Moran Zhang

The number of planned job cuts at U.S. firms declined in December to the lowest level since June, but up from the same time a year ago, a report on Thursday showed.

The number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits resumed its downward trend last week after an uptick in the week ended Dec. 24. The figure remained below a key threshold for gauging the job market, a sign that the labor market is gaining strength.

Byron Wien, vice chairman at Blackstone Advisory Partners issued his list of surprises for 2012 on Wednesday. The tradition of giving his views on a series of economic, financial market and political surprises for the coming year started in 1986.

The Internal Revenue Service opened the 2012 tax filing season Wednesday by giving taxpayers two extra days to file their income taxes.

S&P Indices said Wednesday that more companies increased their dividends in 2011 compared with a year ago. This trend is expected to continue into 2012.

As we head into the election year, it is worth noting that no American president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt has won a second term in office when the unemployment rate on Election Day topped 7.2 percent. Despite the recent positive headlines, this series of charts on the U.S. employment situation paints a rather grim picture.

Bank of America Corp. (NYSE:BAC) lost a key ruling against MBIA Inc. (NYSE:MBI), which granted the latter company court permission to pursue further legal action against Bank of America, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

The Federal Reserve said Tuesday it will began to release policymaker forecasts of future monetary policy later this month. The decision to move towards more transparency was made in December, but wasn't known to the public until Tuesday afternoon, when the Fed polished its Dec. 13 meeting minutes.

A Chinese court is allowing a $78 million lawsuit brought against ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) to move forward, after having dismissed a similar lawsuit in 2011, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Friday. The action is being brought by local aquaculture farmers who believe their sea cucumbers were killed by the oil spill.

The number of people seeking state unemployment benefits increased for the first time in four weeks, but with the figures dropping for three consecutive weeks prior to the most recent reading, this could be a sign that the U.S. job market is turning a corner.

The world entered 2011 with cautious optimism that things would improve over the gloom of 2009 and 2010. However, the past year has proven to be quite turbulent. The global economy was faced with a myriad of challenges including the European debt crisis, while the overall economic performance in the industrialized world left much to be desired.

Employers expect to add new jobs in the New Year, but are waiting to see how the economy shapes up before turning up the volume on hiring. Compensation is getting more competitive for skilled positions and voluntary turnover is on the rise.

Even after losing 27 percent of its value Tuesday, Sears Holdings Corp.'s (SHLD) share price is expected to plunge some more. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) reiterated its sell rating on Sears and cut its 12-month price target to $30 from $43.

Morgan Stanley (MS) will axe 580 jobs in various sites in New York City due to economic reasons. The rolling layoffs began on Dec. 15 and the company has not identified a closing date, company filings with the New York Department of Labor showed Tuesday.

GE Capital, the financial services division of General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE), announced today that its wholly-owned bank affiliate, GE Capital Financial Inc. is acquiring MetLife Inc.'s (MET) U.S. retail deposit business as GE moves into online banking.

Sears Holdings Corp. (SHLD) said Tuesday it will close as many as 100 to 120 Kmart and Sears Full-line stores after holiday sales of consumer electronics and apparel declined in the U.S.

The holiday season brings good news to 1.4 million low-wage workers in eight states. On the first day of January, these workers will see their income getting a modest boost as a result of state laws that require the minimum wage to keep up with inflation.

A former unit of General Electric Co. (GE) agreed to pay $70.35 million to U.S. regulators to resolve complaints about the company's role in anticompetitive activity in the municipal bond investments market.

With less than two weeks left in 2011, investors are looking at challenges and opportunities ahead to better position themselves for the coming year.

The Justice Department on Thursday gave the green light for the merger of NYSE Euronext and Deutsche Börse AG, which will create the world's largest stock exchange operator. The deal is still subject to the review of European antitrust authorities who have resisted approval.

Time is running out for lowering your 2011 taxes. Before celebrating the New Year, taxpayers should keep in mind that actions should be taken no later than Dec. 31 in order to claim certain tax benefits, the Internal Revenue Service said.

The number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits continued to decline last week, even after dropping to a three-and-a-half year low in the previous week. The figure is still below a key threshold for gauging the job market, a sign that the labor market is gaining strength heading into 2012.

The value of a person's home will be excluded from net worth calculations used to determine whether an individual may invest in certain unregistered securities offerings, the Securities and Exchange Commission said Wednesday as it moves to adopt new standards under the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

The largest companies, those typically under the most scrutiny, have experienced the biggest increases in CEO compensation. In 2010, S&P 500 CEOs' total realized compensation increased by a median of 36.5 percent.

S&P 500 stock buybacks increased for the ninth consecutive quarter. As share count begins to decline, some earnings-per-share impacts are expected for the fourth quarter.

Fred Shapiro, a Yale Law School librarian and well-known authority on quotations, just released his sixth-annual list of the most memorable quotations of the year. The top three quotes all deal with statements made by people protesting the income disparity in the U.S. The Occupy Wall Street protesters’ slogan --“We are the 99 percent” – was the list's top quote.

The death of Kim Jong-il, North Korean leader, would not immediately affect South Korea's A rating, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said Monday. However, the event has raised security risks on the Korean peninsula and could have negative rating implications if these risks increase.

Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan ate his words as the Charlotte, N.C.-based bank once again resorted to non-investor-friendly measures to raise capital, despite saying the bank would not take such actions.

Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC) announced Monday the firm is expanding its international commercial finance capabilities through acquiring Burdale Financial Holdings Ltd and the portfolio of Burdale Capital Finance Inc. from Bank of Ireland Plc (BKIR). The portfolio represents approximately $1 billion in loans outstanding from U.S. and U.K. customers. Bank of Ireland, the nation’s largest bank, will receive about 690 million euros ($899 million) from the sale.