UNITED STATES

Dai-ichi Mutual Life Insurance, Japan's second-largest life insurer, said on Monday it would sell about 1.07 trillion yen ($11.7 billion) worth of shares in the country's biggest initial public offering in more than a decade.

Bank of America Corp wants to aggressively expand Merrill Lynch's business of managing investments on behalf of pension funds, foundations and endowments.

Toyota Motor Corp's problems stemming from the recall of millions of vehicles deepened with the news that U.S. prosecutors and securities regulators have demanded information from the company.

U.S. stocks were little changed on Monday as investors were cautious before the head of the Federal Reserve was due to discuss interest rate policy this week after the Fed's hike in the discount rate.

U.S. economic activity rose sharply in January, further evidence the recovery is gaining ground, but manufacturing in Texas slipped in February.

The U.S. economy still needs extraordinarily low interest rates, as inflation is undesirably low and growth will likely be sluggish for several years, a top Federal Reserve official said Monday.

A senior House Republican on Monday rejected a proposal by President Barack Obama to revive a stalled healthcare overhaul, saying it did not address public concerns about the sweeping legislation.

U.S. industrial group United Technologies won European Union regulatory approval on Monday to buy the security business of General Electric, boosting its operations in the domestic market.

U.S. stocks fell slightly in choppy trading on Monday on investor uncertainty about the Federal Reserve's intentions after last week's increase in the interest rate for emergency loans to banks.

The Obama administration on Monday urged support for a U.S. financial consumer watchdog that is strong and independent, pushing Senate Democrats to resist compromises sought by Republicans and bank lobbyists.

In a volatile Monday session, the U.S. stock market dipped as declines in health and energy stocks overshadowed gains made in the financial sector.

The best weapon against the online thieves, spies and vandals who threaten global business and security would be international regulation of cyberspace.

President Barack Obama tried to rejuvenate his stalled healthcare overhaul on Monday with a revised plan to make insurance coverage more affordable and bolster federal authority to regulate premium hikes.

Bank of America Corp won approval of a $150 million settlement with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over the Merrill Lynch merger, ending an embarrassing public battle between the largest U.S. bank and the nation's top securities regulator.

No. 2 U.S. home improvement chain Lowe's Cos reported better-than-expected quarterly results and said sales would improve in 2010 as demand for remodeling projects picks up.

World crude steel production for the 66 countries reporting to the World Steel Association (worldsteel) was 109 million metric tons (mmt) in January. This is 25.5% higher than January 2009.China's crude steel production for January 2010 was 48.7 mmt, an increase of 18.2% on January 2009. Japan produced 8.7 mmt of crude steel in January 2010, up 36.8% compared to the same month last year. South Korea showed an increase of 32.4% from January 2009, producing 4.5 mmt of crude steel in January 2010.

A document claiming Toyota Motor Corp saved over $100 million by getting U.S. regulators to agree a cheap fix for unintended acceleration problems.

The S&P 500 tracked Asian indices to open up higher, then reversed course dramatically after President Barack Obama's health care proposal was announced at 10:00 a.m in New York. followed by modest gains which have turned negative.

Bank of America Corp on Monday won approval of a $150 million settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over the Merrill Lynch & Co merger, ending an embarrassing public battle between the largest U.S. bank and the nation's top securities regulator.

Campbell Soup Co's U.S. soup sales fell 8 percent during the usually strong late fall and winter months, raising analyst concerns about whether it will meet a lowered sales goal for the year.

U.S. stocks fell on Monday as markets continue to assess the implications of the Federal Reserves' move to increase emergency borrowing rates for banks and Greece's debt issues remain unresolved.