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German investor confidence probably rose for a second month after a decline in oil prices and a weaker euro improved the prospects of Europe's largest economy, a survey of economists shows.
The ZEW Center for European Economic Research will say its index of investor and analyst expectations rose to minus 53 from minus 55.5 […]

The U.S. trade deficit widened much more than expected in July as average oil prices jumped to a record $124.66 per barrel and the volume of crude oil imports grew to the highest in four years, a U.S. Commerce Department report showed on Thursday.
The monthly trade gap swelled to $62.2 billion, the largest since […]

Taro Aso, the favorite to become Japan's prime minister, may increase government spending in a country that already has the world's largest public debt, analysts said.
Aso, secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, is favored by polls to take over from Yasuo Fukuda, 72, who resigned as prime minister yesterday after less than […]

U.S. restaurant operators reported lower sales and customer traffic last month, according to the National Restaurant Association.
The Washington, D.C.-based association’s monthly composite index, which tracks the health and outlook of the U.S. restaurant industry, stood at 98.3 in July, unchanged from its June level. A score under 100 represents a period of contraction in such […]

A former UBS executive has pleaded guilty in a U.S. tax case that is part of a wide-ranging probe into whether the Swiss banking giant helped wealthy clients hide assets and evade taxes.
Bradley Birkenfeld entered the plea of guilty to one count of conspiring to defraud the United States in federal court in Fort […]

A car abandoned on a bridge with the phrase "Suicide is Painless" scrawled in the dust on its hood is registered to a hedge-fund swindler who was supposed to report to federal prison, state police said Tuesday.
Investigator Bruce Cuccia said suicide has not been established, no body has been found and no one saw […]

Despite overwhelming signs that the economy is now in a recession, some investors are increasingly pondering another ‘R’ word: Recovery.
Although a turnaround appears to be far off, there are some early signs that Wall Streeters may be already positioning themselves for a rebound.
For example, a recent spate of bad corporate and economic news […]

A housing and fair lending activist group has challenged the legality of the Federal Reserve’s quick approval of financing for Bear Stearns (BSC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) via JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N: Quote, Profile, Research), questioning the Fed’s authority to approve the deal because it involves a non-bank institution.
Inner City Press Community on the Move, in […]

A wave of foreclosures could be prevented if the largest federal home-ownership program were open to more delinquent borrowers, according to a study being mulled by the nation’s largest mortgage investor group.
The study circulated within the American Securitization Forum and obtained by Reuters says more than 600,000 troubled homeowners could win new mortgage […]