GOLDMAN SACHS

Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman was awarded a $10.5 million bonus for 2011, down 25 percent from the previous year, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The volatility, panic, and the resulting tightening of investors' purses that dominated credit markets for much of 2011 is giving way to calm, creating a flood of cash from investors now confident enough to put their money back into corporate bonds. Somewhat surprisingly, crisis-exposed financial institutions, even in Europe, have been able to take advantage.

Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) may give shares worth $1 billion to employees instead of cash as part of bonuses and hold back on dividend increases and buybacks, as the second-largest U.S. bank grasps for ways to boost its capital levels.

General Electric, the U.S.'s largest industrial manufacturer, is expected to report a 22.3 percent fourth-quarter profit increase when it announces its earnings Friday, driven by strong equipment order and pricing trends and growth in the aviation and energy infrastructure sectors. It marks the seventh straight quarter of operating earnings growth.

A pricey settlement over bond insurance pushed Morgan Stanley into the red in the fourth quarter, but the Wall Street bank still posted better-than-expected results, due to a focus on cost cuts and relatively strong performance in equities trading.

Morgan Stanley (MS.N) lost money in the fourth quarter due to a special charge, but performed better than analysts had expected, sending its shares higher in premarket trading.

Bank of America Corp reported a fourth-quarter profit, reversing a year-earlier loss, boosted by one-time items and lower expenses for bad loans.

Japan's Nikkei average hit a five-week closing high on Thursday, soaring past its 75-day moving average as the euro climbed on news that the International Monetary Fund is seeking to bolster its funds to stem the euro zone sovereign debt crisis.

World stocks rose to their highest in over two months on Thursday as risk appetite improved on hopes Greece will reach an agreement with its creditors and the International Monetary Fund will boost resources to tackle the euro zone debt crisis.

Asian shares rose to a two-month high and the euro firmed Thursday after news that the International Monetary Fund was seeking to boost its resources to tackle the euro zone debt crisis helped ease worries about Europe's funding difficulties.

In late October, as MF Global Holdings Ltd teetered toward bankruptcy, Jon Corzine phoned his close-knit circle of Wall Street friends for help.

U.S. prosecutors charged seven people, described as a circle of friends who formed a criminal club, with running a $62 million insider trading scheme - the latest salvo in a years-long probe of suspicious trading at hedge funds.

Stocks jumped to their highest since July on Wednesday as the International Monetary Fund sought to help countries hit by the European debt crisis, while forecast-beating earnings from Goldman Sachs dispelled some worries over bank profits.

Stocks jumped to their highest since July on Wednesday as the International Monetary Fund sought to help countries hit by the European debt crisis, while forecast-beating earnings from Goldman Sachs dispelled some worries over bank profits.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC), the second-biggest U.S. bank by assets, is expected to post a modest profit gain in the fourth quarter as cost-cutting offsets declining revenue from trading, retail and mortgage divisions.

Seven people were charged with a scheme to reap nearly $62 million in illegal profits on trades on Dell Inc shares, the latest salvo in a sweeping probe of suspicious trading at hedge funds.

Let me start by apologizing for the title of this column. It's crass, uncharitable, maybe even a bit misleading. But, in my defense, let me explain that I got the idea from Newsweek, which we all know is a highly respectable magazine.

Stock index futures rose on Wednesday, putting the S&P 500 on track for a second straight advance after sources said the International Monetary Fund wants to boost its lending facility as the Eurozone battles a long-running debt crisis.

The companies that are expected to see active trade on Wednesday are: Goldman Sachs Group, eBay, U.S. Bancorp, Bank of New York Mellon, Charles Schwab Corp, State Street Corp, F5 Networks, Xilinx, Amphenol and Fastenal Co.

When the Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE:BK) reports its quarterly earnings Wednesday morning, the results will be a reflection of an institution at a crossroads. BNY, an industry player widely known for its dominance in the sleepy turf of trust banking, is trying to muscle its way into the more aggressive corners of Wall Street trading. Earnings could show what it's like when a bank occupies the worst of both those worlds of finance.

As Wall Street waits for Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) -- the fifth-largest U.S. bank by assets and one of the most powerful banking institutions in the world -- to report fourth-quarter earnings Wednesday, the question most analysts seem to have is not whether the earnings release will be underwhelming, but just how bad the hit will be.