Grave business - my financial world

Goldman Sachs appears to be losing some of its luster.
A trio of high-profile bank analysts cut either their rating or earnings estimates for the investment bank this week, suggesting that even the venerated Wall Street firm is not immune to the ills of the broader financial services industry.
"In short, Goldman is no longer as […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said policy makers will “strongly resist'' any surge in inflation expectations, delivering his clearest message yet the central bank is done lowering interest rates.
Bernanke played down the biggest jump in the unemployment rate in 22 years in May and said the risk of a “substantial downturn'' receded […]

A former Siemens (SIEGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) manager who built a system of slush funds and fake contracts for the engineering giant told a court he later tried to stop the systematic bribery but top managers failed to act.
Defending himself against 58 charges of breach of trust, Reinhardt Siekaczek said on Monday he had […]

U.K. retail sales fell for a second month in April as slumping house prices, faster inflation and the dearth of credit discouraged spending.
Sales declined 0.2 percent from March, when they dropped by the same amount, the Office for National Statistics said today in London. Economists forecast a 0.5 percent drop, the median of […]

Investor confidence in Germany unexpectedly fell for a second month in May on concern faster inflation, the stronger euro and fallout from the U.S. housing slump will hurt economic growth.
The ZEW Center for European Economic Research said its index of investor and analyst expectations declined to minus 41.4 from minus 40.7 in April. […]

The Rockefeller family and shareholders pushing Exxon Mobil to focus more on renewable energy now have the backing of a powerful advisory group for institutional investors.
The RiskMetrics Group also came out in support of another proxy supported by the Rockefellers, who want the position of chief executive and chairman, currently held by Rex Tillerson, […]