Investment and Finance

Investment and Finance
BusinessWeek.com -- Finance


M&A: Takeover Spree May Point to a Pickup A spate of mergers and acquisitions during the past two weeks may signal the start of a comeback for global dealmaking in the second half of 2010 U.S. Companies' Cash May Spur Growth, Dividends The $1.24 trillion in cash sitting in U.S. companies? coffers may soon be going back to work to stimulate the economy Cover Story: The New Abnormal Americans are broke and depressed?and also swilling $3 lattes and waiting in line for iPhones. Welcome to the schizophrenic economy Economy Grew Less Than Forecast on Wider Trade Gap Growth in the U.S. slowed to a 2.4 percent annual rate in the second quarter, less than forecast, reflecting a larger trade deficit and cooler spending Data: Recession Even Worse Than Estimated The worst U.S. recession since the 1930s was even deeper than previously estimated, reflecting bigger slumps in consumer spending and housing, according to revised figures. Business Activity in U.S. Expanded Faster in July Business activity in the U.S. expanded in July at a faster pace than projected, signaling manufacturing is driving growth in the world?s largest economy. Unemployment Probably Rose as Jobs Scarce: U.S. Economy Preview Unemployment probably climbed in July, raising the risk American households will keep a lid on spending for the rest of the year, economists said before a government report this week. China’s Manufacturing Growth Is Weakest in 17 Months China?s manufacturing grew at the slowest pace in 17 months in July as the government clamped down on property speculation and investment in energy-intensive and polluting factories. ICICI Bank Profit Rises 17% After Paring Provisions ICICI Bank Ltd., India?s second- biggest lender, said first-quarter profit rose 17 percent, as it cut provisions and increased fee income. Home Bancshares Buys Two Lenders as Failures This Year Hit 108 Home Bancshares Inc., the Arkansas bank with $3 billion in assets, purchased two seized lenders and regulators closed three others as this year?s failures climbed to 108. Tom Keene's Econo Chat Tom talks with Jim Grant, editor of Grant's Interest Rate Observer, on the slow economic recovery Commentary: America Sits Out the Race There are some obvious ways to make the U.S. more competitive with China in clean energy. Why won't the Senate debate them? IHS' Randolph on BP Assets Jan Randolph, head of sovereign risk at IHS Global Insight, talks about BP's liabilities, its asset sales, and deep water drilling regulation. U.S. Housing Market July 27 (Bloomberg) -- Karl Case, an economics professor at Wellesley College and co-creator of the S&P/Case-Shiller home-price index, discusses the U.S. housing market.(This report is an excerpt of the full interview. Source: Bloomberg) Taleb: Government Deficits Could Be the Next 'Black Swan' In a new edition of The Black Swan, author Nassim Nicholas Taleb warns against depending "on financial assets as a repository of value" Nassim Taleb Nassim Taleb, author of "The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable," discusses government debt, investment risks and financial regulation.

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