CITIGROUP

Asia'a markets rose more than 1 percent and U.S. index futures also gained on Friday, as signs of a strengthening economy in the United States encouraged a year-end bounce for riskier assets.

Asian stocks rose more than 1 percent and U.S. index futures also gained on Friday, as signs of a strengthening economy in the United States encouraged a year-end bounce for riskier assets.

Asian stocks edged up Friday, as signs of a strengthening economy in the United States encouraged a modest year-end rally in riskier assets.

Taking a page from Judge Jed Rakoff: a month after a Securities and Exchange Commission settlement with Citigroup was rejected, federal judge in Milwaukee pressed the agency to explain its vague deal with a Wisconsin headphones manufacturer.

Goldman Sachs recovered quickly Thursday from a rumor that the company's corporate debt was being downgraded by Standard and Poor's, extending the day-long rally the firm's stock had been experiencing prior to the non-event.

California Attorney General Kamala Harris sued Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on Tuesday in an effort to expand her probe into the companies' mortgage foreclosure practices.

Gold lost early gains Friday, along with stocks and the euro, as an unexpectedly high number of Eurozone banks queued up for low-interest loans reminded investors of just how widespread Europe's sovereign debt crisis has become.

There was also a report that Amazon.com Inc. considered buying Research in Motion (RIM). But RIM, maker of the BlackBerry, is said to have turned down overtures from Amazon since the company is determined to repair current shortcomings on its own, according to a report from Reuters.

At just 22, Rybolovleva now owns the 6,744-sq-ft property that was originally listed by Citigroup chairman Sandy Weill back in November. She recently purchased the apartment located at 15 Central Park West.

At least in one region of the county at dinner parties, it's the question that's on the lips of prospective home buyers: will home mortgage interest rates fall more? The average fixed rate for a 30-year mortgage for borrowers with good credit has declined to 3.92 percent,

Wall Street banks woke up to an unexpected positive surprise Tuesday after one of the financial sector's most prominent medium-sized investment banks posted results that exceeded analyst expectations, showing strength in the much-battered sector in spite of a highly volatile fourth quarter. Earnings for Jefferies Group (NYSE:JEF) were 50 percent higher than analysts had expected.

Stocks were poised to rebound at the open Tuesday after declines in the prior session as a drop in Spain's borrowing costs and unexpectedly positive data from Germany eased euro zone debt worries.

Ekaterina Rybolovleva is a mere 22-years-old but she just dropped $88 million on a 6,744-square foot apartment at 15 Central Park West. The apartment boasts 10 rooms, including four bedrooms, a wrap-around terrace and two wood-burning fireplaces.

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.

Ex-Citigroup chairman Sanford Weill has sold his penthouse at 15 Central Park West in Manhattan for $88 million, a new record for a single residential sale in the city.

In a bombshell research note that is making the rounds of Wall Street this morning, Glenn Schorr, the financial services sector analyst for Nomura, cut his estimate for Goldman's fourth-quarter earnings to $1 per share, half of his previous $2 prediction. That's less than half of what the consensus expectations are. Other bank estimates were also taken down.

Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, an investor in some of the world's top companies, has bought a stake in Twitter for $300 million, gaining another foothold in the global media industry.

A months-long delay in Research in Motion's new BlackBerrys and a dreary quarterly report sent RIM shares tumbling again on Friday and pushed some analysts to sound the death knell for the mobile device that once defined the industry.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Friday sued six former executives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with securities fraud, alleging that they knew and approved of misleading statements related to the companies' holdings of subprime loans.

Several brokerage firms trimmed their price targets on Research in Motion shares and questioned the BlackBerry maker's ability to recover, after the company delayed the launch of its new line of smartphones.

European shares were slightly higher on Friday at mid-day amid thin trading as miners tracked rising metal prices, offset by lingering concerns over the Eurozone debt crisis and reservations ahead of U.S. inflation data.