INVESTMENT

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said it will meet on April 8 to consider whether to propose short sale price test rules, which could include reinstating the so-called uptick rule.

A judge said he expects to rule by the end of next week on whether the names of top bonus recipients at Merrill Lynch & Co should remain confidential.

Hong Kong shares jumped 4.4 percent in its fourth day of gains on Friday, leading the main index to its best weekly rise in a month and a half, with China stocks outperforming as investors continued to cheer hints of economic recovery in the mainland.

The Dow and the S&P 500 stock indexes rose for a fourth straight day on Friday after Citigroup said it did not need any more government aid, bolstering hopes that stabilization is returning to banking.

Clothing maker American Apparel Inc said on Friday that it got about $80 million in financing from British private equity firm Lion Capital LLP.

Warren Buffett was awarded compensation of $491,000 in 2008 for running Berkshire Hathaway Inc , which just lost its AAA credit rating from Fitch Ratings because of potential losses from derivatives.

Bank of America Corp investor Jerry Finger is calling on other shareholders to vote to replace Chief Executive Kenneth Lewis as chairman of the board, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

Stock index futures pointed to a fourth straight day of gains on Friday after Citigroup said it did not need any more government capital infusions, bolstering investor optimism that banks might be seeing some stabilization.

Bank of America Corp is seeking to produce more jumbo mortgages, which can range from $417,000 in most areas to as much as $729,750, Barbara Desoer, the bank's head of mortgage, home equity and insurance services told Bloomberg in an interview.

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway was stripped of its 'AAA' credit rating by Fitch, barely hours after S&P cut General Electric Co's top-tier rating, as the global financial crisis pummels America's corporate titans.

Warren Buffett said he was approached twice to help American International Group Inc in the final days before the U.S. government rescued the insurer last September, Bloomberg said.

The three-day run-up in U.S. stocks on Thursday is bringing desperately needed relief for bruised investors, but the bounce off 12-year lows is stoking fears that it may be a little too rapid to be sustainable.

Stocks rose for a third day on Thursday on relief that a ratings cut by S&P in General Electric was just one notch and that no further cuts loomed, while retail sales data showed some stabilization in consumer spending.

Stocks rose for a third day on Thursday on relief that a ratings cut by S&P in General Electric was just one notch and that no further cuts loomed, while retail sales data showed some stabilization in consumer spending.

Bank of America Corp Chief Executive Kenneth Lewis said on Thursday the largest U.S. bank was profitable in January and February and said it should be able to ride out the recession without new help from the nation's taxpayers.

Stocks rose for a third day on Thursday on relief that a ratings cut by S&P in General Electric was just one notch and that no further cuts loomed, while data showed some stabilization in consumer spending.

U.S. stocks gained for a third day on Thursday on relief that S&P cut General Electric's ratings by just a single notch and signaled no further downgrades loomed, while data suggested some stabilization in consumer spending.

Stocks rose for a third day on Thursday after Standard & Poor's cut General Electric's credit rating by just one notch below AAA and signaled no further downgrades loomed while data suggested some stabilization in consumer spending.

Stocks were set to open little changed on Thursday as a government report pointing to some stabilization in consumer spending overshadowed more bleak news on the labor market.

Stock index futures sharply cut losses on Thursday as news of a proposed takeover in the biotechnology sector tempered caution before data that investors fear may show more weakness in consumer spending and the labor market.

Veteran fund manager Mark Mobius sees a potential 20 percent rise in emerging market stocks in 2009 and views extreme investor pessimism as a signal to gradually start buying equities.