finance

After a regional airliner crashed in western New York a year and a half ago, killing 50 people, the Obama administration promised swift action to prevent similar tragedies. High on the list: new rules governing the number of hours pilots may work, to prevent tired flight crews from making fatal errrs.

The number of people dying on the nation's roads has fallen to its lowest level in six decades, helped by a combination of seat belts, safer cars and tougher enforcement of drunken driving laws.

The nation's health care tab will go up — not down — as a result of President Barack Obama's sweeping overhaul. That's the conclusion of a government forecast released Thursday, which also finds the increase will be modest.

Toys R Us plans to invade the mall this holiday season, opening 600 temporary "Express" stores in malls and other shopping centers around the country, more than six times last year's count, and hiring 10,000 seasonal workers.

Asian shares were mostly higher Thursday following advances on Wall Street and in Europe after a successful bond sale by Portugal eased worries over the debt crisis. But Chinese shares fell after the banking regulator warned of risks in the financial system.

Thai-made Nissan March subcompact cars — the first major model from a Japanese automaker being mass produced abroad for sale in Japan — are getting extra scrutiny from a team of quality experts to meet choosey consumer standards, a senior executive said Thursday.

The government is defending as "fair and adequate" its $75 million settlement with Citigroup Inc. over charges it misled investors about billions in potential losses from subprime mortgages.

South Korea's central bank left its key interest rate near a record low Thursday for a second straight month as the risk of slowing global growth outweighed a buoyant outlook for the local economy.

Oil prices hovered near $75 a barrel Thursday in Asia after a report showed U.S. crude inventories fell more than expected, suggesting demand may be improving.

BP took some of the blame for the Gulf oil disaster in an internal report issued Wednesday, acknowledging among other things that it misinterpreted a key pressure test of the well. But in a possible preview of its legal strategy, it also pointed the finger at its partners on the doomed rig.

Asian stocks edged up and the yen held below a 15-year high on Thursday, after a small rally on Wall Street driven by successful European bond auctions gave investors an excuse to lighten up on their bets.

Projected U.S. economic growth for the rest of this year and next was revised down for a third month in a row by a panel of about 50 economists.

Switzerland remains the world's most competitive economy, while the United States has fallen from second to fourth after losing the top spot last year, according to the World Economic Forum's annual rankings issued on Thursday.

Australia's competition regulator blocked National Australia Bank's $12 billion bid for AXA Asia Pacific for a second time, dashing NAB's efforts to cement its dominance in the world's fourth-largest wealth management market.

Goldman Sachs has been fined 20 million pounds ($30.9 million) by the UK's financial regulator for failing to disclose it was under fraud investigation by its U.S. counterpart, the BBC reported on Wednesday.

Some Chinese cities are preparing fresh property tightening steps as housing transactions and prices show signs of a rebound, reinforcing market expectations that Beijing will not ease its grip on the sector any time soon.

Lloyds Banking Group is to sell its stake in bank-owned housebuilder Crest Nicholson for 150 million pounds ($232 million), the Financial Times said on Thursday.

A key U.S. banking regulator raised concern on Wednesday about the risk of "exposure" the government is taking on in the mortgage market and urged more stringent standards for underwriting mortgages.

Google Inc's search engine now displays results before users finish typing.

The top securities regulator defended its proposed $75 million settlement with Citigroup , saying the penalty reasonably accounts for the seriousness of the bank's alleged misconduct, according to a document filed in court on Wednesday.

Will whittling your waistline really add some heft to your wallet? Experts weigh in.

Do you have strong credit? You'll still need to jump through hoops to secure a home loan.

What's more important: a bank's safety rating or its yield on deposits?

Health insurance runs the gamut on costs and coverage. Follow these hints to make the right choice.

Applying for your first mortgage can be a hassle. Here are five ways to make it a little easier.

Will whittling your waistline really add some heft to your wallet? Experts weigh in.

Sometimes it can be downright stressful trying to balance your friendship and your bank account.

Which is better for your credit score: paying the minimum or paying off the balance each month? 

If you unwind best by working, take a volunteer vacation and get tax breaks, too.

Your medical decisions won't block a life insurance claim, but fraud's another matter. Don't do it.

NFL videogames go online as Quick Hit NFL Football launches.

CFO Lewis Booth made fixing Ford's balance sheet everyone's problem

Investors and traders in China's main financial district in Shanghai are talking about the following

Few care much about the iPhone's reported antenna problems. They just want an iPhone on Verizon.

There is no greater threat to the financial security of millions of Americans than the corruption of

A trustee of a large pension fund submits a memorandum to the board of the fund of which he is a mem

In a disclosure likely to send ripples (of laughter that is) through the investment community, the S

In a 6-5 decision that may close the nation's courtroom doors to torture victims, the 9th Circuit Fe

?If an enhanced due diligence service were available to pensions which would indicate whether

Forget everything you?ve ever heard or read about hedge funds. As the media churns out fancifu

This simple secret can reveal a company's true generosity.

