INVESTMENT

Workers union sues Bank of America and its Countrywide unit for not disclosing mortgage crisis sooner

Spot gold was bid at $1,328.05 an ounce at 1300 GMT, against $1,336.00 late in New York on Wednesday. U.S. gold futures for April delivery fell $3.90 to $1,328.20. Concerns over the fallout from unrest in Egypt, where six people were killed after supporters of president Hosni Mubarak opened fire on protestors overnight, have underpinned prices, but have not sparked fresh investment, analysts said.

President Obama has called for new efforts that would increase energy efficiency in commercial buildings across the country by 20 percent and save American businesses $40 billion a year.

National Stock Exchange, Inc. (NSX) said that assets in U.S. listed Exchange-Traded Funds and Exchange-Traded Notes touched a new record of about $1.02 trillion at the end of January 2011.

Deutsche Bank said it remained confident it would meet 2011 targets after packing a raft of restructuring charges into fourth-quarter earnings.

ThinkEquity has outlined its top consumer stock picks for 2011. The stocks include: Life Time Fitness, PetSmart, Williams-Sonoma, Coach, and Advance Auto Parts.

Internet company AOL, Inc. (AOL) reported better-than-expected fourth quarter results on the top-line, with in-line earnings. Management believes that 2011 is the come back year for AOL. Jefferies & Co. reduced its price target on shares of AOL to $26 from $27, while maintaining its hold rating.

Private equity-backed pipeline company Kinder Morgan is expected to file terms for its initial public offering before U.S. markets open on Thursday, a source familiar with the situation said.

Bank of America Corp was hit with a lawsuit on Wednesday claiming the lending giant hid foreclosure problems that eventually led to a decline in its share price.

The Middle East is headed into the unknown, on that everyone agrees -- but the speed of events in Egypt and elsewhere has left analysts and financial markets struggling to find their bearings.

South African Mining Minister Susan Shabangu said on Wednesday the government would act to ensure sufficient coal supplies for power generation, but urged industry to sort out the supply problem first.

Standard Chartered has promoted the head of transaction banking for China to lead the same division in Africa, according to a person familiar with the matter.

K&L Gates has opened a new office in Brussels, Belgium, in its bid to expand its presence in Europe and has poached on two partners from McDermott Will & Emery to lead the office.

Futures on major U.S. indices point to a mixed opening on Wednesday, after Dow and S&P finished at two year highs in the previous session.

A group of lenders has withdrawn its plan for reorganizing newspaper owner Tribune Co, leaving two proposals for ending the company's two-year stay in bankruptcy, according to court documents.

Nuclear power and high speed rail will top the focus of China's plan to invest $1.5 trillion in seven key industries and shift the world's number two economy away from its role as a supplier of cheap goods, sources said.

U.S. construction spending unexpectedly fell in December to touch its lowest level in nearly 10-1/2 years as investment in both public and private projects declined, suggesting the sector would continue to struggle this year as federal stimulus spending tapers off.

British music company EMI Group said that Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) has seized control of the company from struggling financier Guy Hands, in a move that it will probably lead to the sale of EMI.

The ramp-up to full production at Areva's Trekkopje uranium mine in Namibia has been delayed by a year to late 2013, the company said on Tuesday.

The bull market in Gold is in its 12th year (globally it began in 1999) but has yet to exhibit any bubble-like conditions. Institutional accumulation began in 2009 (e.g. Paulson, Einhorn) and we know that phase lasts at least a few years before a bull market gives birth to a bubble.

Mary Buffett and David Clark said they revealed Warren Buffett's investment secrets in their recently published book Warren Buffett and the Art of Stock Arbitrage.