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European Union nations will on Sunday commit to doing all they can to spur economic growth within EU single market rules, according to a draft document to be discussed by the bloc’s leaders.
The 27-nation group is divided over how to tackle the global financial crisis, which has strained the euro and core EU notions […]

Bank of America Corp., the largest U.S. bank by assets, received a $138 billion emergency lifeline from the government to support its acquisition of Merrill Lynch & Co. and prevent the global financial crisis from deepening.
The U.S. will invest $20 billion in Bank of America and guarantee $118 billion of assets “as part […]

A slump in China and a collapse in international asset prices pose a growing threat to the global economy, according to a World Economic Forum report.
In a review of 10 risks, growth of less than 6 percent in China and a plunge in financial markets were cited as bigger threats than a year […]

A proposed Internet filter dubbed the "Great Aussie Firewall" is promising to make Australia one of the strictest Internet regulators among democratic countries.
Consumers, civil rights activists, engineers, Internet providers and politicians from opposition parties are among the critics of a mandatory Internet filter that would block at least 1,300 websites prohibited by […]

There is no doubt that China’s near-$600 billion economic stimulus package is gigantic but, like so much in the opaque country, it is shrouded in ambiguities that complicate any assessment of its likely impact.
First and foremost, the size of the stimulus may be smaller than advertised.
Announcing the package on Sunday night, the government billed […]

Lloyds TSB (LLOY.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) sealed a rescue takeover of HBOS Plc (HBOS.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) on Thursday to create a dominant British mortgage and savings bank in a $22 billion deal helped through by the government.
A change in competition law ensured the credit crunch did not claim another […]

The European Commission slashed its economic growth forecasts for Europe on Wednesday in an admission that a downturn which began in the United States is hitting far harder than many imagined six months ago.
France, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, meanwhile rejigged the agenda for a Friday meeting of EU finance […]

Staples Inc (SPLS.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), the world’s largest office products retailer, posted a 16 percent fall in quarterly profit as its small-business customers bought less furniture and office supplies, hurt by the weak U.S. economy.
But the company also said on Wednesday that sales appear to be somewhat stabilizing, though it is […]

Australian manufacturing contracted in July as companies received fewer orders, production slowed and employers cut jobs amid interest rates at a 12-year high.
The performance of manufacturing index shed 0.1 points to 46.9 from June, when it fell 4.2 points, PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Australian Industry Group said in a report released in Canberra today. […]

The Securities and Exchange Commission said Sunday it is immediately opening a probe to prevent the spread of false information used to manipulate securities prices.
SEC Chairman Christopher Cox said the investigation is aimed at "ensuring that investors continue to get reliable, accurate information about public companies in the marketplace."
The probe comes amid […]