China shadow looming, Taiwan’s Ma set for 2nd term

Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou has leveraged growing economic ties with China to reduce tensions to their lowest level since the two sides split in 1949. China’s incessant effort to draw the democratic island closer politically has been on the back burner, and as Ma’s second term begins Sunday the question is whether he can keep […]

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Concord Bank CEO Tony Feraro dies

Tony Feraro, the president and CEO of Concord Bank in South St. Louis County, died Wednesday. He was 64.
Feraro joined the bank in November 2008.
“The entire Concord Bank family mourns the loss of Tony,” said Concord Bank chairman Earl Gates in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and four children, and […]

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Chesapeake tumbles on debt snag

Shares of Chesapeake Energy plunged late Friday after the heavily indebted firm revealed that it may be forced to delay some asset sales.
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Chesapeake (, Fortune 500) said it may have to postpone some previously planned sales of assets, such as oil and gas wells, because […]

Is Canada lagging behind in online education?

William Gibson, the American-Canadian science fiction writer who coined the term cyberspace, is well-known for having stated

Egyptian troops, protesters clash in Cairo

Egyptian armed forces and protesters clashed in Cairo on Friday, with troops firing water cannons and tear gas at demonstrators who threw stones as they tried to march on the Defense Ministry, a flashpoint for a new cycle of violence only weeks ahead of presidential elections.
It was the second time this week that clashes have […]

King Faces 10 Days of Angst on BOE Stimulus as Recession Festers - Bloomberg

Bank of England Governor Mervyn King has 10 days left to make up his mind on whether he can risk halting stimulus for an economy trying to shake off a recession.
Reports starting tomorrow on manufacturing, construction and services, as well as consumer credit and house prices, will set the scene for data crunching by […]

New-home construction takes a pause

After a strong start to the year, home builders have pared back, according to a report from the Census Bureau.
The number of new homes that began construction in March fell 5.8% to an annualized rate of 654,000 compared with February, the bureau said Tuesday. Housing starts were up year over year, however, by 10.3%. […]

Rents keep rising as home prices stagnate

Renting used to be cheaper than buying. But in many U.S. cities that’s no longer the case, as rents continue to climb and home prices stagnate.
While asking prices for homes declined 0.7% over the past 12 months through March, rents rose 5%, according to a report released Thursday by real estate listing site Trulia. […]

Biggest Bond Traders See Worst Over for Treasuries - Bloomberg

The worst is over for the $10 trillion U.S. Treasury market following the biggest quarterly rout since 2010, say Wall Street

Gas prices already closing in on last year’s high

The price of gasoline is less than a dime away from last year’s high.
At an average of $3.90 per gallon, Americans have never paid more at this time of year and prices are expected to keep climbing with two months remaining before the traditional kickoff of the summer driving season.
Prices peaked last year in May […]