Little benefit in boosting already-high credit score

Jeff Rose, 33, a financial planner, is trying to improve his credit score — even though it’s 780, which is 69 points above the median score.
Rose, who lives in Carbondale, Ill., said he opened up a second credit card last year to establish another line of credit and help boost his score. He said he […]

November trade deficit hits $47.8 billion

The U.S. trade deficit widened in November for the first time in five months, largely because of a spike in the price of imported oil.
Still, exports fell for a second straight month, a sign that Europe’s slowdown has begun to affect the U.S. economy.
The trade gap rose 10.4 percent to $47.8 billion, the Commerce Department […]

Supervalu 3rd quarter loss widens

Grocery store operator Supervalu says its fiscal third quarter net loss widened due to costs related to a turnaround plan, continued high food prices and a cautious consumer.
The company is facing high food costs as well as costs related to a restructuring plan which involves closing stores, selling off some businesses and lowering debt.
The company […]

China’s trade weakens; December surplus $16.5B

China’s import growth showed an unexpectedly sharp drop in December in a new sign the world’s second-largest economy is slowing.
December growth in imports fell to 11.8 percent, barely above half the previous month’s 22.1 percent gain, customs data showed Tuesday. Exports rose 13.4 percent, down slightly from November’s growth rate. The country’s politically sensitive global […]

AP source: Mogul gives $5M to pro-Gingrich group

A Las Vegas billionaire has contributed $5 million to an independent group backing Newt Gingrich, bolstering the former House speaker’s efforts to revive his presidential campaign and drawing renewed attention to the role of such groups in the 2012 contest.
A person familiar with the development said Sheldon Adelson, a casino mogul and longtime donor to […]

Nigeria Labor Unions Plan to Proceed With Strike Over Fuel Subsidy Removal - Bloomberg

Nigerian labor unions plan to go ahead with a nationwide strike to protest the scrapping of fuel subsidies that more than doubled gasoline prices, said Owei Lakemfa, general secretary of the Nigeria Labor Congress.

Fewer people sought unemployment aid last week

The number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell further in the final week of 2011, a positive sign for hiring one day ahead of Friday’s December employment report.
The Labor Department says weekly applications dropped 15,000 to a seasonally adjusted 372,000 last week. It was the fourth drop in five weeks. The four-week average, which smooths […]

German Unemployment Drops More Than Forecast as Mild Winter Fuels Building - Bloomberg

German unemployment (GRUECHNG) fell more than forecast in December as exports of cars and machinery boomed and one of the mildest winters on record helped support jobs in construction.
The number of people out of work fell a seasonally adjusted 22,000 to 2.89 million, the Nuremberg-based Federal Labor Agency said today. Economists forecast a decline […]

Iraq official warns of abuse of security forces

Iraq’s parliament speaker warned Monday that human rights violations are putting the country’s fragile democracy at risk, the latest pronouncement in a rapidly developing sectarian spat that threatens to destabilize the country after U.S. troops pulled out.
The televised comments by Osama al-Nujaifi, one of the country’s top Sunni officials, are the latest salvo in a […]

US seals $3.48B missiles, technology sale to UAE

The United States has reached a deal to sell $3.48 billion worth of missiles and related technology to the United Arab Emirates, a close Mideast ally, as part of a massive buildup of defense technology among friendly Mideast nations near Iran.
Pentagon spokesman George Little announced the Christmas Day sale on Friday night.
He noted that the […]