INVESTMENT

The stock market rallied modestly today as Whole Foods (NASDAQ:WFMI) gave a boost to food retailers and doubts over President Obama's healthcare reform efforts lifted the health insurance sector.

Bank of America Corp fired its general counsel in December 2008 to keep Brian Moynihan, now its chief executive, from leaving the bank, and not because of legal advice concerning the takeover of Merrill Lynch & Co, the Securities and Exchange Commission said.

BlackRock Inc may not be interested in hedge fund manager Man Group after all, according to a source.

Stocks advanced on Wednesday as stronger-than-expected earnings from companies including Deere & Co and economic data underpinned hopes for the recovery.

Barnes & Noble Inc said on Wednesday that it would not waive its poison-pill anti-takeover provision to allow billionaire investor Ronald Burkle to nearly double his stake.

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc reported lower stakes in ConocoPhillips, Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble Co in the fourth quarter.

Shares in hedge fund manager Man Group topped the list of FTSE 100 gainers on Wednesday, with traders citing talk of takeover interest from U.S. fund group BlackRock .

Investors have not yet given up on the 11-month-old world markets recovery and there is little evidence so far this year of a retreat to safe-haven bunkers in the face of mini-shocks from Greek debts, China's monetary tightening and U.S. regulatory threats.

Billionaire investor George Soros' hedge fund more than doubled its bet on the price of gold during the fourth quarter, a portion of the firm's total U.S.-listed equity holdings of $8.8 billion at the end of 2009.

U.S. stocks posted their biggest daily percentage gain in three months on Tuesday after strong revenue from drugmaker Merck and regional manufacturing data instilled confidence in the economic outlook.

Express, the sixth-largest specialty retail apparel brand in the U.S. on Tuesday filed for an initial public offering of up to $200 million.

Stock index futures rose on Tuesday as corporate earnings fueled investors' optimism on their return from a 3-day holiday.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc announced on Friday a management shuffle atop its investment management division, according to internal memos.

U.S. stocks finished slightly lower on Friday as China took another step towards monetary policy tightening and Europe reported a weaker than expected Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The Dow and S&P edged lower on Friday after a surprise move by China to restrict bank lending, while the Nasdaq was little changed as strength in technology shares offset other losses.

E-learning software maker SkillSoft Plc said it agreed to be acquired by a consortium of private equity firms for about $1.1 billion.

A federal judge weighing a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission $150 million settlement with Bank of America Corp has demanded more details on why bank shareholders were left in the dark about problems at Merrill Lynch & Co before approving that company's takeover.

A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Bank of America Corp to answer questions about their proposed $150 million settlement to resolve the regulator's two lawsuits over the Merrill Lynch & Co takeover.

Merlin Entertainments, the Blackstone-owned theme park operator, said on Thursday it had no near-term plans to go public, a day after Blackstone-backed travel services group Travelport scrapped its London listing, blaming market instability.

Top U.S. executives say their companies are moving out of the defensive position they adopted during the recent worldwide downturn and are aggressively planning to grow, according to the latest semiannual survey by the Business Council.

Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC will convert 11 billion Swiss francs ($10.33 billion) worth of UBS notes into shares next month at a price that may erode the value of its stake in the Swiss bank by 70 percent.