Archive for February, 2010

Payrolls, quake, ISM may steer stocks (Reuters)

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, February 18, 2010. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidReuters – Payrolls could give the U.S. stock market some direction this week as investors comb through the key report on one of the economy’s weakest areas.

Summary Box: Investors await employment report (AP)

AP – ADDED SIGNIFICANCE: Investors will look to the monthly jobs report for clearer signs on the direction of the economy after a string of mixed economic data and ongoing concerns about Europe.

Jobs report critical after mixed economic data (AP)

AP – Investors are seeking direction. Friday’s report on employment could give them exactly what they want.

Prudential’s $35 billion bid for AIA depends on Asian markets (Reuters)

Reuters – Prudential’s bid to buy American International Group’s Asian life unit is a bet against Asian stock markets as falling share prices across the region would make the alternative of listing the business in Hong Kong less attractive.

Berkshire net rises, Buffett sees housing rebound (Reuters)

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett speaks as he and Microsoft Corporation founder Bill Gates appear together for a town hall style meeting with business students broadcast by financial television network CNBC at Columbia University in New York, November 12, 2009. REUTERS/Mike SegarReuters – Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc said fourth-quarter profit surged, helped by derivatives bets tied to global stock markets, though operating profit fell 40 percent as the weakened economy weighed on several businesses.