- Greek PM warns over effect of high borrowing costs
(Reuters)
Reuters - Greece's prime minister warned on Thursday that Athens would not be able to make planned deficit cuts unless it can borrow money more cheaply and said he would prefer not to have to turn to the IMF for help.
- Japan corporate mood up; talk of government stimulus weighs
(Reuters)
Reuters - Japanese companies have become far less gloomy about economic conditions than three months ago, a Reuters corporate survey showed, pointing to a big improvement in the Bank of Japan's closely watched tankan survey next month.
- Australia urges access to China trial of Rio staff
(Reuters)
Reuters - Australia urged China on Thursday to allow its diplomats full access to the trial of four Rio Tinto staff charged with commercial spying in a case that could hurt political and economic ties.
- U.S. hopes Obama trip will boost trade with Indonesia
(Reuters)
Reuters - The United States hopes President Barack Obama's visit next week to Indonesia will help spur reforms that boost trade with Southeast Asia's largest economy and the world's fourth most populous nation.
- BofA CEO says the bank 'missed the mark'
(AP)
AP - Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan conceded Wednesday that the company made a series of missteps during the credit crisis and recession that hurt its relationship with shareholders and customers.
- Fed defends watchdog role
(AFP)
AFP - Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke called for his central bank to keep broad regulatory powers Wednesday, amid a fierce debate about how to police Wall Street.
- First of several job-creation bills clears Congress
(Reuters)
Reuters - A package of tax breaks and highway spending cleared Congress on Wednesday, the first of what Democrats hope will be several efforts to bring down the 9.7 percent unemployment rate.
- New CFO says GM has chance to make 2010 profit
(AP)
AP - If the economy cooperates and auto sales recover a bit, General Motors Co. has a reasonable chance of turning a full-year profit in 2010, its new chief financial officer said Wednesday.
- Fed's Bernanke sees U.S. backing Fannie, Freddie debt
(Reuters)
Reuters - Current Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities are likely to retain U.S. government backing should Congress create a new system for financing U.S. homes, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Wednesday.
- Fed boss makes case to keep all banking duties
(AP)
AP - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Wednesday urged Congress not to scale back the Fed's regulatory authority over banks. He said the Fed needs the information it gleans from its bank oversight to set interest rates and gauge the health of the banking system.
- US Senate sends jobs bill to Obama
(AFP)
AFP - Amid deep election-year worries about high unemployment, the US Senate voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to send President Barack Obama a 17.6-billion-dollar package aimed at creating jobs.
- Producer prices fall on lower energy costs
(Reuters)
Reuters - U.S. producer prices in February posted their biggest fall in seven months as energy costs tumbled, validating the Federal Reserve's decision to hold interest rates very low on evidence of tame inflation.
- Parsing the Fed's Statement: Experts Weigh In
(The Motley Fool)
The Motley Fool - Surprise, surprise. As expected, the Federal Reserve on Tuesday held short-term interest rates unchanged at historic lows and maintained that it will keep rates low for an extended period of time. The central bank also reiterated its pledge to stop buying mortgage-backed securities at the end of this month. However, the Fed did upgrade its assessment of the economy.
- US hails debt cancellation for Afghanistan
(AFP)
AFP - The United States Wednesday welcomed a decision by Paris Club creditors to cancel Afghanistan's debt owed to members as "a crucial step" toward economic sustainability.
- Summary Box: Fed boss wants to retain bank duties
(AP)
AP - MAKING THE CASE: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke urged Congress to let the Fed keep all of its banking supervision. He argued that information gleaned from that process helps the Fed guide the economy.
- Bernanke defends Fed small bank supervision role
(Reuters)
Reuters - Top central bankers present and past on Wednesday joined forces against a plan to strip the Fed of its oversight of smaller banks, saying the knowledge it gains from that role is vital to monetary policy.
- A look at global economic developments
(AP)
AP - A look at economic developments and activity in major stock markets around the world Wednesday:
- Communications Systems posts lower 4Q profit
(AP)
AP - Broadband products and services company Communications Systems Inc. said late Tuesday that its fourth-quarter profit slid as revenue declined amid the recession.
- February wholesale prices drop 0.6 percent
(AP)
AP - Prices at the wholesale level plunged in February by the largest amount in seven months as a big drop in energy prices offset higher food costs.
- US, Pakistan to host talks on economy, security next week
(AFP)
AFP - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her Pakistani counterpart will lead talks here next week aimed at boosting the economy and security of Pakistan, a key ally in the fight against extremism.