IBT Staff Reporter

Prudential Financial Inc , the No.2 U.S. life insurer, has hired Bank of America Merrill Lynch to advise on its possible bid for ING Groep NV's Asian insurance operations, South Korean media reported, in what is potentially Asia's second-biggest insurance sale ever.

China will start to fine-tune its economic policies in the first quarter, Premier Wen Jiabao said in remarks published by state media Monday, the most explicit indication yet of further monetary policy easing.

China will start to fine-tune its economic policies in the first quarter, Premier Wen Jiabao said in remarks published by state media Monday, the most explicit indication yet of further monetary policy easing.

Japan's economy shrank a bigger-than-expected 0.6 percent in October-December, hurt by slowing global growth, Thai floods and a strong yen, casting doubt about expectations that growth will resume this quarter as Europe's debt crisis clouds the outlook.

China has instructed its banks to embark on a huge roll-over of loans to local governments, the Financial Times reported, aiming to give itself more time to deal with a debt hangover from the global financial crisis.

The morning after Clive Davis' Grammy party turned into a celebratory tribute, details surrounding the death of Whitney Houston began to emerge.

When they saw the house on El Dorado Drive in this Los Angeles suburb being painted a startling orange and green and giant billboards hung on the outside, Scott and Beth Hostetler's neighbors were initially angry and confused. Some even considered calling the police.

Despite a mediocre earnings season and signs of an overbought market, Wall Street bulls are likely to remain in control this week.

When they saw the house on El Dorado Drive in this Los Angeles suburb being painted a startling orange and green and giant billboards hung on the outside, Scott and Beth Hostetler's neighbors were initially angry and confused. Some even considered calling the police.

Coming off a year in which U.S. toy sales fell 2 percent, toymakers and buyers at the 109th American Toy Fair in New York are looking for the elusive runaway hit that failed to materialize in 2011.

China is half a world away from the 2,300-acre family farm in east-central Iowa where John Weber and his son plant corn and soybeans.

The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the United States rose nearly 12 cents in the past three weeks to about $3.51, due in part to higher prices for North Sea crude oil, according to the nationwide Lundberg Survey.

The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the United States rose nearly 12 cents in the past three weeks to about $3.51, due in part to higher prices for North Sea crude oil, according to the nationwide Lundberg Survey.

Tom Storrs, who set a small North Carolina bank on the path to becoming one of the largest U.S. financial institutions, died Friday at age 93.

Tom Storrs, who set a small North Carolina bank on the path to becoming one of the largest U.S. financial institutions, died Friday at age 93.

Despite a mediocre earnings season and signs of an overbought market, Wall Street bulls are likely to remain in control this week.

A number of top Federal Reserve officials likely saw a need for additional monetary easing at the central bank's meeting last month, although there are few signals the central bank will move soon.

Greek lawmakers looked set to endorse a new austerity deal on Sunday to secure an EU/IMF bailout and avoid national bankruptcy, defying public rage and protesters who fought pitched battles with riot police outside parliament.

Music producer Clive Davis's pre-Grammy party is typically one of the most fun-filled highlights of the week leading to the music industry's top awards, but this year's event quickly turned into a tribute for Whitney Houston, who died earlier in the day.

Greek promises on austerity measures are no longer good enough because so many vows have been broken and the country that has been a bottomless pit has to dramatically change its ways, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said.

Whitney Houston’s death Saturday at the age of 48 inspired an outpouring of shock and grief on Twitter.

Dolly Parton paid tribute to Whitney Houston, the deceased pop diva who catapulted her song “I Will Always Love You” to a global phenomenon, by citing the ballad they both made famous.

Apple is seeking a preliminary injunction against the official Ice Cream Sandwich Android OS device which the South Korean electronics giant has developed in collaboration with Google.

Japan industrial robot maker Fanuc Ltd <6954.T> plans to build a new factory near Tokyo to double its domestic output capacity of machine tools to produce parts of smart phones by the end of the year, the Nikkei financial daily reported on Sunday.

Spanish psychological thriller Dictado (Childish Games), depicting a man spooked by a little girl who revives a dark secret from his childhood, had viewers also on edge at its premiere at the Berlin Film Festival on Saturday.

Drug dealers, a Mafioso and a murderer are cast in the roles of Caesar, Brutus, Cassius and others in Caesar Must Die, a docu-drama about inmates at a tough Italian prison who take on a Shakespeare tragedy.

The oppressive world of Communist East Germany was brought back to life in a haunting new film called Barbara at the Berlin Film Festival on Saturday, the first of three German productions in the main competition.

Singer and actress Whitney Houston, a winner of six Grammy Awards including record of the year for I Will Always Love You and album of the year for The Bodyguard, has died at age 48, a spokeswoman for the singer said.

Grammy nominees Kanye West, Lady Gaga and Adele take note: first you could Shazam the Super Bowl, and now you can Shazam the Grammy Awards.