INVESTMENT

Guy Hands, founder of buyout house Terra Firma, said IPOs of private equity-owned companies will be hard to achieve this year, returns will be lower and deal opportunities will be scarce.

In the last few months, we have been reading predictions and forecasts from bullion analysts who insisted and argued that gold price is booming to touch $2,000, $3,000, $5,000, $10,000 per ounce in the coming years. These forecasts have caught people's attention who have been pouring money into gold and other precious metals all these months. But after the big surge of gold price to $1,227 per ounce some two months back, the yellow metal has been climbing down the ladder of speculation.

The world's richest economies are set to grow faster this year than forecast a month ago, although the latest Reuters economic outlook showed the upturn will be feeble in comparison to resurgent emerging market peers.

The world's richest economies are set to grow faster this year than forecast a month ago, although the latest Reuters economic outlook showed the upturn will be feeble in comparison to resurgent emerging market peers.

China Investment Corp , the country's $300 billion sovereign wealth fund, has made its biggest U.S. equity bets in natural resources and financial stocks.

Macquarie Group , Australia's top investment bank, forecast a disappointing second-half profit and gave an outlook that raised worries about its key equity business, sending its shares sliding 7 percent.

Swiss bank UBS posted its first quarterly net profit since Oswald Gruebel took the helm a year ago but clients withdrew far more money than forecast, signaling he may need more time to steady the ship.

Macquarie Group , Australia's top investment bank, spooked investors on Tuesday with a lukewarm outlook, warning them about weakening markets and sending its shares down 6 percent.

A former Intel Capital director pleaded guilty on Monday to fraud in the Galleon insider trading case, telling a New York court that hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam gave him money for personal needs and that he profited from illegal trades.

CIT Group Inc said its new Chief Executive John Thain will get an annual base salary of $6 million, most of which is in stock, and a bonus of up to another $1.5 million, in a nod to compensation practices popularized by the Obama administration's pay czar.

A federal judge expressed skepticism about the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's $150-million settlement with Bank of America Corp over the Merrill Lynch takeover, questioning whether the regulator was too tame in setting forth facts to help him decide.

The Dow industrials closed below 10,000 for the first time since November on Monday as investors sold bank shares due to heightened concerns about the euro zone's sovereign debt troubles.

U.S. stocks erased morning gains to close lower on Monday as the basic materials and financial sector weighed down the market.

The Dow industrials closed below 10,000 for the first time since November on Monday as investors sold bank shares due to heightened concerns about the euro zone's sovereign debt troubles.

Fears about the sovereign debt of peripheral European nations continue as investors are show dissatisfaction with the stance of European G7 members.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq edged higher on Monday as several bellwethers rose on brokerage upgrades and positive comments about the economy, but worries about euro zone sovereign debt problems limited gains.

U.S. stocks edged higher on Monday as several bellwether shares rose on brokerage upgrades and comments about improving economic conditions, though persistent worries about euro zone sovereign debt problems limited gains.

The S&P 500 erased earlier losses to trade positive for the day, as commodity related firms get a boost from a declining dollar and housing related stocks lead the rally.

Stock index futures pointed to a flat open on Monday as nagging worries about euro zone sovereign debt continued to weigh on sentiment.

Wall Street was poised for a flat open on Monday as positive quarterly results from companies, including CVS Caremark Corp and Hasbro Inc, offset nagging worries about euro zone sovereign debt issues.

Stock index futures were lower on Monday as nagging worries about euro zone sovereign debt continued to weigh on sentiment.