For many house hunters, these are good times. Home prices have fallen 10% or more in once-hot markets, and interest rates on mortgages of $417,000 or less have sunk to their lowest levels in four years. Today a family with solid credit and enough cash for a 20% down payment can lock in a rate of only 5.9% on a 30-year mortgage, according to Bankrate. Thank you, Ben Bernanke!
Northern Rock's competitors gain strongly in London share trading after the British government laid out plans to nationalize the embattled mortgage lender.
The European Union was split into two camps over Kosovo as Spain led a group of half a dozen member-states in saying it would not recognise the province's declaration of independence Source: FT.com - US homepage | 18 Feb 2008 | 12:19 pm
Prime Minister Gordon Brown defends the government's decision to nationalise Northern Rock. Source: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 18 Feb 2008 | 12:17 pm
European stock markets made early gains on Monday, led by advances in the banking sector. The FTSE Eurofirst 300 rose 1.4 per cent to 1,327.64, while the FTSE 100 and the Xetra Dax rose even higher ... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperBusiness | 18 Feb 2008 | 12:14 pm
Japanese and South Korean steel mills settle on a 65% price rise from Vale for iron ore under term contracts, setting the stage for other groups to conclude similar deals Source: FT.com - US homepage | 18 Feb 2008 | 12:12 pm
Abbeycrest's first independent chief executive has left the Leeds-based
jewellery maker with "immediate effect" after four years at the
helm. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 18 Feb 2008 | 11:52 am
Thousands of Apple iPhones are being produced in and exported from China, and then are smuggled back in to the country and sold to consumers for well above U.S. retail prices, The New York Times reported.
US defence firm Lockheed Martin wins a $1bn order from India for six C-130J military transport planes. Source: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 18 Feb 2008 | 11:50 am
Gordon Brown defended the temporary nationalisation of Northern Rock amid widespread questions over the government's handling of the collapse of the mortgage lender Source: FT.com - US homepage | 18 Feb 2008 | 11:44 am
The U.S. Department of Agriculture orders the largest meat recall in U.S. history -- 143 million pounds -- after the agency's food-safety unit found raw, fresh and frozen beef sold by a California producer was unfit for consumption.
TOKYO (Reuters) - An impending end to a format war over next-generation DVDs boosted shares in both victorious Sony, in the Blu-ray corner, and Toshiba, in the losing HD DVD camp, on Monday as consumers cheered an end to confusion over which discs will carry high-definition movies.
Banks led a FTSE 100 rally on Monday at the start of a busy week for the sector. As the market considered the implications of the nationalisation of Northern Rock, investors latched onto weekend press... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperBusiness | 18 Feb 2008 | 11:17 am
Reuters - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown
faced a political and public backlash on Monday after his
decision to take ailing bank Northern Rock Plc into
public ownership, the first UK nationalization since the 1970s. Source: Yahoo! News: Business | 18 Feb 2008 | 11:13 am
LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown faced a political and public backlash on Monday after his decision to take ailing bank Northern Rock Plc into public ownership, the first UK nationalization since the 1970s.
LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown faced a political and public backlash on Monday after his decision to take ailing bank Northern Rock Plc into public ownership, the... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 18 Feb 2008 | 11:13 am
Toshiba saw its shares jump almost 6pc today on speculation that it may drop out of the race to dominate the high-definition DVD market, leaving rival Sony as the likely victor. Source: Telegraph Business | 18 Feb 2008 | 11:10 am
On Friday, a MarketWatch report on Natixis misstated the identity of the bank's main bond insurance counterparties. The main counterparties are MBIA and XL Capital Assurance, a subsidiary of Security Capital Assurance , which is part-owned by XL Capital Ltd. . See corrected story.
The pound came under pressure on Monday as government plans to nationalise Northern Rock, the stricken UK mortgage lender, raised concerns over the health of the country's financial sector. Mitul Kotecha... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperBusiness | 18 Feb 2008 | 10:49 am
Toshiba shares gain more than 5% on speculation the firm is about to shelve its high definition DVD format. Source: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 18 Feb 2008 | 10:44 am
Shares in Natixis slumped around 13% Friday after the French banking group issued a surprise profit warning and took write-downs of around 1.2 billion euros ($1.75 billion) on its exposure to subprime mortgages and the struggling bond insurance sector.
