plan, with its board planning to meet on Monday to give final approval to the proposal, sources familiar with the matter said.

The Aussie dollar finished the week near its lows at 0.9030 after dropping to the psychological 90 cent level during Friday's offshore trade.

It's a mystery that has puzzled even Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke: if the U.S. economy is growing rapidly, why isn't it creating jobs?

China's consumption of aluminium and zinc soared in February which will impact the global prices. Following this market analysts said the prices of zinc and aluminium will witness a rise in the coming days. China's output of primary aluminum reached 1.31 million tonnes during February up 46 KT MoM. Imports of primary aluminum were 19,171 tonnes in February, while exports were 4,739 tonnes with net imports reaching 14,432 tonnes down 16,498 tonnes MoM. SHFE aluminum inventories grew by 36 KT in F...

Precious metals have become a volatile battleground between shorter term investors exiting from long positions in response to a stronger dollar and improving economic conditions in many parts of the world on the one hand, and longer term investors who remain interested in these metals due to the fact that major trade, current account, savings, debt, and currency market imbalances remain unaddressed by governments.

Gold may trade above $1,100 this week. A move to $1,140 or even higher is quite possible based on short-term short covering. There have been heavy volumes of buying and selling between $1,084 and $1,130 over the last two weeks, reflecting a battle between shorter term investors liquidating positions based on a stronger dollar and economic indicators and longer term investors taking price dips as opportunities to buy.

The Dow industrials could hit 11,000 this week as investors bet the U.S. labor market had a significant turnaround in March, showing the economic recovery is in good shape.

Iceland's economics minister said on Sunday he was hopeful that a review by the International Monetary Fund could be completed within weeks, potentially releasing crucial aid for the crisis-hit nation.

Iceland's economics minister said on Sunday he was hopeful that a review by the International Monetary Fund could be completed within weeks, potentially releasing key aid for the crisis-hit nation.

Nakheel trade creditors will be offered a large-scale Islamic bond, or sukuk, as part of a debt restructuring plan, a source close to parent firm Dubai World said on Sunday, potentially boosting the region's sukuk market.

European Central Bank Governing Council member Axel Weber said current interest rate levels are appropriate, signaling that the central bank will stick to low rates for some time, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Sunday.

The Financial Times is reporting that Greece plans to put the EU solution to the test with a 5 billion euros ($6.7 billion) bond issue next week. In an interview with the Financial Times, Petros Christodoulou, who heads the public debt management agency, stated that he would like to return to the bond markets next week to begin financing his country's debt. Greece will issue either a three- or seven-year bond, which will be followed by a second issue of similar size in April.

Central bankers can continue to ease monetary policy even when interest rates are at zero, and should do so if they sense the threat of deflation, a member of the European Central Bank's Governing Council said on Saturday.

Central bankers can continue to ease monetary policy even when interest rates are at zero, and should do so if they sense the threat of deflation, a member of the European Central Bank's Governing Council said on Saturday.

Chinese crude oil supplies from Iran seems to be squeezing as the Asian dragon's crude oil imports from its third largest supplier, Iran, shrank by nearly 40% in the first 2 months of 2010 against the corresponding period last year. Even as the country's economy is thriving and the demand for crude has been rising steadily, the imports have shown a significant fall in the given period.

Switzerland's financial regulator FINMA will shortly draw up rules setting out the conditions under which banks can manage funds of foreign clients that have not been declared for tax, it said on Saturday.

Faced with the rising stocks on fresh arrivals in Malaysian markets and reduced imports by major consumer markets like India seems to be putting crude palm oil prices on a slippery surface in the coming months with first four months of the current oil year (November 2009 to Octrober 2010) showing not so significant rise in the oil imports in India.

Steel industry in India is on a song now with more and more investments flocking to the country. After multi-national firms like Posco and ArcelorMittal unveiled their plans to set up shop in India, Bhushan Power and Steel Ltd (BPSL) announced its plans to set up a cold rolling mill complex with a capacity of three lakh tonnes in the western region of the country at an initial investment of Rs 800-1,000 crore.

Mumbai-based Prithviraj Kothari, Managing Director, RiddhiSiddhi Bullions Limited (RSBL) one of the largest bullion trading companies in India is of the opinion that silver is the next big opportunity for investing after gold, which is found falling short in meeting investors' expectations for steep growth in returns. In an interaction with Rutam Vora of Commodity Online, Kothari shared his views on better investment opportunity available in India and the company's future plans of introducing ne...

The Federal Reserve's unprecedented dose of stimulus to the economy during the recent financial crisis complicates the task of pulling back when the time is right, top central bank officials said on Friday.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's steering committee will meet with creditors to present a stand-alone plan for the famed studio next week, sources familiar with the matter said.

AT&T Inc said on Friday it would record a $1 billion non-cash charge for the current quarter related to the new U.S. health care reform law, as lawmakers called on the company and three other large employers to testify about expected cost hikes.

Nearly 30 bankers from more than a dozen financial companies have been named by the federal government as suspected co-conspirators in a broad investigation into pricing of certain municipal derivatives, according to court documents.

The U.S. economy grew at a slightly less brisk pace in the fourth quarter than previously estimated and the momentum is expected to slow this year as a boost from inventories fades.