Hot finance topics

Citigroup says it is cutting 4,500 jobs over the next few quarters.
CEO Vikram Pandit said the job cuts are part of the New York bank’s efforts to reduce costs. Pandit made the remarks Tuesday at a financial services conference hosted by Goldman Sachs & Co.
Citigroup Inc.’s fourth-quarter results will include $400 million in expenses related […]

Under pressure to deliver shock treatment to the ailing euro, European finance ministers failed to come up with a plan for European countries to spend within their means. Such a plan is needed before Europe’s central bank and the International Monetary Fund consider stepping in to stem an escalating threat to the global economy.
The ministers […]

Livestock farmers are demanding a change in the nation’s ethanol policy, claiming current rules could lead to spikes in meat prices and even shortages at supermarkets if corn growers have a bad year.
The amount of corn consumed by the ethanol industry combined with continued demand from overseas has cattle and hog farmers worried that if […]

The European economy has stalled, and is likely to start shrinking soon, just when eurozone countries need help the most.
Growth slowed nearly to a stop this summer, and a recession afflicting small countries like Greece and Portugal threatens to spread to some of Europe’s stronger economies as financial market uncertainty erodes confidence among businesses and […]

The second-ranking member of the Federal Reserve said the central bank will conduct a fourth round of stress tests in the coming weeks to determine if U.S. banks can withstand a recession.
Vice Chairman Janet Yellen said Friday that the tests are necessary because of the increased downside risks that Europe’s debt crisis poses to the […]

Centrue Financial Corp., the holding company for Centrue Bank, reported a net loss of $4.7 million in the third quarter, or 87 cents a share, compared to a net loss of $16.4 million, or $2.79 a share, a year earlier.
The bank’s nonperforming loans declined 49.5 percent to $3.9 million in the third quarter that ended […]

Thailand’s former premier says his successor needs to give up her party’s pet projects to free up money for flood recovery.
Abhisit Vejjajiva, whose party lost to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s party this summer, says some campaign promises the government made must be sacrificed.
Abhisit spoke at a parliament session where Yingluck submitted a budget bill calling […]

Phil Rideout figures he has as much right to the Rally Squirrel as anyone else.
So the owner of a Fenton-based sports memorabilia business recently filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to obtain the registered trademark on “Rally Squirrel.”
But he’s not the only one vying to claim the furry rodent.
Sean Sullivan, an […]

Greek lawmakers geared up for a crucial confidence vote in the beleaguered Socialist government Friday, as both main parties floated plans to approve a massive European bailout and call new elections.
A week of political drama has horrified the indebted country’s European partners and overshadowed the Group of 20 summit in the French resort of Cannes. […]

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