LONDON (Reuters) - Oil climbed towards $96 a barrel on Monday, as investors weighed the effects of a slowing U.S. economy against an escalating row between OPEC member Venezuela and oil major Exxon Mobil .
Average asking prices have jumped more than 3pc in the last month, as estate agents test the market with higher prices, and new property listings drop to the lowest level since 2005. Source: Telegraph Business | 18 Feb 2008 | 10:10 am
Monday, February 18, 2008: Economic Woes Reveal a Long-Felt Unease Even when experts were declaring the economy healthy, many Americans voiced a vague, but persistent... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 18 Feb 2008 | 10:07 am
AP - Even when experts were declaring the economy healthy, many Americans voiced a vague, but persistent dissatisfaction. True, jobs were relatively plentiful over the last few years. It was easy to borrow and very cheap. The sharp rise in the value of homes and plentiful credit cards encouraged a nation of consumers to get out and buy. But to many people, something didn't feel right, even if they couldn't quite explain why.
Shareholders in Northern Rock may see their investments completely wiped out under the U.K. government's plan to nationalize the stricken mortgage lender, which has sparked threats of legal action and claims that the crisis has been mishandled.
The nation's foreclosure crisis has led to a painful irony for homeless people: On any given night they are outnumbered in some cities by vacant houses, and some street people are taking... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 18 Feb 2008 | 10:02 am
Sony's Blu-ray looks set to become the standard for high-definition DVDs after Toshiba signalled Monday that it may give up in a long-running format battle, to the relief of investors. Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 18 Feb 2008 | 9:53 am
Asian stock markets drifted lower on Monday, with investor sentiment still hurt by uncertainty about the fallout from the subprime crisis in the US and Europe, and questions looming over the fate of US... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperBusiness | 18 Feb 2008 | 9:53 am
London equities made strong gains on Monday, with banking stocks at the forefront of the rally at the start of a busy week for newsflow in the sector. As investors considered the implications of the... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperBusiness | 18 Feb 2008 | 9:44 am
Reuters - French bank Societe Generale ,
at the centre of a huge trading scandal, began investigating
trades executed by Jerome Kerviel months before his activities
were exposed in January, the Financial Times reported. Source: Yahoo! News: Business | 18 Feb 2008 | 9:41 am
ZURICH (Reuters) - French bank Societe Generale , at the centre of a huge trading scandal, began investigating trades executed by Jerome Kerviel months before his activities were exposed in January, the Financial Times reported.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp on Monday took
the wraps off its remodeled Crown sedan, the first car to
incorporate the cost-cutting strategy that the automaker hopes
will help it save at least $2.8 billion a year.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp on Monday took the wraps off its remodeled Crown sedan, the first car to incorporate the cost-cutting strategy that the automaker hopes will help Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 18 Feb 2008 | 9:31 am
The US government orders its largest recall of beef, saying a meat plant broke rules on cattle inspection. Source: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 18 Feb 2008 | 9:28 am
China attracted $11.2 billion in foreign investment in January, up 109.8 percent from the same month last year, the government said Monday. The Commerce Ministry, which reported the... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 18 Feb 2008 | 9:08 am
Reuters - Banks led European shares higher on
Monday ahead of this week's key earnings data which will show
their progress on writing down losses related to U.S. subprime
mortgages, while the dollar edged away from a 1-1/2 week low.
LONDON (Reuters) - Banks led European shares higher on Monday ahead of this week's key earnings data which will show their progress on writing down losses related to U.S. subprime mortgages, while the dollar edged away from a 1-1/2 week low.
