MARKETS / FINANCE

China overshot its bank loan target in 2010 and finished the year with money growth still running too fast, underscoring the need for more decisive policy tightening to keep inflation in check.

Stock index futures rose on Tuesday as fourth-quarter earnings season began with a profit from Alcoa that topped Wall Street targets and as concerns over European debt eased.

U.S. stock index futures rose on Tuesday as the fourth-quarter earnings season unofficially got started with a strong profit beat from Alcoa and as Europe rebounded from recent losses.

World stocks firmed on Tuesday on hopes for a solid earnings season, while the euro steadied above four-month lows after Japan offered to buy euro zone bonds.

Portugal has no plans to seek a bailout from the EU and IMF, and the government is doing everything possible to avoid doing so, Finance Minister Fernando Teixeira dos Santos said.

British chipmaker CSR said it had settled its legal battle over technology patents with U.S. rival Broadcom Corp, boosting the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi specialist's shares on Tuesday.

Portugal needs to take decisive political steps to calm international markets, Finnish Finance Minister Jyrki Katainen said on Tuesday.

Portugal needs to take decisive political steps to calm international markets, Finnish Finance Minister Jyrki Katainen said on Tuesday.

General Motors Co is considering buying back part of Ally Financial, its former GMAC auto loan business, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing three people familiar with the situation.

The euro languished near a four-month low on Tuesday after a brief rally triggered by a Japanese plan to buy euro bonds, while Asian stocks drifted, fearful of Portugal becoming the next casualty of the euro zone's debt crisis.

The euro jumped briefly on Tuesday after Japan said it would buy euro bonds to boost confidence in the European Financial Stability Facility amid fears that Portugal may become the next euro zone member to seek a bailout.

The Securities and Exchange Commission's internal watchdog is reviewing an allegation that Robert Khuzami, the agency's top enforcement official, gave preferential treatment to Citigroup Inc executives in the agency's $75 million settlement with the firm, Bloomberg reported on Monday.

The U.S. Federal Reserve's journey to the outer limits of monetary policy is raising concerns about how hard it will be to withdraw trillions of dollars in stimulus from the banking system when the time is right.

(Corrects paragraph 19 to show the calculation was made two weeks ago; deletes paragraph 21 to remove incorrect reference to value of Fed's portfolio)

Goldman Sachs Group Inc plans to start disclosing more financial information to investors, including how much of its revenue comes from trading its own money, a person familiar with the matter said on Monday.

Intel Corp will pay graphics chip designer Nvidia $1.5 billion to license its technology, settling a legal dispute and smoothing the way for better competition in PC processors.

Alcoa Inc, the largest U.S. aluminum producer, posted a fourth-quarter profit that topped Wall Street forecasts as aluminum prices and demand rose after two years of weakness.

The Federal Reserve's $600 billion bond-buying program helped solidify a shaky economic recovery and looks increasingly set to run its course, two top Fed officials indicated on Monday.

American Airlines Inc has won a court order temporarily blocking Sabre Holdings Corp from presenting its fares in a manner the carrier fears might steer customers to other airlines.

The co-founder of a New York hedge fund that once had just under $1 billion in assets was accused of insider trading by U.S. securities regulators, in an investigation that stems from the long-running Galleon hedge fund probe.

U.S. airlines and online travel sites have 60 days to comply with a new law designed to make it easier for passengers to know when they make a reservation what carrier will actually do the flying.

Duke Energy's planned $13.7 billion purchase of Progress Energy Inc is the biggest test yet of whether regulators will allow utilities to merge and fortify their finances for huge new investments.

Morgan Stanley said it would spin off its proprietary trading unit as an independent firm by the end of 2012.

The Federal Reserve is turning over a record $78.4 billion to the U.S. Treasury Department after its swollen securities portfolios generated big profits in 2010, the central bank said on Monday.

The biggest U.S. banks have stepped away from the brink of failure, but fourth-quarter earnings will likely show the financial crisis continues to weigh on profits.

Stocks recovered most of their early losses in light volume and ended slightly lower on Monday as prospects for strong earnings helped counter fears Portugal would be forced into a bailout.

The Securities and Exchange Commission brought civil insider trading charges against the co-founder of a one-time $900 million hedge fund as part of the ongoing Galleon hedge fund probe.

Corrects headline and 4th paragraph to make clear Market Street not named as a defendant

Stocks recovered most of their early losses in light volume and ended slightly lower on Monday as prospects for strong earnings helped counter fears Portugal would be forced into a bailout.