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• Currency Volatility Falls to Lowest Since 2008 on Growth Signs
  A measure of currency volatility dropped to the lowest level since August 2008 amid signs the global economy is improving, giving investors more confidence to buy assets that appreciate in periods of growth.
• MF Trustee Sees $1.6 Billion Gap Between Claims, Assets
  The trustee overseeing MF Global's bankruptcy in the United States said the gap between potential customer claims and the assets under his control are at $1.6 billion.
• Future of Bank Benchmark Rate under Review
  A global probe into whether banks colluded to set the interest rates at which they borrow money from each other has thrown into question the future of the benchmark they use to price financial products worth an estimated $360 trillion.
• S&P Downgrades 34 Italian Banks After Cutting Nation’s Grade
  UniCredit SpA, Intesa Sanpaolo SpA and Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA were among 34 Italian financial firms downgraded by Standard & Poor's, after the credit-ratings firm reduced the nation's grade last month.
• Greek Prime Minister: Back Bailout or Face Catastrophe
  Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos told his turbulent coalition government to accept a harsh international bailout deal or condemn the nation to catastrophe.
• Banks Still on Hook Despite $25 Billion Mortgage Pact
  U.S. lenders including Bank of America Corp. still face years of litigation and billions of dollars in liabilities tied to the housing collapse after agreeing to settle a probe of abusive foreclosure practices.
• Critics Worry about ECB Nonchalance over Payments Stress
  European Central Bank President Mario Draghi's apparent lack of concern about growing imbalances in money being transferred between euro zone countries has revived criticism from those who see the issue as a budding new crisis.Hans-Werner Sinn, the president of the...
• Greece Balks at Demand for More Cuts to Get Aid
  A leader of Greece s governing coalition pushed back against German demands for deeper budget cuts to get the bailout needed to prevent a financial collapse.
• Barclays Warns It Will Miss Profit Goal Despite Slashing Bonuses
  British bank Barclays is set to miss a key profit target after its investment bank ended 2011 with its worst quarter for three years.
• Fed Plays Wall Street Favorites in Secret Bond Deals
  The Federal Reserve secretly selected a handful of banks to bid for debt securities acquired by taxpayers in the U.S. bailout of American International Group Inc., and the rest of Wall Street is wondering what happened to the transparency the central bank vowed.
• Post: US Rep. Bachus Faces Insider Trading Probe
  The chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Spencer Bachus, which oversees the U.S. banking and financial services industries, is under investigation for possible violation of insider trading laws, The Washington Post reported.
• Buffett: US Bonds Are 'Dangerous,' Should Have 'Warning Label'
  Warren Buffett, the billionaire chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., said low interest rates and inflation should dissuade investors from buying bonds and other holdings tied to currencies.
• Foreclosure Deal to Spark Tidal Wave of Home Seizures
  The $25 billion settlement with banks over foreclosure abuses may result in a wave of home seizures, inflicting short-term pain on delinquent U.S. borrowers while making a long-term housing recovery more likely.
• EU Ministers Balk at Greek Bailout Deal, Demand Tougher Cuts
  Just hours after Greece gave in to painful new job and spending cuts, European ministers declared Thursday that Athens didn't go far enough and demanded more within a week in exchange for a 130 billion euro ($170 billion) bailout to stave off bankruptcy.
• Stripe Said to Get Funding Valuing Startup at $100 Million
  Stripe Inc., a San Francisco startup with an online-payment system, attracted funding from Sequoia Capital and other investors valuing the company at $100 million, said two people with knowledge of the transaction.
• Goldman Sachs Retained Almost All of Fed’s Mortgage Bonds
  Goldman Sachs Group Inc. held on to almost all of the $6.2 billion in face value of mortgage bonds that the Federal Reserve Bank of New York sold the company yesterday, based on data from Trace, the transaction reporting system of the Financial Industry Regulatory...
• Greeks Forge Bailout Deal in Time for EU Meeting
  Greek political leaders clinched a long-stalled deal on reforms and austerity measures to secure a second international bailout and avoid a chaotic default, hours before the country's financial backers began meeting in Brussels.
• ECB Keeps Interest Rates Low as Recession Looms
  The European Central Bank kept its key interest rate at a record low of 1 percent on Thursday to help the 17-nation eurozone stave off recession, while its president dodged questions on whether it could help Greece lighten its debt load.
• Global Accounting Reform Ups Pressure on U.S. to Sign up
  Plans by the accounting body responsible for global standards to make itself more answerable to the public will put pressure on the United States to sign up or risk losing influence.
• Fed Officials: Jobs Rebound Dampens Odds of More Easing
  The pick-up in U.S. jobs has caught the eye of two top Federal Reserve officials who said on Wednesday that continued improvement in the beleaguered labor market dampens prospects for more economic stimulus measures from the central bank.
• Mortgage Firms Agree to $25 Billion Foreclosure-Abuse Pact
  Five U.S. banks will pay more than $25 billion in the biggest civil settlement involving states and the federal government to end a probe of abusive foreclosure practices stemming from the collapse of the housing bubble.
• Calif., NY Said to Join $25 Billion Mortgage Deal
  California and New York, two big holdout states in a $25 billion mortgage settlement, are expected to join the deal, smoothing the way for an announcement on Thursday, according to a person familiar with the matter. Florida, with its large distressed housing market, was...
• Greeks Fail to Strike Deal to Take to Brussels
  Greek leaders failed early on Thursday to agree on reforms and austerity measures needed to secure a bailout to avoid a messy default, forcing Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos to go to the country's financial backers with an incomplete deal.
• Greek Deal Prospects Rise, Euro Ministers to Meet
  Prospects for a deal on a second international bailout for Greece brightened on Wednesday when euro zone finance ministers were summoned to talks in Brussels while Greek political leaders met to approve a tough new reform and austerity programme.Eurogroup chairman...
• Facebook Afterglow Lights Up IPO Markets
  The excitement generated by Facebook's IPO filing rubbed off on companies listing on U.S. stock exchanges on Wednesday, with four of them seeing strong first-day gains. Caesars Entertainment Corp one of the largest casino operators in the United States, led the gains, with...

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