Qatar has begun spending some of the $15 billion ($£7.5 billion) earmarked for
investments in European and US banks, by building a stake in Credit Suisse. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 18 Feb 2008 | 9:00 am
The political fallout from huge wealth being created in the private sector from handing over an 'operationally' profitable bank for peanuts would have been an albatross around the neck of the Labour Party for years. Source: Telegraph Business | 18 Feb 2008 | 9:00 am
Timeline of events outlines the twists and turns of the crisis which has engulfed Northern Rock - one of Britain's biggest mortgage lenders - leaving the government little option but to nationalise the struggling bank. Source: Telegraph Business | 18 Feb 2008 | 9:00 am
Three of Asia's largest steel mills agree to pay Brazilian miner Vale 65% more for iron ore this year. Source: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 18 Feb 2008 | 8:50 am
BEIJING (Reuters) - Alibaba Group, the Chinese Internet firm, will seek a stronger voice for its management team in Microsoft's talks to acquire Yahoo, Alibaba's largest shareholder, a source said on Monday.
Reuters - An impending end to a format war over
next-generation DVDs boosted shares in both victorious Sony, in
the Blu-ray corner, and Toshiba, in the losing HD DVD camp, on
Monday as consumers cheered an end to confusion over which
discs will carry high-definition movies. Source: Yahoo! News: Business | 18 Feb 2008 | 8:44 am
Reuters - Alibaba Group, the Chinese Internet
firm, will seek a stronger voice for its management team in
Microsoft's talks to acquire Yahoo , Alibaba's largest
shareholder, a source said on Monday. Source: Yahoo! News: Business | 18 Feb 2008 | 8:32 am
BEIJING (Reuters) - Alibaba Group, the Chinese Internet firm, will seek a stronger voice for its management team in Microsoft's talks to acquire Yahoo , Alibaba's largest shareholder, a... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 18 Feb 2008 | 8:31 am
Politicians and unions likely to protest as consumers feel credit pinch, writes Alex Hawkes reports. Source: Telegraph Business | 18 Feb 2008 | 8:30 am
Deutsche Telekom, which has already announced that it would eliminate 32,000 jobs, plans to cut even more, chief executive Rene Obermann said Monday in an interview. "We have Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 18 Feb 2008 | 8:25 am
Shares in Toshiba jumped 6 per cent in Tokyo on speculation that the Japanese
electronics giant it is about to abandon its HD-DVD standard of
next-generation DVDs. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 18 Feb 2008 | 8:24 am
Oil price were steady Monday in Asia, rising slightly after further hints that OPEC may cut production if global supplies continue to rise amid forecasts for slower growth in demand. ... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 18 Feb 2008 | 8:01 am
Tamara Mellon claims her mother improperly profited from a sale of the high-end shoe company.
Tamara Mellon, the savvy entrepreneur who took Jimmy Choo shoes from a dodgy London neighborhood to the world's trendiest retail districts, has battled drug problems, a failed marriage and scandal-hungry reporters.
Britain seeks a public takeover of Northern Rock to keep the bank viable and protect taxpayers, officials say.
The British government waded into the sub-prime quagmire Sunday with the announcement that it would move to nationalize Northern Rock, the nation's fifth-largest mortgage lender.
Booming enrollment is making it harder for graduates to find work.
Sun Yuanping skipped her college graduation ceremony for a job interview. It was an all-day affair and the bookish 22-year-old felt good about it. After all, she has degrees in marketing and botany from a well-regarded school in this central Chinese city, and she ranked in the top fifth of her class.
The film takes the top spot at the box office. The 'Step Up' sequel and 'Spiderwick' round out the top three.
Two potential film franchises, 20th Century Fox's science-fiction thriller "Jumper" and Paramount Pictures' family fantasy "The Spiderwick Chronicles," opened to solid business over the extended holiday weekend, while Walt Disney Co.'s "Step Up 2 the Streets" kept an established series humming.
The population declines as urban life pulls some away and cities encroach on land used to feed animals.
As a chill wind blows in, the Bakhtiari nomads pack up at the end of summer and start a long journey -- women and kids on horseback, men on foot, belongings in tow -- for the warmer regions here in southwestern Iran.
Cut flower exports are a sign of the country's fast-growing economy.
Pictures of emaciated children dying in their mothers' arms during Ethiopia's famine in 1985 cemented the country's image as a barren land where nothing grows.
