MARKETS / FINANCE

Auto industry executives are expected to see a rise in investment in new powertrain technology, new plants, alternative fuel technologies and high growth markets, merger and acquisition activity over the next five years, according to the 12th annual global automotive survey conducted by KPMG LLP.

Greece's central banker said in a Sunday newspaper interview that talk of debt restructuring is hurting the country as it struggles to exit a huge fiscal crisis that has shaken the euro zone.

European leaders should not shy away from a proposal to buy back the bonds of troubled euro member states but should not rely too much on rich countries, Eurogroup Chief Jean-Claude Juncker said.

The European rescue fund could offer bonds at different interest rates to account for its members' divergent levels of credit worthiness in its attempt to boost lending capacity, Germany's Economy Minister said.

Citigroup Inc (C.N) Chief Executive Vikram Pandit got a $1,749,999 raise on Friday.Pandit pledged in 2009 to receive an annual salary of $1 until the struggling Citigroup returned to sustained profitability.

Possible reforms to Britain's banks are unlikely to include a formal break-up of the top lenders, the head of a government-backed body probing the sector in the wake of the credit crisis said on Saturday.

U.S. securities regulators recommended a new uniform fiduciary standard on Friday for broker-dealers and investment advisers that would require them to put their retail customers' best interests first.

Securities regulators on Friday called for a new uniform fiduciary standard for broker-dealers and investment advisers that would require them to put retail customers ahead of their own financial interests.

Citigroup Inc's board raised the salary of Chief Executive Vikram Pandit to an annual base of $1.75 million, from a symbolic $1 per year, the bank said in a regulatory filing on Friday.

Citigroup Inc's board gave Chief Executive Vikram Pandit a $1,749,999 raise on Friday.

U.S. authorities closed four banks -- one in Denver and three in the U.S. Southeast -- on Friday with total assets of $2.7 billion, bringing the number of failures in 2011 so far to seven.

Facebook has raised $1.5 billion from investors, under terms which the world's No. 1 online social network says gives it a value of about $50 billion.

Citigroup Inc's board raised the salary of Chief Executive Vikram Pandit to an annual base of $1.75 million, from a symbolic $1 per year, the bank said in a regulatory filing on Friday.

Facebook is preparing to open its books this year or early in 2012 to give investors a glimpse into the financial workings of the world's No. 1 social network, after it sealed an oversubscribed $1.5 billion round of financing led by Goldman Sachs.

Fund companies are poised to report higher profits for the December quarter compared with a year ago as rising markets pushed up total assets.

President Barack Obama, in another shift toward the political center, named General Electric Co. Chief Executive Jeffrey Immelt on Friday as a top outside economic adviser to help lift hiring.

Bank of America Corp, the largest U.S. bank, reported weaker-than-expected revenue and a second straight quarterly loss after its limping mortgage business triggered writedowns and legal settlements.

A sale of Warner Music Group, whose shares surged nearly 30 percent on Friday on news of the possibility, is not likely to happen until prospective buyers see what happens with EMI Group, its smaller rival whose owners are also exploring strategic options.

U.S. stocks delivered mixed results Friday, General Electric led the way among blue chip stocks with a stronger-than-expected earnings, while financial sector stocks turned in mixed results.

The unemployment rate in California trickled up to 12.5 percent in December, from 12.4 percent the prior month – meaning the jobless rate stayed above the 12 percent mark for the entire year, according to the state’s Employment Development Department (EDD).

The Dow and S&P 500 rose on Friday as General Electric Co's earnings put a positive tone on the economic recovery, snapping a two-day losing skid for the benchmark index.

The much anticipated pullback is finally under way, some investors say, after a mid-week wobble. But the market is showing it still has some juice left -- if earnings can meet towering expectations.

The much anticipated pullback is finally under way, some investors say, after a mid-week wobble. But the market is showing it still has some juice left

Shares of U.S. regional banks rose on Friday after SunTrust Banks Inc and BB&T Corp reported higher-than-expected quarterly profits.

While it’s true that New York City’s unemployment rate declined to its lowest level in more than a year-and-a-half, it’s primarily due to the troubling reality that increasing numbers of people in Gotham have simply given up looking for work.

Electronic Arts , hurt by an industry-wide slump in video game sales, wants to become a big player in a new game -- social and mobile media.

According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics, the percentage of unionized American workers dropped to 11.9 percent from 12.3 percent, with the loss of 612,000 members in 2010. In 2008, unions lost 771,000 workers.

Merrill Lynch's fourth-quarter revenue surged as the No. 2 U.S. brokerage bolstered its ranks of financial advisers and added client assets.

The World Trade Organization will issue a confidential final ruling on January 31 concerning European claims that Boeing benefited from unfair aircraft subsidies, sources familiar with the case said on Friday.