Business and Finance news

A state board gave a green light Tuesday to $1.55 million in bonds to help finance Zoltek’s new plant in St. Peters.
The Missouri Development Finance Board gave preliminary approval to the bonds, part of $15.5 million that the carbon-fiber-maker is cobbling together to buy and renovate a 130,000 square-foot building on Geunther Blvd. Other incentives […]

A fire caused by explosions in one of the world’s largest petrochemical industrial estates have killed 12 and injured more than 100 people in eastern Thailand.
The Saturday blaze forced an evacuation of workers and more than 1,000 residents near the Map Ta Phut industrial estate, Thailand’s largest industrial park, in Rayong province, 180 kilometers (110 […]

Say-on-pay votes are usually routine, but when they’re not they bring a potential for controversy and embarrassment that most executives are facing for the first time.
Just ask the folks at Aegion. The pipe repair company, based in Chesterfield, got 99 percent shareholder approval for its pay practices last year. This year, ISS, a leading governance […]

You find the home of your dreams. You’re pre-approved for a mortgage. You’ve scheduled the closing. Then … the appraisal comes in too low and the deal blows up.
Even as some mortgage standards have eased, hitting a needed appraisal value is proving a frustrating blocker for buyers and sellers and those looking to […]

German business confidence rose more than economists forecast to a seven-month high in February as Europe

In his first 100 days as European Central Bank President, Mario Draghi has taken unprecedented action to tackle the sovereign debt crisis. Greece may push him even further into unknown territory.
Draghi will today face questions on the ECB

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Charles Evans said the central bank needs a clear low- rate commitment or a third round of purchases of Treasuries and mortgage bonds to further stimulate a still struggling economy.
People outside the Fed have

Restrained spending by consumers held growth in the U.S. economy to a 2.8% annual pace in the fourth quarter, slower than economists forecast while still the fastest pace in more than a year.
Gross domestic product, the value of all goods and services produced, climbed at a 2.8 percent annual pace following a 1.8 percent […]

A national strike fueled by widespread dissent over spiraling gas prices paralyzed Nigeria on Monday, as tens of thousands of protesters took over the empty streets to criticize government corruption in one voice.
Protests remained largely peaceful across the country on the strike’s first day, though a police shooting in Lagos left one dead and four […]

Asian stock markets were mostly lower Thursday amid new signs of pressure on Europe’s banking system and a downturn on Wall Street.
Benchmark oil lingered above $99 per barrel while the dollar rose against the euro but fell against the yen.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 index fell 0.7 percent to 8,367.73. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index was 0.9 […]