MARKETS / FINANCE

A top Federal Reserve official said he would set the bar very high for the central bank to stop short in its planned $600 billion in bond purchases, but that the Fed may need to begin considering a reversal of policy by year end.

Genzyme Corp shares rose more than 3 percent on Monday after French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis confirmed the companies were in direct talks about a takeover deal.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Monday as renewed concerns about the euro zone sovereign debt crisis overshadowed the lift from several large acquisitions.

Stock index futures were lower on Monday as concerns about the euro zone pressured sentiment and overshadowed news of several big acquisitions.

Portugal does not need to apply for EU aid, Spain's Economy Minister said on Monday, as pressure mounted on Lisbon to seek outside help in managing its finances and risk premiums on both countries' debt widened.

The United States and UK have settled a jurisdictional dispute that will allow U.S. inspectors to examine whether the British auditors of Lehman Brothers Holdings improperly cleared questionable accounting, Bloomberg said on Monday.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.52 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.44 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.35 percent at 4:05 a.m. EST.

Walt Disney Co is in discussions on allowing content from some of its television networks to be available on sets embedded with Yahoo Inc's Internet-TV software, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

Credit Suisse , Switzerland's second-largest bank, is taking a tougher stance on bonuses as regulators clamp down on these payouts which came under fire during the economic crisis.

U.S. chemicals group DuPont said on Sunday it will buy Danish food ingredients and enzymes firm Danisco for $5.8 billion to boost its position in the fast-growing food sector.

China's trade surplus narrowed in 2010 for the second straight year, giving Beijing grounds to rebuff U.S. pressure for faster currency appreciation ahead of President Hu Jintao's visit to Washington next week.

China should further diversify its huge foreign exchange reserves away from U.S. government debt to reduce its risk exposure, a central bank official said in comments published on Monday.

A group of private equity firms including Apollo Global Management is interested in a buyout of food and beverage company Sara Lee Corp , and has made an approach to the company, a source familiar with the situation said on Sunday.

Mounting fears over sovereign debt in the euro zone kept the euro tethered to four-month lows against the dollar on Monday, with investors nervous ahead of a flurry of bond sales from the region's weaker states.

U.S. Chemicals firm DuPont said on Sunday it will buy Danish food ingredients and enzymes firm Danisco for $5.8 billion, in a rare large deal that should boost its position in the fast-growing food sector.

China is set to further clamp down on the country's buoyant housing market by imposing a long-debated property tax for the first time in the southwestern city of Chongqing, domestic media reported on Monday.

Chemicals maker DuPont is close to a deal to buy Danish food ingredients and enzymes company Danisco for more than $5 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

Goldman Sachs' last large proprietary trading team is planning to leave the bank in order to start an independent hedge fund, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

Chemicals maker DuPont is close to a deal to buy Danish food ingredients and enzymes company Danisco for more than $5 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

Pressure is growing on Portugal from Germany, France and other euro zone countries to seek financial help from the EU and IMF to stop the bloc's debt crisis from spreading, a senior euro zone source said on Sunday.

Brazil is ready to take further steps to stop its currency from rising, the country's Finance Minister said on Sunday, warning of a trade war if government's keep pushing down exchange rates to boost exports.

One thing's for sure: no one at the Federal Reserve is leaping out of their chair to defend the central bank's mandate to ensure full employment from proposals it focus solely on delivering price stability.

If there was any doubt that the global economy remains tightly intertwined, rising commodity prices should put it to rest.

A coalition of seven major public pension systems, led by New York City Comptroller John Liu, has asked the boards of four of the largest U.S. banks to examine their mortgage and foreclosure practices.

To hear a number of prominent economists tell it, it doesn't look good for the U.S. economy, not this year, not in 10 years.

Investors head into this week on the defensive as the potential for U.S. equity gains could be limited even if earnings begin on a strong note.

Portugal denied on Sunday that it is under pressure by France and Germany to seek a bailout from Brussels and the IMF to ease concerns over its debts, like Greece and Ireland before it.

The former chairman of Anglo Irish Bank apologised for his role in the collapse of Ireland's third biggest bank, which forced the government to nationalise it two years ago.

Speculation could push oil prices to rise to $110 per barrel within a few weeks, which may prompt OPEC to raise production, a member of Kuwait's Supreme Petroleum Council said on Sunday.