US stocks drop as debt talks near collapse

Stocks are taking a sharp fall in early trading Monday amid reports that a congressional committee will fail to agree on a plan to cut the U.S. government’s budget deficit. The Dow Jones industrial average is down more than 200 points.
A 12-member bipartisan panel is supposed to agree on at least $1.2 trillion in budget […]

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, […]

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APNewsBreak: Party member urges Greek PM to resign

A senior Greek governing party lawmaker says he will not support the government in a critical confidence vote unless Prime Minister George Papandreou pledges to resign over the weekend and start talks on a caretaker government.
The lawmaker made the comment to The Associated Press hours before the Friday confidence vote, speaking on condition of anonymity […]

Welcome to the new arms race between online protection and oversharing

The rise of social media is pitting people who value privacy against those who want to share their lives with others.
That

Dollar cost averaging smooths out volatility

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could smooth out all the rough spots in your personal investments?
Many investors have wondered just that during this frenetic market year that is constantly being buffeted by world events. Too often, they boldly invest when stock prices are high, then fearfully halt their investing or sell their holdings altogether […]

Eurozone set to struggle over Greek bailout

Finance ministers from the 17 euro countries will grapple over Greece’s ever-worsening debt crisis, a day after Athens revealed its deficit will be higher than previously promised.
Meeting the budget targets is a precondition for getting the next euro8 billion ($10.8 billion) installment of the country’s first, euro110 billion bailout.
Although the ministers have already said they […]

Late-day rally sends stocks higher; Dow rises 143

Stocks are closing higher after another day of big swings.
Investors struggled to make sense of mixed economic reports Thursday. First-time applications for unemployment benefits fell and the government raised its estimate of economic growth in the April-June period. But a survey showed that chief executives of the nation’s largest companies are more pessimistic than they […]

Saab denied bankruptcy protection

A Swedish court on Thursday rejected car maker Saab’s application for creditor protection, paving the way for possible bankruptcy filings from labor unions.
The ruling by the Vanersborg District Court, which can be appealed, is the latest setback for cash-strapped Saab as it scrambles to solve a liquidity crisis that has left it teetering on the […]

After bumpy August, economy shows signs of growth

August began with rising fears that another recession was about to hit. That was then.
A month later, the economy and the stock market appear more resilient, suggesting that consumers, businesses and investors remain confident enough to keep spending.
A more authoritative test will come Friday, when the government issues the August jobs report. Employers are expected […]