INVESTMENT

The nation's largest hospital operator HCA Inc., announced on Monday that a private equity group has bought the company for about $21 billion. The firm has been struggling due to an increase in competition and in addition to growing unfunded liabilities.

Louis Lowenstein, a buttoned-down 81-year-old emeritus finance and law professor, is positioning himself to become the mutual fund industry's most urbane critic. Listening to him talk about his book in progress, which he promises will uncover the shame of the fund industry, is like watching a man sharpen his sword to do battle with a tank. One can't help but wish him well.

Profits at large U.S. banks are up, but not as much as they could be. This week and next, banks are reporting their earnings as Wall Street investors cautiously note the factors that could mean lower earnings.

Merrill Lynch, the largest U.S. Brokerage firm, beat Wall Street expectations on Tuesday as it reported a better than expected net quarterly income attributed to high equity trading revenue growth.

Nigeria opened an international economic summit on Monday to discuss Africa's investment opportunities abroad and the growth of the private sector.

High and volatile prices will continue to scare physical gold buyers in most parts of the world, but some markets such as China and Japan will remain strong, bullion dealers said.

Investors have turned increasingly pessimistic about the future and now widely expect a weaker global economy and deteriorating corporate profits, a notably bearish Merrill Lynch poll showed on Tuesday.

Following a tumultous week, investors are wondering what lessons can be learned.

Google Inc. Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt said on Friday that his company had none of the stock option pricing problems that have been uncovered at nearly 60 other U.S.-listed companies.

Car rental company Hertz Global Holdings Inc. said on Friday it is planning an initial public offering of as much as $1 billion in common stock.

Offering yields not seen in years, savings accounts, certificates of deposits and money market funds are enticing investors rattled by the recent gyrations in stocks and bonds.

After years of paltry yields in the high-yield junk bond market, of all places, investors are back in the sector with a vengeance, taking advantage of rising coupons.

How easily global equities bounce back from May-June losses is in large part dependent on how much of a bargain shares have become for investors, and that depends on what measure you choose to determine value.

Big investors buying into baskets of commodities saw lower returns in the first half of this year, compared with a year ago, as oil generated slimmer gains and the search intensified for new strategies.

China's efforts to defuse what experts have called its pension time bomb have created a multibillion-dollar opportunity for domestic and international fund managers.

Hedge funds and other money managers are moving more money out of the market amid short-term problems.

Hedge funds posted their first losses of the year in May as prices for stocks, metals and oil fell last month, according to data released on Wednesday.

A mutual fund pools money from hundreds and thousands of investors to construct a portfolio of stocks, bonds, real estate or other securities, according to its charter. Each investor in the fund gets a slice of the total pie.

The recent stock slide got you scared? These time-tested strategies ensure you can whether downturns and still benefit from the rebounds.

Stop if you have heard this one before: 2006 was supposed to be the year large-cap funds finally clawed their way out of the basement of the mutual-fund race.

Standard Life is set to price next week's market debut at the low end of its price range and at a discount to the UK insurance sector, even as markets claw back recent losses, investors and analysts said.