MARKETS / FINANCE

U.S. economists raised their forecast for economic growth in 2010 in March, the third straight monthly rise, while trimming their growth forecast for 2011, according to a survey released on Wednesday.

Oil reversed earlier losses to gain a few cents toward $82 on Wednesday after China said imports jumped in February, boosting evidence that emerging Asian economies will lead global demand back into growth this year.

Asian stocks hovered near six-week highs on Wednesday as Chinese data showed exports and imports in February were better than expected, while the euro and the pound suffered on renewed concerns about Europe's fiscal problems.

Bank of America said on Tuesday it will no longer charge overdraft fees on debit card purchases as of this summer, a move that may cost millions in fee income.

U.S. Treasuries and other national government debt are the most dangerous market there is and investors should avoid the securities because of governments' excessive borrowing, Dan Fuss, vice chairman of investment manager Loomis Sayles, told Reuters on Tuesday.

Greece, pressing for curbs on financial speculation that it blames for worsening the country's debt crisis, said on Tuesday the idea would be examined by the Group of 20 leading powers at their next summit.

U.S. consumer, financial and technology companies slashed bonuses for their chief executives by more than half in 2009, a leading firm that tracks pay data said on Tuesday, as companies moved to more closely tie executive pay to performance.

A former stock loan trader at Morgan Stanley and Bank of America Corp in New York received well over $100,000 of cash kickbacks by steering orders to other brokerage firms, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday.

The S&P 500 Index has rallied about 70 percent in the last 12 months. It experienced a correction that started late January, set off by Greece woes and Chinese monetary tightening.

The United States is studying whether it can legally challenge Chinese Internet restrictions that hurt Google and other U.S. companies operating in China, but direct talks with Beijing might yield faster results, the top U.S. trade official said on Tuesday.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's chief economist, James Overdahl, will be leaving at the end of the month, he said on Tuesday.

Positive Australian economic data keeps on rolling in with yesterdays better than expected NAB Business Confidence and the ANZ Job advertisements surveys adding some support to the Aussie dollar.

One year to the day after stocks fell to their worst close in more than 12 years, the U.S. market spent most of Tuesday spinning its wheels.

Greece, pressing for curbs on financial speculation it blames for worsening the country's debt crisis, said on Tuesday the idea would be examined by the G20 leading powers at their next meeting.

Weak U.S. labor markets are likely to justify easy money policies for quite a while longer, a top Federal Reserve official said on Tuesday.

Clamping down on spending now to cut the gaping U.S. budget deficit would be pound-foolish and derail the economic recovery, a top White House economic adviser said on Tuesday.

The U.S. stock market rallied on Monday as the session marked the one year anniversary of the 2009 market bottom.

Top Greek officials pressed their case on Tuesday for curbs on speculative trading they blame for pushing the country into crisis, but the Obama administration reacted coolly, saying it was working on its own plans to make trading more transparent.

British bank Barclays Plc is looking to buy a retail bank in the United States to extend its presence after buying Lehman Brothers North American operations in 2008, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people close to the matter.

It may have hammered many a company's balance sheet, but the global financial crisis has made more than two out of five employees feel totally committed to their employer, a global survey showed.

The number of U.S. households with a net worth of at least $1 million jumped 16 percent last year after dipping sharply during the financial crisis, an industry consulting group said on Tuesday.

U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday, the anniversary of the market lows reached in the recession, as gains in transportation and telecommunications shares signaled the recovery remained intact.

The European Commission said on Tuesday it will consider banning the naked selling of derivatives contracts some EU politicians say were used by speculators to bet on a Greek bond default.

U.S. regulators may dedicate spectrum to free wireless Internet service for some Americans to increase affordable broadband service nationwide, the Federal Communications Commission said on Tuesday.

Greek Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou said on Tuesday the country was taking necessary steps to get its budgets under control but said the issue was also a European one.

The NFL has signed a four-year agreement with Verizon Wireless to show live games and highlights on mobile phones in a deal U.S. media reported was worth $720 million.

The NFL has signed a four-year agreement with Verizon Wireless to show live games and highlights on mobile phones in a deal U.S. media reported was worth $720 million.

Greek Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou on Tuesday proposed a ban on derivative trading techniques that increase debt costs for countries like Greece which struggle to cut their deficits.

Members of the Senate Banking Committee drafting financial reform have about reached a balance on the controversial consumer watchdog proposal, Republican Senator Bob Corker said on Tuesday, indicating a bipartisan deal could be reached soon.