These stocks just took off, but are they about to make a return trip to earth?

The President's infrastructure plan addresses the right need at the wrong time.

Learn to find greatness where you least expect it.

How close is Intel coming?

Dell's botched acquisition should bring management back to the drawing board.

Discover one of the Oracle of Omaha's favorite ways to size up a stock.

Let's take a look under the hood.

You may be surprised.

Say sayonara to 130/30 mutual funds.

President Obama called for an end to Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy in a lengthy and sharply populist speech.

Google’s change may save users time, but may also affect the many businesses that have been built around placing search ads on the site.

The convenience store chain 7-Eleven is the unnamed third party that has bid $2 billion for Casey’s General Stores, topping an offer from Alimentation Couche-Tard, said a person briefed on the matter.

Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal is acquiring a majority stake in Kwittken, a public relations agency. Analysts say such agencies are playing a larger role in the industry.

The difference between viewing housing as a luxury good or as a staple is the subject of a debate about the recovery.

Those who live off their investments are hit hard by falling interest rates, as corporations borrow cheaply and sit on the cash.

The increasing burden of Anglo Irish Bank’s losses has become a millstone for the government, which is seeking to avoid a Greek-style bank bailout.

Lucky Magazine’s founding editor, Kim France, has been replaced by Brandon Holley, the former editor for Condé Nast’s at the defunct Jane magazine.

The Seattle Foundation is trying to give potential donors more insight into how their money would be spent.

Allergan agreed to pay $600 million for Botox’s marketing getting ahead of approved uses. But the F.D.A. will soon decide on its effectiveness for chronic migraines.

A new forecast from Bank of America Merrill Lynch is lowering the expected 2010 target oil demand growth from 2 million b/d to 1.5 million b/d. The bank also cut its crude oil price forecast by more han 15%, from $92 per barrel down all the way to $78 per barrel for the second half [.

There may be more and more waves of M&A headed to the solar sector.  Solar wafer maker MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. (NYSE:WFR) has announced its second deal in as many days as it seeks to bulk up or a possible shakeout in the solar PV sector.

Twitter has, by most estimates, 100 million members, which makes it one of the largest social networks in the world. All major media companies are on Twitter and some have more than one million Twittr users.

We have seen some rather interesting research on the highly under-followed online gaming sector in China from the research team at Auriga.  Some of the trends will be very disturbing for growth invesors who chase 8% and 10% GDP just because “it is China.

By Heather Horn Reports on U.S.-China talks are interpreting Chinese President Hu Jintao’s statements as a positive sign of the country’s willingness to revalue the yuan. While he made no firm commitents, Hu stated that China would move “steadily” toward exchange-rate reform.

When it rains, it pours. On top of trouble on the Korean peninsula, Eurozone sovereign debt concerns, and a belief the US economy could be heading back into reverse, the S&P/ Case-Schiller Housing Inex showed a drop in home prices from February to March.

Picking movers on a morning like this when overseas markets and US markets are being slapped silly is fairly easy.  ALL OF THEM!  We have picked out a few select names that are moving more than norma on news, rumors, or other issues outside of the normal 2% to 3% band.

Updated throughout the day… Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) still has persisting rumors of new cell phone carrier distribution outside of AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T).  Various sources are citing a weekend report fom The Tech Update about a Sprint Nextel Corp.

These are some of the top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen early this Tuesday morning in Wall Street research calls: Aixtron Aktiengesellschaft (NASDAQ: AIXG) Cut to Neutral at JPMogan Cazenove.

Its credit rating in tatters and it banks in trouble, Spain was kicked by S&P while it was down. The agency said: Spain’s economy needs far-reaching and comprehensive reforms. The challenges are severe: a dysfunctional labor market, the deflating property bubble, a large fiscal deficit, heavy priva...

After encouraging results for the first half of 2010, analyst sentiments for WPP Group are positive.

The offer laid down by Buffet to buy the rest of Wesco includes a combination of Class-B shares (Buffet uses Class-B shares for acquisitions) and cash.

Sherwin acquires Becker for $227 million.

Waste Management Inc. increased its presence in the organics recycling business through the acquisition of a majority equity interest in Garick LLC.

Enterprise Products Partners L.P and EOG Resources Inc. join hands to provide diverse midstream energy services in South Texas Eagle Ford Shale.

Even after better-than-expected results for fiscal 2010, analysts covering BHP Billiton show no decided trend in their estimate revisions.

Tampa Electric Company, a subsidiary of TECO Energy Inc., has requested permission from Florida Public Service Commission to trim the fuel portion of all customers’ bills beginning January 2011.

Cancer treatment systems maker BSD Medical Corp has secured a certification which establishes that its recently approved MicroThermX Microwave Ablation System for soft tissue ablation (destruction) i compliant with the “IEC 60601-1” safety standard.

The new Apple TV will be available next month. The iPod products will be available next week.

A leader in natural food and personal care products categories with an extensive portfolio of well-known brands, The Hain Celestial Group Inc. offers investors one of the strongest growth profiles inthe industry.