Business and Finance news

Asian stocks enjoyed a vigorous rebound early Tuesday after a pledge by European officials to resolve the region’s debt problems helped soothe market sentiment.
Oil prices rose to nearly $82 per barrel while the dollar slipped against the euro and the yen.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 shot up 1.8 percent to 8,524.56. South Korea’s Kospi index jumped 4 […]

The Obama administration was worried about the financial health of a troubled solar energy company even as officials publicly declared the company in good shape, newly released emails show.
An email from a White House budget official to a co-worker discussed the likely effect of a default by Solyndra Inc. on President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign.
“The […]

Asian stocks gave up early gains and fell Monday as fears that the U.S. is slipping back into recession caused investors to dump riskier assets.
Brent crude fell to near $106 a barrel in Asia as Libyan rebels entered Tripoli, boosting hopes the OPEC nation’s oil exports could resume soon. The dollar was stronger against the […]

Discouraging economic data from around the globe have heightened fears that another recession is on the way.
Fresh evidence emerged Thursday that U.S. home sales and manufacturing are weakening. Signs also surfaced that European banks are increasingly burdened by the region’s debt crisis and sputtering economy.
The rising anxiety ignited a huge sell-off in stocks that led […]

Fitch Ratings said Tuesday that it would keep its rating on long-term U.S. debt at the highest grade, AAA, and said the outlook remained stable. But it warned that it could lower the outlook to negative if Congress failed to trim future deficits.
Fitch’s rating was the best given by the three major credit rating agencies. […]

To succeed as a trader on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange you have to a steely disposition. Traders know the rhythms of the market. And they don’t usually flinch, not even at the top of a rollercoaster.
But as the market opened Monday, dropping nearly 250 points almost immediately, some traders couldn’t help […]

Ameren Missouri has what, at first, might seem like an unusual strategy for reducing sulfur dioxide pollution from its power plants: an agreement to buy millions more tons of coal.
Missouri’s largest electric utility on Thursday announced a contract with its downtown neighbor, Peabody Energy Corp., for 91 million tons of coal from Wyoming’s Powder River […]

The Senate has approved an emergency bill to avert a first-ever government default with just hours to spare.
The strong bipartisan vote was 74-26. The measure now heads to President Barack Obama for his signature. The legislation makes a down payment on taming out-of-control budget deficits.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further […]

Australia’s Macarthur Coal Ltd. on Sunday night rejected a $5.2 billion takeover offer from Peabody Energy Corp. and steelmaker ArcelorMittal, and indicated that it’s in talks with other possible suitors.
Keith DeLacy, chairman of the Brisbane-based mining company, said the offer “appears to be an opportunistic attempt to acquire Macarthur at a time of global economic […]

A magnitude-6.7 earthquake rattled northeast Japan on Thursday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported that the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for Iwate Prefecture.
The U.S. Pacific Tsunami warning center said that it did not expect a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries in the […]