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 Contraction in Manufacturing Boosts Case for Easing Policy: Economy - Bloomberg

China

Jerome Powell, Jeremy Stein Chosen by Obama to Fill Fed

President Barack Obama said he will nominate two former U.S. Treasury Department officials for the Federal Reserve Board, including one who served in a Republican administration.
Jerome Powell, an attorney who was a Treasury undersecretary for former President George H.W. Bush, and Jeremy Stein, a Harvard University economist who has advised the current administration, are […]

Centene expects greater revenue, profits in 2012

Centene Corp.

Gallagher: Expert advice on 401(k) can pay off

Back in the winter of 2009, when the stock market crash was near its bottom, an editor at the Post-Dispatch gave up in defeat.
“I couldn’t take it any more. I sold everything,” he told me. He had sold all the stock investments in his 401(k).
That put me in a quandary. Should I tell the fellow […]

Turkish president criticizes EU ‘negligence’

European Union “negligence” is to blame for the financial crisis roiling the continent, said Turkey’s president Friday, contrasting the EU’s malaise with his country’s economic and political dynamism.
Gul also called for a revamping of the U.N. Security Council, suggesting its permanent members no longer reflected the shift in influence from the postwar equation when the […]

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 […]

Egypt stocks extend gains after elections

Egypt’s benchmark stock index is extending its gains for the third consecutive day, after landmark parliamentary elections eased investor sentiment about the country’s political instability.
The Egyptian Exchange’s EGX30 index was up about 1.25 percent by 1:15 p.m. local time on Thursday, climbing to 4,070 points. The index posted gains slightly under 1 percent on Wednesday […]

Some critics raise concerns about layaway programs

Not everyone is happy about the return of layaway.
I wrote a story that appeared in today’s paper about how more retailers have been bringing back or expanding their layaway programs this holiday shopping season.
But some critics note that consumers could end up spending more on layaway fees than they would through the rates on their […]

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 […]