Stock index futures signal lower Wall Street open (Reuters)

Specialist trader Jason Hardzewicz (L) of Barclay's Capital gives prices to traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange February 3, 2012. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidReuters - Stock index futures pointed to a lower open for equities on Wall Street on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 down 0.2 to 0.5 percent.



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Insight: Two firms flourish in frenzied MF Global aftermath (Reuters)

Reuters - The mad rush to move client money out of MF Global Inc. after its collapse left two firms with the bulk of customer accounts, while other brokerages emerged with only minor gains from the chaos of carving up a multibillion-dollar business.
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Greek parties face EU bailout deadline (Reuters)

Prime Minister Lucas Papademos arrives at his office in Athens for a meeting with Greek political leaders February 5, 2012. REUTERS/Yiorgos KarahalisReuters - Greece's coalition parties must tell the European Union on Monday whether they accept the painful terms of a new bailout deal to avoid a messy default that could threaten the country's future in the euro zone.



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GM aims for 10 percent profit margin over next few years: report (Reuters)

Reuters - General Motors aims to raise its profit margin to 10 percent over the next several years, up from the current margin of about 6 percent, Daniel Ammann, chief financial officer, told the Wall Street Journal in an interview.
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Glencore offers 8 percent premium to Xstrata to seal deal: FT (Reuters)

Reuters - Commodities trader Glencore International is set to offer a bigger-than-expected premium to seal its proposed $88 billion merger with global miner Xstrata Plc , the Financial Times reported on Monday.
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Analysis: Stock-picking makes a comeback as macro tides fade (Reuters)

Reuters - Stock-picking once again matters on Wall Street.
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Obama pushes for veterans jobs programs (AP)

AP - In an effort to cut the unemployment rate among veterans, President Barack Obama is calling for a new conservation program that would put veterans to work rebuilding trails, roads and levees on public lands.
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Aon Q4 profit rises, but margin pressures persist (Reuters)

Reuters - Aon Corp posted a higher quarterly profit that narrowly beat market estimates, but the world's largest insurance broker continued to face margin pressures in its Aon Hewitt segment for the second-straight quarter.
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Greek crisis talks for debt deal pushed to Monday (AP)

IMF chief debt inspector Poul Thomsen member of the so-called troika of Greece's creditors — the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund — leaves the prime minister's official residence after meeting with Greece's Prime Minister Lucas Papademos in Athens, Greece on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012. The troika demanded tougher austerity measures, private sector pay cuts and firings of civil servants. At stake is a new euro130 billion ($171 billion) bailout deal without which Greece will default before the end of March.  (AP Photo.Kostas Tsironis)AP - Crisis talks on a debt deal for Greece among the three leaders of parties supporting the coalition government were suspended and will continue Monday.



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New York sues banks over electronic mortgage system (Reuters)

Reuters - New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on Friday sued three major U.S. banks, accusing them of fraud for using an electronic mortgage database that resulted in deceptive and illegal practices.
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IMF official in Romania rejects criticism (AP)

International Monetary Fund envoy to Romania Jeffrey Franks gestures during a news conference in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012.  (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)AP - The head of the IMF mission in Romania has criticized politicians and media for accusing him of misconduct for having attended a party held by government officials at a time of harsh austerity measures.



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Euro zone sales tumble at Christmas, no sign of growth (Reuters)

Reuters - Retail sales in the euro zone tumbled unexpectedly in December, the biggest drop in the Christmas period in three years, data showed on Friday, with rising joblessness and stubborn inflation undercut signs of a stabilization in Europe's economy.
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Romney focuses on Obama, Gingrich on Romney in NV (AP)

Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks at Stoney's Rockin Country, Friday, Feb. 3, 2012, in Las Vegas, Nev.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)AP - A confident Mitt Romney accused President Barack Obama of failing to do enough to create jobs as he campaigned Friday ahead of GOP presidential caucuses this weekend in a state with sky-high unemployment and foreclosure rates. Newt Gingrich, who is fighting for a respectable showing here, rolled out a fresh line of criticism by comparing the former Massachusetts governor to Obama.



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Report: Iran navy rescues tanker from pirates (AP)

AP - Iran's state TV reports that the country's navy has opened fire on pirates to foil an attack on an Iranian oil tanker near the Gulf of Aden.
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Police raids highlight Italy's fight against tax evasion (Reuters)

Reuters - The two-man workshop close to the Vatican had been busy when tax police raided it last week, seizing about a million religious articles and souvenirs ranging from rosaries to images of Pope John Paul II.
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Chrysler's "Halftime" ad: a roadmap for America? (Reuters)

Reuters - Is what is good for Chrysler good for America?
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