commodity news

• BA cabin crew strike under way

Thousands face travel disruption as British Airways cabin crew begin a three-day strike over pay and working conditions.
• Rio Tinto signs China mine deal

Rio Tinto signs a big West African venture deal with China, days before four of its officials go on trial in Shanghai.
• Europe 'must act' on Greek debt

The European Commission urges eurozone governments to agree a package of loans to help Greece resolve its debt crisis.
• Pound falls on 'recession risk'

The pound drops against the dollar and the euro after a Bank of England policymaker said the UK could fall back into recession.
• Lloyds predicts a profitable 2010

Lloyds Banking Group says it expects to make a profit this year - having made heavy losses due to bad loans in 2009.

• Japan Ups Economic View but Keeps Deflation Warning

Japan's outspoken banking minister Shizuka Kamei called again for fresh stimulus to boost the economy, but analysts said big spending was unlikely given the government's need to limit debt issuance.
• China Plans US Trip to Ease Trade Tensions


• Google May Announce China Plans Next Monday


• Samsung Elec Eyes Double Digit Sales Growth in 2010


• Rio Tinto, Chinalco Sign Guinea Iron Ore Joint Venture

• Greece Close to Being Unable to Borrow: PM

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou warned on Friday his country was one step from being unable to borrow and appealed to labor unionists to support his efforts to escape a debt crisis shaking the euro zone.
• Double Dip Unlikely Despite 'Some Risks': BOE's Sentance


• British Airways Crews to Strike After Talks Fail


• Swaps Aren't for Speculation: ECB's Trichet


• Manchester to Lead UK Toward Recovery?

• Opposition "red shirts" try to win over Thai capital

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thousands of opposition activists paraded through Thailand's sprawling capital on Saturday in a bid to win over of Bangkok's middle classes to their anti-government campaign.
• Israel strikes in Gaza after deadly rocket

GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli aircraft struck at least seven targets in the Gaza Strip on Friday, a day after a rocket fired from the Palestinian enclave killed a Thai worker in Israel, Hamas security officials and witnesses said.
• Gunmen block roads in Mexico's drug-plagued north

MONTERREY, Mexico (Reuters) - Armed men likely linked to drug gangs blocked highways with trucks and buses in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey on Friday in an apparent attempt to hamper army operations near the U.S. border.
• North Korea parliament to meet, Kim and cadres in focus

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's rubber stamp parliament will meet in April for an annual session where the secretive and isolated state typically reveals changes to its ruling elite and spending priorities for the coming year.
• India to get access to U.S. man on Mumbai attack: U.S.

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian investigators will be given access to the Chicago man who pleaded guilty to helping plan the Mumbai attacks, but he won't be extradited to India on current charges, a U.S. official said on Saturday.

general news

• House Democrats see momentum on health bill

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives lobbied undecided members for support and voiced growing confidence on Friday they will win a close vote on final passage of a sweeping healthcare overhaul.
• Putin offers U.S. hints of support

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin offered hints he could support the United States on two key issues -- an arms pact and Iran -- after a meeting on Friday with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
• Opposition "red shirts" try to win over Thai capital

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thousands of opposition activists paraded through Thailand's sprawling capital on Saturday in a bid to win over of Bangkok's middle classes to their anti-government campaign.
• Quartet hopes package will unlock Middle East talks

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Two members of the international quartet of Middle East mediators suggested on Friday that stalled indirect peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians may be unblocked in coming days.
• Judge in NY orders more talks on 9/11 deal

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. federal judge on Friday delayed a $657.5 million settlement for workers who suffered health problems after the September 11, 2001, attacks, saying the process must be transparent and lawyers fees should not be drawn from the funds.

• Outside the Box: Face it, the government saved us

Americans are good and angry -- and rightly so.
• Latin American Markets: Mexico stocks move higher; key rate held steady

Mexico’s equity benchmark rises Friday following the central bank's assessment that the economy is recovering at a faster-than-expected pace.
• Earnings Watch: Updates, advisories and surprises

A roundup of the latest corporate earnings reports and what companies are saying about future quarters.
• Weekend Investor: Hedge fund-like mutual funds bid for your money

Hedge funds enjoy a certain glamour that the humble mutual fund lacks, including wealthy investors, the promise of outsized returns and billionaire money managers. Now this rarefied club is open to individual investors, and many are eagerly signing up.
• Top Ten: MarketWatch's top stories of the week, March 15-19

Here are MarketWatch's top 10 stories of this week. Also, please have a look at our videos previewing markets next week in the U.S., Europe and Asia.

• Health-Care Horse Trading Before Vote

Democratic leaders are putting heavy pressure on about eight to 10 of key party members group who opposed the health-care bill when the House voted last fall.
• Pelosi Bids for Place in House History

Passage of health-care bill would cement Nancy Pelosi's place as one of the most dominant House speakers in history, and defeat could crush Obama's presidency.
• Medicare Changes Draw Flak

Caterpillar issued an 11th-hour salvo against the health plan, saying its Medicare adjustments and insurance mandates would increase the company's costs by $100 million in the first year.
• Lehman Insider Warned About Violating Ethics Code

Matthew Lee, in a letter to senior managers in May 2008, said top executives at the firm may have infringed upon internal rules by misleading investors about the true value of the firm's assets. He was fired days later.
• Greek Woes Dim Appeal of Euro Zone

The Greek debt crisis has upended expectations about the euro zone, causing the currency bloc to cast a more wary eye on potential additions—and leading some countries to question joining anytime soon.

• This Week's Top 10 Videos

Miss out on business news this week? Fret not. Here are the top 10 most-viewed videos from this week:
• Keppel Signs Joint Venture Deal To Develop US$386 Million Shipyard

Keppel Signs Joint Venture Deal To Develop US$386 Million Shipyard
• Exclusive: Senate Banking Committee Members Submit Nearly 400 Proposed Amendments to Dodd Regulation Reform Bill, Sources Say

Nearly 400 ammendments have been proposed by lawmakers to Sen. Dodd's proposed financial reform legislation, according to sources.
• Petrobras Ends Turbulent 2009, Builds 2010 Momentum

Petrobras Ends Turbulent 2009, Builds 2010 Momentum
• Hank' Greenberg Agrees To Sell Up To 10 Million AIG Shares To UBS

Hank' Greenberg Agrees To Sell Up To 10 Million AIG Shares To UBS

• 25 best places to buy a home now

Real estate prices in Santa Rosa, California are heading higher. What other cities are projected to enjoy home price gains in 2010?
• Dow breaks winning streak

Stocks slipped Friday as a strong dollar dragged on commodity prices, giving investors a reason to step back after pushing the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite to 18-month highs in the previous session.
• Dodd: Probe Lehman and everyone it touched

A year and a half after Lehman Brothers' collapse, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd, D-Conn., is calling for a federal investigation into the "Lehman situation" and other companies that may have fudged their balance sheets, contributing to the financial crisis.
• Palm's new price target: $0

Palm's future already looked bleak. But after reporting worse than expected results for the third quarter Thursday, some analysts think the company's stock is now essentially worthless.
• Greenspan & Bernanke still don't get it - The Buzz

Alan Greenspan and Ben Bernanke have a message for everyone who thinks the Federal Reserve isn't to blame for the housing bubble and Great Recession: It wasn't our fault.