Kodak breaking up with the Oscars

Eastman Kodak is trying to end its sponsorship of the Hollywood theater that bears its name and hosts the Academy Awards as part of the photography company’s bankruptcy process.
Kodak, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Jan. 19, filed court documents on Wednesday requesting that it sever its contract with the Kodak Theatre […]

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Iran dismisses sanction impact on currency

Iran said Tuesday that the steep depreciation in the country’s currency against the U.S. dollar was not linked to U.S. new sanctions targeting its Central Bank, while officials geared up for a meeting to assess possible measures to shore up the riyal in an already ailing economy.
Since President Barack Obama on Saturday signed into law […]

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What might you buy this year?

EQUITIES
Analysts tend to favor large U.S. stocks. Things abroad are still too worrisome, they say.
Mark Keller, CEO of Confluence Investment Management, likes big stocks with dividends. On his list are Ferguson-based Emerson along with 3M, PepsiCo, Microsoft and Wal-Mart. “They’re reasonably priced, pay a nice dividend, and they have rising dividends,” he says.
“They might go […]

U.K. Bonds Prove Best in World as Cameron Sidesteps Stresses in Euro Area - Bloomberg

The U.K. is home to this year

Banker Who Fled Kim Jong Il Says New Leader May Open North Korean Economy - Bloomberg

Kim Jong Un may relax state controls over North Korea

Twenty-plus Sears and Kmart stores in region could be up for closure

Sears Holdings says its hasn’t yet determined which 100 to 120 Kmart and Sears stores it will close after a disappointing holiday sales season.
The company, which has 4,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada, announced today that it would close this number of stores after sales at its Kmart and domestic Sears stores in this […]

Italy again pays more to borrow

Italy paid sharply higher borrowing rates in an auction that raised euro567 million ($750 million), as markets continued to pressure the eurozone’s third largest economy to come up with reforms urgently.
Yields on 12-year bonds skyrocketed to 7.20 percent, a full 2.7 percentage points higher than last month.
While there were enough bids to cover the maximum […]

Holland Construction Services starts renovations

Holland Construction Services Inc. started extensive renovations at Memorial Care Center at 4315 Memorial Drive in Belleville.
The $6 million project includes an upgrade to the center’s exterior façade and indoor renovations of 34,000 square feet.
The renovations will involve 56 patient rooms, administrative offices, dining, living and reception rooms and a therapy area. Shower rooms, utility […]

Kerr to step down as Missouri economic development boss

The man in charge of boosting Missouri’s economy is stepping down.
David Kerr, director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development, will leave at the end of the year, Gov. Jay Nixon’s office said Tuesday.
Kerr, a longtime executive at AT&T in Missouri and Kansas before entering the public sector, said he was stepping down to spend […]

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, […]