Insurer WellPoint’s 1Q profit falls 7.6 percent

WellPoint says its first-quarter net income fell nearly 8 percent as enrollment slipped and expenses rose, but the health insurer raised its earnings forecast for 2012.
The Indianapolis company says it earned $856.5 million, or $2.53 per share, in the three months that ended March 31. That’s down from $926.6 million, or $2.44 per share, in […]

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Ranks of America’s working poor grew in 2010

The number of working Americans earning so little they lived in poverty reached 7.2 percent of the labor force in 2010, the highest level in at least two decades, the government said on Friday.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 7.6 percent of women among the working poor, compared to 6.7 percent of men. In […]

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Conservative justices question insurance mandate

Conservative justices are sharply questioning whether the government can force Americans to carry health insurance or pay a penalty. That’s the key question as the Supreme Court turns to the heart of President Barack Obama’s health care law.
Chief Justice John Roberts, along with Justices Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito, is pressing Solicitor General Donald Verrilli […]

Hong Kong Picks Leader as Wealth Gap Fuels Public Discontent - Bloomberg

Hong Kong picks its new chief executive today, after a campaign marked by personal scandals, public discontent over a widening wealth gap and protests for greater democracy.
A 1,193-member committee of billionaires, including Hong Kong

Can you trust money market funds?

Let’s answer a couple of reader questions on money market funds and ancient certificates of deposit.
What do I tell my mother who is wondering if she should put all her money out of money market accounts so that she won’t lose any of her money?  Are they not insured by FDIC? — L.J., Kirkwood
That depends […]

Sweden Abandons Rate Rises as Euro Crisis Hits Nordics: Economy - Bloomberg

Sweden

Air Canada pilots provide overwhelming strike vote but won

With the Air Canada Pilots Association expected to release the results of its strike vote later Tuesday, Labour Minister Lisa Raitt is offering to appoint another mediator to avoid any disruptions to airline travel.
Late Monday night, just 20 minutes before the legal strike or lockout deadline passed, Raitt issued a news release to say she […]

Stocks headed for best January since 1997

The stock market appeared headed Tuesday for its best January finish since 1997. Stocks climbed because of hopes that Greece was finally close to resolving its debt problem, then lost ground after an unexpected drop in consumer confidence.
The Dow Jones industrial average was down two points at 12,652 just before 10:30 a.m. EST. The Standard […]

Dutch minister warns of forced Greek debt losses

The Dutch finance minister says Greece’s private creditors may be forced to take losses if they can’t reach a deal to cut the country’s massive debt pile voluntarily _ the first eurozone finance minister to do so.
Jan Kees de Jager said Monday that “we’ve never said it (the debt restructuring) must be voluntary. Our goal […]

Olympus used acquisitions, deal fee to hide losses

Olympus Corp. said Tuesday that top executives used acquisitions to hide massive losses, reversing denials of any wrongdoing as one of the largest accounting frauds in Japanese history tarnishes the nation’s corporate image.
Tokyo-based Olympus, which makes cameras and medical equipment, has been battered by a scandal over a $687 million payment for financial advice and […]