Japan Seen Anteing Up on Stimulus as Yen Impact Fades: Economy - Bloomberg

Japan

Crisis Programs May Earn Long-Term Profit, U.S. Treasury Says - Bloomberg

The U.S. Treasury Department, defending the Obama administration

Hong Kong to Pick Leader as Wealth Gap Fuels Discontent - Bloomberg

Hong Kong picks its new chief executive tomorrow, after a campaign marked by personal scandals, public discontent over a widening wealth gap and protests for greater democracy.
A 1,193-member committee of billionaires, including Hong Kong

Consumer Comfort Highest in Almost 4 Years - Bloomberg

Consumer confidence in the U.S. increased last week to the highest level since April 2008 as more Americans had a favorable view of their finances.
The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort (COMFCOMF) Index rose to minus 38.4 in the period ended Feb. 19, its fifth consecutive gain, from minus 39.8 the previous week. It marked the second […]

Singapore Exports Drop on Europe Fallout - Bloomberg

Singapore

Good riddance to the refund anticipation loan

This year is the last hurrah for the refund anticipation loan, a tax-season staple that consumer groups love to hate.
Bank regulators forced a couple of big banks to abandon the product after the 2010 tax season, including the one that once made 2 million loans a year through H&R Block offices. The last small bank […]

Ralcorp, Post announce new board lineups

Ralcorp Holdings and Post Holdings, the branded cereal business that’s being spun off as a separate company, announced the lineup of each company’s board of directors.
The board appointments are effective when the spin-off of Post is finalized, which is expected to occur at the end of this month.
The new configuration of St. Louis-based Ralcorp’s board […]

Growth even weaker than feared

The U.S. economy was weaker than previously thought in the third quarter, according to a government report, although economists are expecting stronger growth in the final three months of the year.
Gross domestic product, the broadest measure of the nation’s economic health, grew at a 1.8% annual rate in the quarter. That’s down from the […]

Large-cap growth funds most resilient this year

Large-cap growth funds have held up better than most other types of stock funds this year.
Previously ignored, big-name companies that have rapidly rising earnings become more attractive in uncertain times than their riskier small-cap counterparts.
Their strong balance sheets, economy-resistant businesses, ample cash reserves and trend toward dividends make sense for risk-averse investors who never thought […]

Berlusconi convenes final Cabinet meeting, to quit

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi has convened his final Cabinet meeting before his expected resignation that will set in motion a political transition aimed at bringing back the country from the brink of economic crisis.
Berlusconi met with his ministers Saturday after parliament’s lower Chamber of Deputies passed European-demanded economic reforms. The Senate passed the legislation Friday, […]