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Greece arranged swap agreements with about 15 securities firms, including some payments from banks that may have helped hide the country’s true deficit, according to a person with direct knowledge of the contracts.
The swaps that allowed Greece to receive payments upfront date from before 2008, when European Union regulators changed rules to limit […]

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The Bank of England said lenders should use improved funding conditions to buffer themselves against further shocks and brace for 1 trillion pounds ($1.6 trillion) in liabilities maturing in the next five years.
“Banks remain exposed to any future deterioration in macroeconomic and market conditions, which could substantially raise the cost of funding and […]

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Japanese Finance Minister Hirohisa Fujii said the government must cap bond sales at 44 trillion yen ($495 billion) next year, in contrast with Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who indicated he is prepared to abandon the pledge.
“Such a figure doesn’t need to be seen as a big problem for the Cabinet,” Fujii said at […]

The state of Kentucky has begun accepting applications for an emergency extension of unemployment benefits.
President Obama signed the benefits extension into law on Nov. 6. It can provide as much as 14 additional weeks of federally funded benefits to unemployed Kentuckians who have exhausted their 26 weeks of state benefits and all other federally funded […]

Economic growth was weaker in the third quarter than originally reported, according to government data released Tuesday.
The gross domestic product, the broadest measure of the nation’s economic activity, rose at an annual rate of 2.8% in the three months ending in September, according to the Commerce Department’s first revision of the reading. The initial […]

U.S. producer prices rose more slowly than expected in October despite a rebound in food and energy costs, according to a government report on Tuesday that pointed to tame inflation pressures.
The Labor Department said the seasonally adjusted index for prices paid at the farm and factory gate rose 0.3 percent following a 0.6 percent […]

Private equity firm Blackstone is preparing to float theme park operator Merlin Entertainments next year, hoping to take advantage of buoyant equity markets, a source familiar with the situation said.
The U.S. buyout house has called in Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, UBS and Nomura to advise on the initial public offering, which could value […]

Mortgage applications plunged last week as rates ticked higher above 5%, an industry group said Wednesday, as the expiration of a home buyer tax credit drew nearer.
The Mortgage Bankers Association said its index of mortgage application volume fell 13.7% in the week ended Oct. 16 from the prior week.
The decline in activity came as […]

Citigroup’s ongoing crusade to return to its former glory as a financial giant may have to wait just a bit longer.
On Thursday, the company reported a slim profit of just $101 million as credit problems, particularly within its consumer-related businesses, weighed down its third-quarter results.
But after taking into account the recent conversion of part […]

Retail sales fell in September after a popular program aimed at boosting auto sales ended, but the drop was smaller than economists had expected, government data showed Wednesday.
The Commerce Department said total retail sales fell 1.5% last month, down sharply from an increase of 2.7% in August, when overall sales were boosted by […]