MARKETS / FINANCE

Leading mining analysts will spend a second day in lengthy briefings with senior Glencore executives on Tuesday, seeking to understand a partnership that is simultaneously the world's biggest commodity trader, a sizeable miner, and a big investor.

CME Group Inc unveiled a plan that would slash costs for interest-rate traders to shore up its key Treasury futures franchise ahead of an imminent challenge from NYSE Euronext .

The U.S. government owes nearly a third more money to China than previously thought, the Treasury Department said on Monday as it revised Beijing's December holdings of U.S. Treasury debt sharply higher to $1.160 trillion.

Europe's biggest telecom and entertainment group Vivendi is seen posting higher 2010 sales and adjusted net profit on Tuesday thanks to video-game unit Activision Blizzard and emerging-markets growth.

A trade panel judge ruled for South Korean chipmaker Samsung Electronics Co Ltd in its battle with Spansion Inc over flash memory chips, the International Trade Commission said on Monday.

The United States owes considerably more money to China than previously reported, the Treasury Department said on Monday as it revised Beijing's holdings of U.S. Treasury debt sharply upward to $1.160 trillion.

The United States on Monday again put China's top search engine, Baidu Inc, on its annual list of notorious markets for counterfeit and pirated goods, fueling U.S. business community hopes for action in Congress against rogue websites.

Ventas Inc is to buy Nationwide Health Properties for $5.8 billion in a stock deal that strengthens its position as the biggest U.S. owner of senior housing and assisted living facilities.

Former Wells Fargo & Co Chief Financial Officer Howard Atkins received zero shares under the bank's long-term stock bonus program for 2011, the company disclosed on Monday.

Mutual fund manager Bruce Berkowitz got a big victory in his quest to shake up money-losing Florida landowner St Joe Co , winning the resignation of its chief executive and gaining a majority on its board of directors.

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U.S. consumer spending barely edged up in January as households took advantage of tax cuts to rebuild their savings, suggesting spending would offer only a modest lift to the recovery in the first quarter.

A U.S. regulator charged three former directors of a military contractor with involvement in a massive accounting fraud, after a jury had convicted the company's founder of orchestrating the $190 million scheme.

East Asia's economy may need to slow to address inflationary pressures but the region will likely continue to lead the globe in economic activity, World Bank Chief Economist Justin Yifu Lin said on Monday.

Bullish comments from Warren Buffett helped U.S. stocks end another good month on a high note on Monday, but uncertainty about oil prices could keep investors from pushing the market much higher.

Transocean Ltd (RIGN.VX), the world's largest offshore rig contractor, shrunk its work force by 6 percent last year as increased competition for shallow-water rigs led to more older rigs being set aside.

Bullish comments from Warren Buffett helped U.S. stocks end another good month on a high note on Monday, but uncertainty about oil prices could keep investors from pushing the market much higher.

U.S. consumer spending barely edged up in January as households took advantage of tax cuts to rebuild their savings, suggesting spending would offer only a modest lift to the recovery in the first quarter.

CME Group Inc on Monday unveiled a cross-margining plan that would help customers trading both interest rate and Treasury futures, as the world's largest derivatives exchange prepares for more competition.

WestJet Airlines Ltd and American Airlines cemented closer ties on Monday, signing a code-share agreement that is designed to boost passengers on the Canadian and U.S. carriers.

Bank of America's global head of mergers and acquisitions Jeffrey Kaplan is leaving the bank to join hedge fund Appaloosa Management and will be replaced by Steven Baronoff who chairs that business, according to a memo obtained by Reuters on Monday.

Private equity firm Blackstone Group LP has struck a deal to buy nearly 600 U.S. strip malls and other properties from Australia's Centro Property Group for about $9.4 billion, people with direct knowledge of the transaction said on Monday.

The head of the International Monetary Fund warned on Monday that global economic growth could suffer if the price of oil stays at its current high level for an extended period.

Stocks were poised for their third straight month of gains on Monday as encouraging economic data and optimistic comments from billionaire investor Warren Buffett boosted investors' appetite.

Barclays Capital said it is more constructive about U.S. corporate earnings for 2011, citing increased confidence in financial sector margins and lower economic uncertainty, and raised its full-year price target for the S&P 500 index <.SPX> to 1,450 from 1,420.

Ventas Inc said it will buy Nationwide Health Properties for about $7.4 billion in stock, creating the largest healthcare real estate investment trust in the United States.

Investors pulled back from equities in favor of bonds and cash in February, Reuters polls showed on Monday, reacting to the Middle East and North African revolts and to a large run-up in stock market gains.

Consumer spending rose modestly in January, getting the year off to a soft start, as households took advantage of tax cuts to rebuild their savings.