Business and Finance news

ST. LOUIS • Four days after pleading guilty to state fraud charges, US Fidelis co-founder Darain Atkinson appeared Monday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to admit he also broke federal laws in cheating customers and failing to declare or pay taxes on $13 million received from the company in just one year.
In a […]

Hedge funds reduced bullish bets on commodities for a second consecutive week as the Federal Reserve signaled it may refrain from more monetary stimulus, increasing concern that growth will slow and curb demand for raw materials.
Money managers lowered net-long positions across 18 U.S. futures and options by 2.8 percent to 1.1 million contracts in […]

 The Federal Trade Commission announced early this morning that it has decided that Express Scripts Inc.’s $29 billion acquisition of rival Medco Health Solutions did not violate antitrust laws and will allow the deal to go through.
The decision will north St. Louis County-based Express Scripts to become the country’s large pharmacy benefit manager, which has […]

Every Tuesday morning, Teri Dobbins-Baxter starts her commute at 4 a.m.
She leaves home in the south suburbs of Chicago and goes to Midway Airport, where she hops a flight to St. Louis. Then she makes her way to Midtown, where she works as a law professor at St. Louis University. She then spend two days […]

China cut the amount of cash that banks must set aside as reserves for the second time in three months to spur lending as Europe

Europe

What Would Jesus … Deduct?
President Obama offered a new line of reasoning for hiking taxes on the rich on Thursday, saying at the National Prayer Breakfast that his policy proposals are shaped by his religious beliefs.

Obama said that as a person who has been "extraordinarily blessed," he is willing to give up some of […]

Greece is confident a debt relief deal with private creditors that is crucial to avoid default can be reached “very soon,” a government spokesman said Friday.
Prime Minister Lucas Papademos met for a third day with negotiators from the Institute of International Finance, which represents the private creditors who are being asked to take a loss […]

Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo reiterated a pledge to make extra budget cuts amid slower economic growth while calling on the European Union to step up efforts to bolster the region

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner