MARKETS / FINANCE

Seven of the world's top hedge fund managers earned 10-figure paychecks and one set a record for the highest-ever payout last year due to a stock market rally that pushed returns to their highest levels in a decade.

The U.S. manufacturing sector expanded in March at its fastest pace in more than five years, marking the eighth straight month of growth, according to an industry report released on Thursday.

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits fell as expected last week and a measure of underlying job market trends hit a 1-1/2 year low, strengthening views the labor market was close to turning.

Fund group Gartmore's suspension of a top hedge fund manager on suspicion of directing trades to favored brokers shines a light on a murky business where tales of lavish hospitality, nepotism and kickbacks abound. On Tuesday, Gartmore said it had suspended Guillaume Rambourg pending the outcome of an internal investigation into whether he had breached internal procedures on directing trades.

Factories in the United States, Europe and Asia cranked up production last month, suggesting recovery from a deep recession was taking root in economies around the globe.

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits fell as expected last week and a measure of underlying job market trends hit a 1-1/2 year low, strengthening views the labor market was close to turning.

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless aid fell last week and factory activity in March hit its highest level in more than 5-1/2 years, pointing to a continued expansion in the economy.

The number of U.S. workers filing new applications for unemployment insurance fell as expected last week and a measure of underlying labor market trends hit a 1-1/2 year low, a government report showed on Thursday.

A monthly gauge of online labor demand in the United States edged up in March and is near 6 percent above the reading from a year ago, a private research group said on Thursday.

The number of U.S. workers filing new applications for unemployment insurance fell as expected last week and a measure of underlying labor market trends hit a 1-1/2 year low, a government report showed on Thursday.

Factories across Europe and Asia cranked up production in March, business surveys showed on Thursday, showing a strong recovery in fast-growing emerging markets taking root in the developed West.

Dai-ichi Life Insurance rose 14 percent on its debut on Thursday after pricing its $11 billion IPO at a discount to rivals, but investors remain wary of its growth prospects outside a mature Japanese market.

PIMCO sees Europe's action on Greece as ineffective in fixing the country's problems, while Britain's sovereign debt rating could be downgraded within a year, a top executive of the world's largest bond fund said.

General Growth Properties Inc filed an eagerly awaited plan to exit bankruptcy on its own and laid out bidding procedures, setting the stage for others like Simon Property Group Inc to jump in with rival offers.

The median compensation for chief executives of 200 major U.S. companies fell marginally to $6.95 million in 2009, the Wall Street Journal said, citing an analysis by Hay Group management consultancy.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney is suing a former St. Louis-based brokerage manager after he defected to rival Wells Fargo Advisors last Friday.

Private employers unexpectedly shed jobs in March, dampening hopes about the strength of the recovery two days before the more closely watched government payrolls report.

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan and ex-Citigroup Chief Executive Chuck Prince will appear next month before a U.S. panel investigating the roots of the financial crisis that brought global markets to their knees in 2008.

Charles Schwab Corp violated federal law when it failed to get approval from shareholders of its YieldPlus mutual fund before putting roughly half the fund's assets into uninsured mortgage-backed securities, a federal judge ruled.

Nationalized Anglo Irish Bank posted a 12.7 billion euro ($17 billion) loss on Wednesday, the largest in Irish corporate history, as it got a second government cash injection and may need more.

Private employers unexpectedly shed jobs in March, dampening hopes about the strength of the recovery two days before the government employment report.

Toyota Motor Corp brand sales chief Bob Carter hinted on Wednesday that the automaker would extend sales incentives beyond April 5, but he did not offer specifics.

U.S. private employers unexpectedly shed jobs in March, dampening hopes about the strength of the recovery two days before the government employment report.

Struggling music major EMI has failed to clinch a licensing deal for its North American rights, sources said, making a covenant breach inevitable and pushing its owner Terra Firma back to investors for more cash.

Bank of Ireland will raise from private sources much of the 2.7 billion euros ($3.6 billion) it needs, potentially becoming the only member of Ireland's bad bank scheme to escape a fresh bailout.

Talks to license the North American rights for Terra Firma's EMI Music unit to either Universal Music Group or Sony have ended without agreement, sources told Reuters on Wednesday.

European Union regulators gave Ireland provisional approval on Wednesday to provide an emergency recapitalization worth up to 10.44 billion euros ($14 billion) to Anglo Irish Bank .

Bank of Ireland will raise from private sources much of the 2.7 billion euros ($3.6 billion) it needs, potentially becoming the only member of Ireland's bad bank scheme to escape a fresh bailout.

U.S. mortgage applications rose in the latest week for the first time in three weeks as demand for home purchase loans reached the highest level since October, data from an industry group showed on Wednesday.