Calpine narrows 4Q loss

Despite lower revenue due to sharply lower commodity prices and power generation nationwide, Calpine Corp. on Thursday said it had reduced its losses in the fourth quarter of 2009 compared to the year-earlier period.
Houston-based Calpine (NYSE: CPN) reported a net loss of $43 million, or 9 cents a share, for the three months ended Dec. […]

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Foreclosures drop in January - but don’t get excited

First, the good news: Foreclosure filings dropped nearly 10% between December and January.
That’s a total of 315,716 notices compared to 349,519 in December, according to RealtyTrac, which issues a monthly report on foreclosure activity.
Now, the bad news: Filings rose 15% compared to a year ago, and the number of people who actually had […]

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Sovereign wealth funds on the hunt

After months of relative silence, sovereign wealth funds, the huge, state-owned vehicles that export-rich countries use to invest their reserves, are on the prowl again.
"[Funds] are researching deals and trying to get things lined up," says R.P. Eddy, CEO of Ergo, a research firm that advises some of the world’s biggest sovereign wealth […]

Animatronic hamsters have stores scrambling

The hamsters are fake, with a coating of fuzz over a mechanized chassis and a small sound system. But when it comes to creating intense desire among kids — and desperation among shopping parents — Zhu Zhu Pets are the real deal.
When the Post-Dispatch profiled the electronic rodents eight weeks ago, toymaker […]

Why ’say on pay’ won’t work

Waiting for investors to slam the brakes on runaway executive pay? Don’t hold your breath. Although Congress may give shareholders more of a say on pay soon, big money managers seem content to keep their mouths shut.
Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd, D.-Conn., unveiled a financial reform plan this month that would give […]

Exchanges, under profit pressure, mounting defense

Two market operators, Nasdaq OMX and Deutsche Boerse, reported profit drops on Thursday, partly reflecting the price war between traditional players and younger challengers for market share and increasingly narrow margins.
Nasdaq OMX, which runs the U.S.-based Nasdaq Stock Market and venues in Nordic countries, said diluted earnings dropped 18 percent, while Deutsche Boerse, which […]

South Korea’s Consumer Confidence Climbs to Seven-Year High

South Korea’s consumer confidence rose to the highest level in more than seven years in October as the nation’s economic recovery strengthened.
The sentiment index climbed to 117 from 114 in September, the Bank of Korea said in Seoul today. The figure matched that of the first quarter of 2002, when the bank published […]

Bank Compensation Curbs Thrust Fed, Treasury Into Boardrooms

Compensation curbs announced yesterday by the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve thrust the U.S. government into decisions about pay and performance traditionally reserved for corporate boards.
The Treasury’s special pay master, Kenneth Feinberg, slashed the salaries of the most highly paid executives at seven companies that received taxpayer aid, including Citigroup Inc. and […]

Factory Orders Rise Less Than Forecast on Drop in Non-Durables

Orders placed with U.S. factories rose less than forecast in July, restrained by a decline in non-durable goods such as oil and food that masked a jump in demand for new equipment that was larger than previously estimated.
Bookings gained 1.3 percent after a revised 0.9 percent increase in June that was larger than […]

Obama Says Recession Nears End as Data Improve While Polls Fall

President Barack Obama sought to reconcile improving economic data and his own sagging poll ratings by telling Americans that many are still struggling even as an end to the recession may be near.
The president opened two events yesterday outside Washington designed to focus on health care with a defense of his economic policies, […]