Unions will meet Northern Rock's new executive chairman today to discuss
potential job losses at the nationalised bank. Ron Sander, the former
Lloyd's of London chief executive, who has taken control of the Rock, flies
to Newcastle today to talk to management and staff at the bank. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 18 Feb 2008 | 7:50 am
Special prosecutors are expected to clear South Korea's president-elect Lee Myung-Bak of allegations that he was involved in a stock manipulation scandal in 2001, media reports said Monday. Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 18 Feb 2008 | 7:42 am
DUBAI (Reuters) - Qatar has bought shares in Credit Suisse , and plans to spend as much as $15 billion on European and U.S. bank stocks during the next 12 months, Bloomberg News reported, citing the Qatari prime minister.
Demand for the Australasian currencies provided a updraft for the New Zealand dollar today.
The kiwi jumped nearly half a US cent from its open, closing at US79.46c from US78.47c on Friday.
Dealers said the kiwi caught a lift... Source: New Zealand Herald - Business | 18 Feb 2008 | 5:51 am
Investors who put money into property investments through Auckland-headquartered property business Blue Chip will have to wait longer to find out how much money they will recover.
Jeff Meltzer, liquidator of 19 property companies... Source: New Zealand Herald - Business | 18 Feb 2008 | 5:25 am
HAJIPUR, India (Reuters) - The white envelope filled with ten 500 rupee ($13) notes was dispatched to the electricity board official as a "goodwill gesture".
The results will determine a new balance of power in a country itching to rid itself of a leader held responsible for a long list of popular grievances Source: FT.com - US homepage | 18 Feb 2008 | 4:21 am
The Joneses, a fixed-fee real estate agency chain, has told vendors it has asked liquidators to be appointed to its business.
Lynn Lucy-Hauck of The Joneses has sent a notice to all vendors headed "insolvency" and telling them... Source: New Zealand Herald - Business | 18 Feb 2008 | 2:30 am
Cazenove Capital is to launch the first retail fund that supports UK charities directly, aiming to donate up to £3m on behalf of its investors in its first year. Source: Telegraph Business | 18 Feb 2008 | 12:01 am
David Li, the prominent Hong Kong businessman and former Dow Jones company director, has resigned from the Executive Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region amid the "increasing distraction" following the settlement of an alleged insider trading case. Source: Telegraph Business | 18 Feb 2008 | 12:01 am
Being an influence in the boardroom is a way of life for the National Grid chairman. Andrew Cave finds out what makes this multi-tasker tick. Source: Telegraph Business | 18 Feb 2008 | 12:01 am
Politicians and unions likely to protest as consumers feel credit pinch, writes Alex Hawkes reports. Source: Telegraph Business | 18 Feb 2008 | 12:01 am
An increasing number of City law firms are breaking one of the profession's
greatest unwritten rules by positioning themselves to sue investment banks,
confident that the first of an expected wave of lawsuits arising from the
credit crunch will emerge in Britain within weeks. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 18 Feb 2008 | 12:00 am
BT's attempt to revive its fortunes in the mobile phone market is faltering,
with subscribers to its service languishing at an all-time low. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 18 Feb 2008 | 12:00 am
Borse Dubai has signalled its willingness to sell its stake in the London
Stock Exchange (LSE) to Qatar, opening the door to a deal that would end a
simmering rivalry between Dubai and Qatar over London's bourse. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 18 Feb 2008 | 12:00 am
“I reappointed him, and he disappointed me.” A decade and a half ago, that was
the peevish verdict of George Bush Sr, the former US President, on his
decision to reinstall Alan Greenspan at the helm of the Federal Reserve in
1991, in the midst of the recession of the early Nineties. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 18 Feb 2008 | 12:00 am
The asking price for houses moved up last month but property is taking far
longer to sell, according to new figures out today. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 18 Feb 2008 | 12:00 am
Unbelievable. It is the only word to describe Alistair Darling’s announcement
on Northern Rock yesterday. Anyone who thinks this decision will put an end
to the Government’s dithering embarrassment in the Northern Rock saga, must
live in the Looking Glass world of Gordon Brown, who seems to make a point
these days of believing six impossible things before breakfast. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 18 Feb 2008 | 12:00 am
Shares of Toshiba jumped 5 percent on Monday as analysts applauded the company's expected move to abandon its HD DVD format, leaving Blu-ray technology backed by Sony to become the standard for the next-generation DVD.
