MARKETS / FINANCE

Americans' trust in institutions of all kinds dropped last year as persistently high unemployment sapped people's confidence in business and government, a newly released study found.

Roughly half of bankers in Britain and the United States received increased bonuses for 2010, according to a survey released on Tuesday.

Global chief executives pinned their hopes on roaring growth in emerging markets at the start of the annual Davos forum on Wednesday but warned that rising inflation and political risks cast a shadow.

Lowe's Cos Inc is laying off about 1,700 middle managers across the United States, the country's second-largest home-improvement chain said.

Xerox Corp's fourth-quarter profit fell due to restructuring charges and its chief financial officer plans to retire next month, the company said on Wednesday.

Three big U.S. manufacturers reported results that topped Wall Street's expectations, citing recovering demand in everything from corporate jets to equipment to run factories more efficiently.

U.S. foods group Sara Lee Corp rejected a buyout offer by a group of private equity firms, the New York Post said, citing two sources close to the process.

Xerox Corp's profit fell due to restructuring charges in the fourth-quarter and its chief financial officer plans to retire next month.

The main gold exchange-traded fund, the SPDR Gold Trust, recorded its biggest ever one-day outflow on Tuesday. The precious metal is taking some support from physical demand after its slide to its lowest since October 28, but buying interest remains lackluster.

The Egyptian government should be responsive to its people's aspirations, the White House has said in measured but unusually strong comments about the raging anti-government protests in Egypt which forced the reported fleeing of the president’s son to Britain.

Stock index futures pointed to a modestly higher open on Wednesday, hours after U.S. President Barack Obama called for a lower corporate tax rate to boost the economy, but weakness in Boeing looked to limit gains.

Some surprises, some yawns and some expected

Stock index futures edged higher on Wednesday, hours after U.S. President Barack Obama called for a lower corporate tax rate to boost the economy, but a drop in Boeing's profit limited gains.

Stock index futures were higher on Wednesday, hours after President Barack Obama stressed a freeze on government spending and the need to lower corporate tax rates.

Wall Street is set to edge up on Wednesday, as companies continue to beat forecasts with their earnings, and with investors awaiting a statement from the Federal Reserve.

Bankrupt financial company Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc proposed a new plan for divvying up billions of dollars among its creditors and offered a bigger payment to bondholders, provided they sign on.

Federal regulators are expected to grant a request by LightSquared, a satellite broadband start up, to drop a requirement that mobile phones using satellite airwaves must be able to communicate with satellites, the Wall Street Journal said.

The U.S. dollar held near a 10-week low against a basket of currencies on Wednesday ahead of a statement from the U.S. Federal Reserve, which is expected to reaffirm the central bank's focus on supporting growth.

The financial crisis could have been avoided and was the result of poor decision making both in Washington and at top financial firms that fostered a culture of excessive risk taking, according to a draft report written by Democrats on a panel that investigated the meltdown and obtained by Reuters.

Stock index futures ticked up late on Tuesday, pointing to a stronger opening on Wednesday, after President Barack Obama stressed a freeze on government spending and the need to lower corporate tax rates.

Yahoo Inc warned that revenue will again slide this quarter as it bleeds traffic to Google and Facebook and as a much-touted search partnership with Microsoft Corp fails to deliver quick results.

The U.S. dollar held near a 10-week low against a basket of currencies on Wednesday, ahead of a statement from the Federal Reserve which is expected to reaffirm the central bank's focus on supporting growth.

A personalized news service funded by New York Times Co., Washington Post Co, and Gannett Co launched on Tuesday in an attempt to get readers to pay for online news.

Shareholders of publicly listed companies will get to weigh in on executive compensation through advisory votes, under a new rule adopted by U.S. securities regulators on Tuesday.

Bank of America Corp's Countrywide mortgage unit has been sued by investors claiming they were victimized in a massive fraud when they bought mortgage-backed securities.

The U.S. Federal Reserve began a two-day meeting on Tuesday that is expected to end with a nod to an improved economic outlook but no change in course on its $600 billion bond-buying plan.

Brazilian beef processor JBS has made a verbal buyout offer for Sara Lee Corp and is expected to submit a written proposal in the next 24 hours, two sources familiar with the situation said.

The gold naysayers are using rising rates as a way to dismiss gold. Let me explain why this belief is not only false but also utterly dangerous. First and foremost, the parameters have changed in just a few short years. Government debt has increased substantially in the last few years.

Corrects paragraph 5 to show newspaper online advertising represents 11 percent not 9 percent