Grave business - my financial world

Central bankers issued a stern warning on Sunday against the dangers of surging inflation, saying rising energy costs risk damaging growth in rich and poor countries alike.
Policymakers attending talks at the annual meeting of the Bank for International Settlements said they were on high alert to the dangers posed by rising inflation and […]

As the Federal Reserve and securities regulators neared an agreement on investment banks, leaders of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee on Friday warned them not to get ahead of Congress with any Wall Street reforms.
Investment banks, which have traditionally enjoyed light regulation, are trying to boost capital in the wake of the subprime […]

Monsanto Co.’s fiscal third-quarter profit soared 42% on a strong performance by Roundup herbicide and by its seeds and traits business. The company also boosted its earnings guidance for the year.
The St. Louis-based company said Wednesday that it earned $811 million, or $1.45 per share, in the three months ended May 31, up from […]

Flypaper Studio Inc. announced this week it has sold the electronic learning portion of its business in preparation to move forward with a new program and concentrate on the development of its core software.
Flypaper sold its e-learning unit to Phoenix-based GMarie Group, a corporate training developer. The amount of the sale, which took […]

The Supreme Court ruled Monday that a collection agency with no financial stake in a case can sue on behalf of its customers.
The 5-4 decision addresses a basic legal point, that courts can only hear cases when plaintiffs suffer actual injuries that are traceable to a defendant’s conduct.
In the case before the court, APCC […]

The federal government will tell 7,000 businesses next week that they are considered high risk-terrorist targets because they house large amounts of chemicals.
The sites - which range from major chemical plants to universities, food processing centers and hospitals - will need to complete a vulnerability assessment so the government can decide how to regulate […]

Government regulators said Thursday they are preparing to allow highly addictive medications, including powerful painkillers, to be prescribed online, a goal long-sought by health insurers and large employers.
Under current government rules, doctors are required to handwrite prescriptions for controlled substances, which include attention-deficit disorder drugs like Shire Pharmaceuticals’ (SHPGY) Adderall and painkillers like Cephalon’s […]

Deteriorating airline customer service has helped drive flier satisfaction to its lowest level in three years, according to a study released Tuesday, and for many it has become an even bigger concern than higher airfares and additional fees.
Poor airline customer service was the leading factor in a decline in customer satisfaction this year, according […]

Cocoa futures surged to nearly a 30-year high Thursday as investors bet that an overall drop in rainfall will hurt crops in West Africa, the world’s biggest supplier of the beans used to make chocolate.
Rainfall has picked up in recent days in major cocoa producers Ghana and Ivory Coast, but "in the grand scheme […]

The question nags at Americans every time they fill up their gas tanks: Why is it costing $4 a gallon?
A poll released Wednesday finds that 62% of Americans blame "unethical behavior" by industry players, while 32% attribute the price increases to supply and demand.
The CNN/Opinion Research Poll highlights a growing debate among American consumers, […]