Shares in UK banks jumped on Monday after the news that troubled bank Northern Rock will be nationalized, as investors looked forward to the end of the attempt to rescue the bank.
For wealthy Germans, many of whom have long hidden their money outside the country to avoid its high taxes, this has been a weekend of high anxiety. For their fellow citizens, it has been a riveting spectacle, dominating the public discussion for days.
Rising Government spending and falling world sharemarkets combined to slash the Crown's operating surplus in the first half of the current fiscal year to one-fifth of what it was a year earlier.
The operating surplus was $815 million... Source: New Zealand Herald - Business | 18 Feb 2008 | 12:00 am
The New Zealand sharemarket was up in early trade today, having hit a 16-month low on Friday.
By 10.20am today the benchmark NZSX-50 index was up 17.4 points to 3528.21, having fallen to a new low for the year of 3498 during trading... Source: New Zealand Herald - Business | 17 Feb 2008 | 11:30 pm
On the surface it looks worrying to see the Government's operating surplus come in well below forecast this morning - particularly at a time when both major political parties talking openly about cutting personal taxes.
But there... Source: New Zealand Herald - Business | 17 Feb 2008 | 11:30 pm
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden's centre-right government has chosen four bidders in its auction of Vin & Sprit that will be allowed to perform due diligence of the Absolut vodka maker, business daily Dagens Industri reported on Sunday.
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ANZ), Australia's third-biggest lender, warned that it may face a US$200 ($256.6 million) hit on its exposure to a US bond insurer, dragging down its shares more than 6 per cent.
The... Source: New Zealand Herald - Business | 17 Feb 2008 | 11:20 pm
Plans by Fonterra to list on the stock market have hit a stumbling block with the dairy giant abandoning a vote by shareholders to approve radical changes.
Chairman Henry van der Heyden said in a letter to farmers that the first... Source: New Zealand Herald - Business | 17 Feb 2008 | 11:15 pm
Real estate firm The Joneses has called off plans to list via the backdoor on the alternative board, NZAX.
Under the proposal RLV No.3 was to buy all the shares in The Joneses for $13.75 million.
At the start of February The... Source: New Zealand Herald - Business | 17 Feb 2008 | 11:10 pm
Most Australian companies are in good financial shape to withstand further market shocks although a worrying number are still vulnerable, an industry survey has found.
Some 56 per cent of listed Australians companies are financially... Source: New Zealand Herald - Business | 17 Feb 2008 | 11:00 pm
Allies of Barack Obama have warned of chaos if unelected 'super-delegates' overturn the will of grassroots Democrats when the party chooses its presidential candidate at its national convention in August Source: FT.com - US homepage | 17 Feb 2008 | 10:01 pm
Trades by Société Générale's Jérôme Kerviel, the dealer who allegedly masterminded the world's biggest rogue trading scandal, were being scrutinised within the bank's broking arm last autumn Source: FT.com - US homepage | 17 Feb 2008 | 10:01 pm
Business figures defend the paying of bonuses to City executives after an attack by the chancellor. Source: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 17 Feb 2008 | 7:47 pm
The two-year battle over the next generation of high-definition DVDs looks set to end after strong signs from Toshiba that it would exit its HD-DVD business Source: FT.com - US homepage | 17 Feb 2008 | 7:18 pm
The French, Italians, Spanish and Germans would 'vote' for Barack Obama in the US presidential elections – but the British prefer Hillary Clinton according to an FT/Harris poll Source: FT.com - US homepage | 17 Feb 2008 | 6:42 pm
Germany paid at least €4m for information that led to the arrest of the Deutsche Post chief executive, before he resigned. The data could claim hundreds more victims Source: FT.com - US homepage | 17 Feb 2008 | 6:01 pm
Prominent Asian banker and former Dow Jones board member David Li resigned from Hong Kong's cabinet after settling civil charges of insider trading in the US Source: FT.com - US homepage | 17 Feb 2008 | 4:24 pm
Ex-chief executive of scandal-hit US finance firm Refco says he knew he was wrong to keep quiet about losses. Source: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 17 Feb 2008 | 12:02 pm
AOL has held talks with Yahoo about a possible deal to fend off an approach from Microsoft, a report says. Source: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 17 Feb 2008 | 11:09 am