MARKETS / FINANCE

Maurice Hank Greenberg, the former chief executive of American International Group Inc , will testify on Wednesday over a sham transaction involving the insurer and a unit of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc , a judge ruled.

The stock market is struggling on Monday despite reassuring news from China, Europe, and AIG.

U.S. stocks barely budged on Monday as hopes stirred by AIG's sale of a unit and McDonald's upbeat sales were offset by falling healthcare shares after President Barack Obama's criticism.

A low interest rate policy is clearly appropriate due to the still struggling economy, a top U.S. bank regulator said on Monday, while also expressing frustration that banks are not doing enough to get credit flowing.

The European Union is considering creating a rescue fund that could herald fundamental changes in the 27-country bloc and bring closer economic cooperation following Greece's debt crisis.

China is moving ahead with bilateral co-operations in the field of energy exchange and other sectors with Iran, ignoring Western countries calls for stringent sanctions against Iran over its disputed nuclear program.

South East Asian (SEA) region comprising two of world's largest rice exporters, Thailand and Vietnam remained as world's top trade destination for the commodity. The food crisis of 2008 has inspired various countries in Asia to vie for status as the world's rice bowl and many hope to be able to dethrone Thailand.

Will gold prices hit $1,200 per ounce this month? If you go by the opinion of bullion market analysts, the yellow metal may cross $1,200 mark this month as the bull run in bullion has lreay started. In January, the yellow metal had crossed $1,160 per ounce. And analysts now say that this will go beyond $1,200 this month.

In a quiet day for U.S. earnings and economic releases, major U.S. indices are mixed after some positive developments from Europe and Dubai on debt issues. The tech sector leads on Cisco and upgrades.

Warring creditors of Six Flags Inc take their battle for the theme park operator before a bankruptcy judge on Monday, with the outcome likely hanging on how much debt the company can afford.

A Web application that alerts wine grape farmers when their vines are thirsty has won first place in a competition to spur entrepreneurs in the investment-starved water sector, organizers said on Monday.

The U.S. job market continued to improve in February for the sixth consecutive month, largely due to a strong recovery in manufacturing production, a research group said on Monday.

Hopes of progress this week on Dubai World's $26 billion debt restructuring lifted stocks and eased fears of default, but potential divisions emerged among creditors to the state-owned conglomerate.

AIG is selling its foreign life insurance unit to MetLife Inc for about $15.5 billion, its second major asset sale in a week as it raises funds to repay a $182.3 billion U.S. government bailout.

Four in five adults believe access to the Internet is a fundamental right -- with those feelings particularly strong in South Korea and China -- and half believe it should never be regulated, according to a global survey.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a flat open on Monday, following a strong rally to end last week's session, when the Nasdaq closed at an 18-month high on better-than-expected February payroll data.

U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Monday following a strong rally to end last week's session, when the Nasdaq closed at an 18-month high on better-than-expected February payroll data.

AIG is selling its foreign life insurance unit to MetLife Inc for about $15.5 billion, in its second major asset sale in a week to repay the U.S. government billions of bailout money.

Stock index futures pointed to a pause on Wall Street on Monday after last week's strong rally fueled by better-than-expected U.S. jobs data.

Any rise in the yuan's exchange rate will be gradual, China's trade chief said on Monday in comments that underline the competing interests at the heart of Chinese policy-making.

Gary Shedlin, who was most recently chairman of Citigroup's investment banking effort for financial institutions, focusing on client relationships, is departing to join Morgan Stanley , Bloomberg said citing a person with knowledge of the matter.

U.S. regulators are encouraging public pension funds that control more than $2 trillion to inject capital directly into the banking system by buying failed lenders, Bloomberg said, citing people briefed on the matter.

U.S. real estate investor Andrew Farkas is all set to buy Centerline Holding Co, a provider of real estate financial and asset management services, by investing $100 million in equity in the company, the Wall Street Journal said.

Most U.S. business economists expect the Federal Reserve to raise benchmark interest rates within six months by between a quarter and a half percentage point, according to a survey released on Monday.

Most U.S. business economists expect the Federal Reserve to raise benchmark interest rates within six months by between a quarter and a half percentage point, according to a survey released on Monday.

AIG was closing in on a deal on Sunday to sell its foreign life insurance unit to MetLife Inc for about $15.5 billion in cash and stock, leaving it with a substantial minority stake in MetLife, sources familiar with the matter said.

Greece will not need foreign help to deal with its debt problems, central bank governor George Provopoulos said in a German newspaper interview released Monday.

China flagged on Saturday it will let the yuan resume its rise at some point as it unwinds the super-loose policies it has been pursuing to prop up the world's third-largest economy.

AIG was closing in on a deal on Sunday to sell its foreign life insurance unit to MetLife Inc for more than $15 billion in cash and stock, leaving it with a substantial minority stake in MetLife, sources familiar with the matter said.