Insurance deal ends uncertainty for SLU, Des Peres patients

UPDATED at 8:40 p.m.
After months of stop-and-start negotiations, St. Louis University and Des Peres hospitals have reached a new 4-year agreement with HealthLink Inc. and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri.
The deal ends the uncertainty for thousands of St. Louis area patients, especially some of those undergoing cancer and transplant patients on long-term […]

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US Embassy: US citizen kidnapped in Nigeria freed

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria says a U.S. citizen kidnapped in the country’s oil-rich southern delta has been released.
Spokeswoman Deb MacLean told The Associated Press on Friday the man had been released. She declined to offer any other information.
Police previously said the attack happened in Warri, the capital of Delta state. The […]

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Australian Core Inflation Quickens; Currency Gains as Rate-Cut Bets Pared - Bloomberg

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China to Balance

China will balance

U.S. Business Activity Grows Faster Than Forecast Despite Europe Slowdown - Bloomberg

Companies cranked out more goods in December and pending sales of existing homes jumped in November for a second month, pointing to a pickup in U.S. economic growth as 2011 comes to a close.
The Institute for Supply Management-Chicago Inc. said today its business barometer (CHPMINDX) was little changed at 62.5 from a seven- month […]

Justice, AT&T agree to put off anti-trust trial

AT&T Inc. and the Justice Department have agreed to put off their upcoming antitrust trial over the phone company’s proposed acquisition of smaller rival T-Mobile USA while the wireless carriers determine the fate of the deal.
U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle quickly approved their motion Monday to cancel their February trial and set a Jan. […]

Consumers borrow more in Oct. as economy improves.

Americans stepped up their borrowing in October to buy cars and attend college, and they also charged a little more to their credit cards. The second straight monthly gain in overall borrowing suggests consumers are growing more confident in the economy ahead of the crucial holiday buying season.
Total consumer borrowing rose by $7.3 billion, the […]

Stocks slide ahead of confidence vote in Greece

Stocks slid ahead of a confidence vote for Greece’s embattled prime minister Friday. Investors are worried that the country might not go through with an austerity program needed to prevent a messy default on its debt. The Dow Jones industrial average was down almost 170 points in morning trading.
Groupon Inc. jumped 39 percent to $27.89 […]

Peabody Energy, partner take control of Macarthur Coal

A year and a half after beginning its pursuit of Macarthur Coal Ltd., St. Louis-based Peabody Energy Corp. has gained control of the Australian mining company.
Peabody, which teamed with one of Macarthur’s largest shareholders, steelmaker ArcelorMittal, to buy the coal producer, said Monday that they control almost 60 percent of the company and plan to […]

Rate on 30-year mortgage stays at record 4.09 pct.

Fixed mortgage rates hovered at record lows for a third straight week and are likely to fall further in the coming weeks.
Freddie Mac says the average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage was unchanged at 4.09 percent this week. That’s the lowest rate seen since 1951.
The average rate on the 15-year mortgage ticked down to […]