MARKETS / FINANCE

Google Inc has sent a cease and desist letter to the operators of a Chinese search website whose logo bears a close resemblance to its own.

Macquarie Group , Australia's top investment bank, forecast a disappointing second-half profit and gave an outlook that raised worries about its key equity business, sending its shares sliding 7 percent.

Swiss bank UBS posted its first quarterly net profit since Oswald Gruebel took the helm a year ago but clients withdrew far more money than forecast, signaling he may need more time to steady the ship.

Electronic Arts Inc warned that fiscal 2011 earnings would miss Wall Street expectations as it grapples with a lack of blockbuster new games after a succession of missed targets and restructurings.

Macquarie Group , Australia's top investment bank, spooked investors on Tuesday with a lukewarm outlook, warning them about weakening markets and sending its shares down 6 percent.

A consortium led by Walt Disney Co is in advanced talks to buy into China's largest in-bus digital media and advertising company, a deal that could offer the U.S. entertainment giant a new platform to promote Mickey Mouse in China, three sources told Reuters.

A revamp of the financial system needs to be global in nature to prevent a repeat of the worst financial crisis in some 70 years, a top Federal Reserve policy maker said on Monday.

A former Intel Capital director pleaded guilty on Monday to fraud in the Galleon insider trading case, telling a New York court that hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam gave him money for personal needs and that he profited from illegal trades.

A former Intel Capital director pleaded guilty on Monday to fraud in the Galleon insider trading case, telling a court that hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam gave him money for personal needs and that he profited from illegal trades.

United Parcel Service Inc , the world's largest package delivery service, announced plans on Monday to furlough at least 300 pilots as the very gradual pace of the U.S. economic recovery necessitates further cost-cutting.

CIT Group Inc said its new Chief Executive John Thain will get an annual base salary of $6 million, most of which is in stock, and a bonus of up to another $1.5 million, in a nod to compensation practices popularized by the Obama administration's pay czar.

A federal judge expressed skepticism about the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's $150-million settlement with Bank of America Corp over the Merrill Lynch takeover, questioning whether the regulator was too tame in setting forth facts to help him decide.

The Dow industrials closed below 10,000 for the first time since November on Monday as investors sold bank shares due to heightened concerns about the euro zone's sovereign debt troubles.

U.S. stocks erased morning gains to close lower on Monday as the basic materials and financial sector weighed down the market.

The Federal Reserve could sell some assets later this year in an effort to whittle down its bloated balance sheet to avoid inflation, a senior Federal Reserve official said on Monday.

The U.S. job market improved in January for the fifth consecutive month, pointing to possible job growth in the first quarter of this year, a research group said on Monday.

After gapping higher on the open yesterday the Aussie dollar pared back gains above 87 cents to spend the majority of the Asian day exchanging between 0.8640 and 0.8680.

The Dow industrials closed below 10,000 for the first time since November on Monday as investors sold bank shares due to heightened concerns about the euro zone's sovereign debt troubles.

A U.S. financial crime agency has adopted a rule allowing local, state and foreign police agencies to seek information from American banks, despite opposition from industry groups.

Hasbro Inc posted a much stronger-than-expected quarterly profit and said the momentum in its games and its toys for boys would help 2010 profit and revenue rise, sending its shares up nearly 14 percent.

Stocks fell on Monday on fears that possible fallout from the euro zone's sovereign debt troubles might force banks to raise capital, diluting the holdings of existing share owners.

Fears about the sovereign debt of peripheral European nations continue as investors are show dissatisfaction with the stance of European G7 members.

The Nasdaq turned negative in choppy trade on Monday, and the Dow and S&P 500 indexes extended losses, as caution about potential fallout from Europe's sovereign debt problems weighed on sentiment.

The Federal Reserve could begin to sell off assets later this year and should try to get its balance sheet down to a normal size before the next recession strikes, a senior Federal Reserve official said on Monday.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq edged higher on Monday as several bellwethers rose on brokerage upgrades and positive comments about the economy, but worries about euro zone sovereign debt problems limited gains.

American International Group Inc on Monday named a KeyCorp vice chairman and financial services veteran to a newly created post overseeing finance, risk and investments.

U.S. stocks edged higher on Monday as several bellwether shares rose on brokerage upgrades and comments about improving economic conditions, though persistent worries about euro zone sovereign debt problems limited gains.

The S&P 500 erased earlier losses to trade positive for the day, as commodity related firms get a boost from a declining dollar and housing related stocks lead the rally.

The Dow industrials turned positive on Monday as energy shares rose in sync with higher oil prices, and the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 indexes climbed as investors snapped up shares beaten down in the recent sell-off.