Hot finance topics

After months of speculation and hype, Apple unveiled a portable device Wednesday called the iPad that will attempt to usher in a new era of touch-screen tablet computing, filling a gap between smart phones, laptops and eBook readers.
Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad to a rapt audience, calling it "the most […]

Financial and energy stocks helped push the Toronto stock market slightly higher Monday.
The rise followed a three-session losing streak brought on by Chinese moves to slow bank lending, proposals to curb risk-taking by U.S. banks and doubt over whether U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke would be appointed to another term.
The S&P/TSX composite index rose […]

U.K. retail sales rose less than economics forecast in December as price increases squeezed spending during the holiday season, casting doubt on the strength of a domestic recovery.
The volume of sales rose 0.3 percent from November after dropping by the same margin the previous month, the Office for National Statistics said today in […]

Japan will implement rules that tighten lending restrictions for Aiful Corp. and other consumer finance companies set to take effect in June, though enforcement may be eased to aid borrowers, a government official said.
The Financial Services Agency may consider changes to rules for implementing a law that puts a ceiling on the amount […]

Almost 3 million homeowners received at least one foreclosure filing during 2009, setting a new record for the number of people falling behind on their mortgage payments.
RealtyTrac, the online marketer of foreclosed homes, reported that one in 45 households — or 2,824,674 properties nationwide — were in default last year. That’s 21% more […]

St. Louis-area casinos saw their business grow in 2009, but all of the gains were concentrated in two casinos.
Revenue at the region’s six casinos climbed nearly 2 percent for the year to $1.05 billion, despite a tough economy that had gamblers nationwide holding their wallets tighter. In December, casino revenue grew 1.7 percent, […]

The nascent recovery in the world’s developed economies is at risk from rising joblessness, weak banks and high oil prices, said Angel Gurria, Secretary General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Bank lending in Europe and the U.S. is still slower than usual and economic acceleration “still seems weak, fragile,” Gurria said. […]

Denver Broncos principal owner Pat Bowlen, hotel-industry leader Walter Isenberg and architect Curtis Fentress will be inducted into Denver's Tourism Industry Hall of Fame, the Visit Denver convention and visitors bureau announced Tuesday.
The hall of fame is considered the highest award for Denver’s travel industry. The trio to be inducted at a March 4 ceremony […]

Gadget lovers are waiting with bated breath for the much-anticipated unveiling of the Apple tablet, but don’t expect it to take the world by storm the way the iPod and iPhone did.
"There will be a strong interest in it, but it won’t be the wave of the future," said James Brehm, analyst at Frost […]