CREDIT SUISSE

Swiss and U.S. officials have met in recent days in Berne, Switzerland, to try to end a long-running dispute over wealthy Americans using secret Swiss accounts to dodge taxes, and they seem to be getting closer to a deal, two newspapers reported Sunday.

The euro rose in early Friday trading after a report indicated China plans to create an investment fund to deal with the eurozone debt crisis.

European shares slipped back slightly in cautious trade on Wednesday, ahead of a EU summit this week, amid uncertainty about the chances a comprehensive deal would be reached to help end the region's debt crisis.

To hear it from one side, private equity and hedge fund managers are under a veritable siege: under attack from politicians, regulators, an ornery market and uneasy clients. But the hedge fund managers themselves seem to be saying all is good in Greenwich.

Over 100 U.S. aerospace and defense industry executives are urging Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to hold off on proposed changes to Pentagon contracts with industry, warning they would dampen competition, raise costs and lead to further layoffs at a difficult time.

The spectacular bull run in gold prices is unlikely to end soon, with bullion retaining its appeal in 2012 due to the uncertain global economy.

The spectacular bull run in gold prices is unlikely to end soon, with bullion retaining its appeal in 2012 due to the uncertain global economy, analysts and industry officials said on Friday.

The Nikkei average edged up Friday, with investors focused on whether the benchmark can hold above its 25-day moving average ahead of crucial U.S. employment data later in the day.

The business, which includes pipelines and processing stations that remove valuable crude-like liquids from gas, owns or has rights to about 4,000 kilometers of pipeline systems and 21 million barrels of storage capacity.

Justices hear case that could affect the statute of limitation for filing certain insider trading claims.

Carl Huttenlocher, former Asia head of JPMorgan Chase & Co's Highbridge Capital, said he will launch a hedge fund with more than $300 million on December 1 after a delay in obtaining regulatory approval.

German car corporation Daimler AG has decided to stop the production of its ultra-luxury Maybach brand due to the introduction of a revamped version of the flagship Mercedes-Benz S-Class by 2013.

Shares of the Chicago-based daily deals site fell once again Friday, closing down 0.88 percent to $16.81. Shares fell as low as $16.20 earlier in the day before the price went up near market close.

After the Thanksgiving break, justices will return to several cases involving broadcasters, pharmaceutical companies and investors.

Gold prices on Tuesday clawed back four days of losses after ratings agencies decided not to punish the U.S. for its inability to cut the national debt.

Stock markets put in gains Tuesday after a heavy session of losses the previous day, though the respite from worries over U.S. and European government debt looked only temporary.

Asian shares edged down Tuesday as fears about the ability of politicians on either side of the Atlantic to tackle huge debt burdens sapped investors' confidence in the outlook for Western economies.

Switzerland could see a deal within the next three to six months to end a long-simmering dispute over how it will hand over data to the United States on wealthy Americans suspected of dodging taxes, Julius Baer CEO Boris Collardi said on Saturday.

A former senior UBS banker who helped the U.S. government expand its crackdown on offshore tax evasion was sentenced to five years probation on Friday for advising wealthy Americans on ways to hide their money from U.S. tax authorities.

Shares in Swiss bank UBS rose on Friday as investors welcomed its pledge to start paying dividends again, though its plans to trim its scandal-hit investment bank failed to go as far as some had hoped.

German travel group TUI AG is going where the world's biggest financial firms have yet to venture.