Stock futures rise after Irene weaker than feared

U.S. stock futures are rising after the damage from Tropical Storm Irene wound up being less than many analysts had anticipated.
The storm ripped through the East Coast and caused widespread flooding. Millions were without power. However a consulting firm predicted that insured damages would range between $2 billion and $3 billion, lower than initially estimated.
Insurer […]

Apple worth about as much as 32 top Euro zone banks

Technology giant Apple Inc., which briefly surpassed Exxon Mobile Corp. this month as the world most valuable company, is now worth nearly as much as the 32 biggest euro zone banks combined.
That follows recent news reports that Apple Computers had more cash in the bank on a late July day ($76 billion) than the U.S. […]

China sales boost A-B InBev profit

The world’s largest brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev NV said Thursday that second-quarter profits rose by more than a quarter as higher sales in China made up for declining demand in the U.S. and Brazil.
The Asian-Pacific region, led my China, is now AB InBev’s third biggest market, cushioning the brewer from difficult economic conditions in its traditional […]

Google buys about 1,000 IBM patents

Google has bought about 1,000 issued and pending patents from IBM in its quest to shore up its defenses against suits by other technology companies, according to documents filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Google Inc. and IBM Corp. spokesmen wouldn’t reveal how much Google paid or why IBM was selling the patents.
The patents […]

Stocks mostly fall on earnings news; tech rises

Stocks are falling after heavy-equipment maker Caterpillar Inc. reported weak results in the second quarter, sowing doubts about the pace of the global recovery.
The weaker results from Caterpillar and a continuing deadlock over raising the U.S. borrowing limit pushed stocks lower. Overseas markets rose after European leaders reached a deal aimed at containing the region’s […]

Creative returns on investment: Funding the arts grows the bottom line

When investment banker Robert Foster agreed to co-chair an advisory council early in January to update Toronto

Top Republican Cantor exits budget talks

House Republicans are pulling out of negotiations being led by Vice President Joe Biden on the budget because Democrats insist on pairing spending cuts with at least some tax increases.
Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia said it’s time for President Barack Obama to weigh in directly.
Cantor said the Republican-dominated House simply won’t support tax increases […]

EU works to contain Greek crisis

Europe sought Monday to put a firewall between the dire financial situation of Greece and the destiny of Ireland and Portugal, the two other countries that have already received international aid.
The region’s finance ministers signed off on important changes to both its current and future bailout funds, which they hope will reinforce confidence in the […]

Anti-nuke protests in Japan, 3 months after quake

Protesters in Tokyo are preparing to hold mass demonstrations against the use of nuclear power.
The Saturday protests will take place on the three-month anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that killed tens of thousands and caused one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters.
The March 11 earthquake triggered a large tsunami along Japan’s northeast coast that […]

Wen’s Inflation Battle Aided by Slower-Than-Forecast Gain in China Lending - Bloomberg

– China’s lending and money supply grew by less than economists expected in February, aiding the government’s campaign to rein in prices in the fastest-growing major economy.
Banks extended 535.6 billion yuan ($81.5 billion) of new local-currency loans last month, compared with the 600 billion yuan median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey of 19 […]