Alcatel-Lucent returns to profit in 2011

Telecommunications equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent said Friday that years of cost-cutting helped it make an annual profit in 2011, its first since its trans-Atlantic merger in 2006.

German Parliament set to vote on Greece Feb. 27

The German Parliament is set to hold a special session on Feb. 27 to vote on the second bailout for Greece, a senior lawmaker said Friday.

Obama call for manufacturing revival a tough goal

President Barack Obama is making a strong election-year push for an economic revival "built on American manufacturing." But he faces an uphill slog, with little consensus even within his own party on how to do it.

Barclays slashes bonus pool after 2011 profit fall

Barclays PLC revealed Friday that it is slashing its bonus pool after earnings at its investment banking division fell sharply and dented overall profitability.

NYSE Euronext looks beyond failed merger

The parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, after losing a bruising battle with European regulators over merging with a German exchange, says it will focus on expanding high-tech trading and adding services for its clients.

France's Total gets oil price profit boost

French oil company Total SA forecast higher production this year while revealing Friday that higher oil prices helped it post a 12.8 percent rise in fourth quarter profits despite a drop in output.

$FILE - In this Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011 file photo, Bank of America Merrill Lynch traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York. There are fewer and fewer traders on the NYSE floor because of the dominance of computer trading of securities - including the high-frequency trading that can take advantage of price changes in a millisecond. Bank of America is the stock of the moment for high-frequency trading; investors use computer algorithms to exploit small changes in a stock's price. If a computer can seize on a stock like Bank of America a fraction of a second faster than the rest of the market, it can book a tiny profit.$

Turbo-traders take Bank of America for a ride

On a normal day, 4 billion shares of stock change hands on the New York Stock Exchange. One in 10 belongs to a single company. It's not McDonald's or IBM, both of which have been on a tear.

Afghan private security handover looking messy

The push by Afghanistan's president to nationalize legions of private security guards before the end of March is encouraging corruption and jeopardizing multibillion-dollar aid projects, according to companies trying to make the switch.

$25B settlement reached over foreclosure abuses

A landmark $25 billion settlement with the nation's top mortgage lenders was hailed by government officials Thursday as long-overdue relief for victims of foreclosure abuses. But consumer advocates countered that far too few people will benefit. Video Available Photo Gallery Available

This photo taken Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012 shows a container port in Qingdao in east China's Shandong province. China's trade suffered its biggest decline since the 2008 crisis in January, a new sign of weak global demand and a slowing domestic economy. Exports fell 0.5 percent from a year earlier to $149.9 billion, while imports were down 15 percent at $122.7 billion, customs data showed Friday, Feb. 10, 2012. (AP Photo) CHINA OUT

China trade falls amid weak demand, holiday

China's trade suffered its biggest decline in January since the 2008 crisis - a new sign of weak global demand and a slowing domestic economy. Photo Gallery Available

Lehman Brothers sues Citigroup for $2.5B

Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and its creditors are suing several units of Citigroup Inc. to recover $2.5 billion the failed investment bank transferred to a backup account at Citi months before seeking bankruptcy court protection.

Bolivia seizes 17 properties in drugs raids

Bolivian authorities say they've seized 17 properties from a provincial clan ostensibly in the gravel business that it suspects of laundering drug money through real estate.

Federal agency looking at high-frequency traders

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is looking at high-frequency traders to gauge their importance in the markets and consider possible new rules for them.

In this image released by Columbia Pictures, Rachel McAdams, left, and Channing Tatum are shown in a scene from "The Vow."

Box Office Preview: Audiences to take 'The Vow'

In what's shaping up to be a strong Valentine's weekend at the nation's theaters, four heartfelt newcomers are hoping to feel the love from smitten audiences.

Money fund assets fall to $2.657 trillion

Total U.S. money market mutual fund assets fell $820 million to $2.657 trillion for the week that ended Wednesday, the Investment Company Institute said Thursday.

Greek Prime Minister Loukas Papademos, left, and Socialist Party leader George Papandreou enter the meeting room at Maximos mantion in Athens on Wednesday Feb.8, 2012. After three days of delays, Greek coalition leaders began crucial debt talks Wednesday with the prime minister to review a draft deal on steep cutbacks demanded by creditors in return for a 130 billion euro ($170 billion) bailout.

Greek PM says default would lead to "chaos"

Greece's future in the eurozone grew increasingly precarious Friday as violence erupted on the streets of Athens and dissent grew among its lawmakers after European leaders demanded deeper spending cuts. Video Available Photo Gallery Available

A look at possible money-market fund rules

The Securities and Exchange Commission is drafting proposals to further strengthen money-market mutual funds, two years after it approved an initial set of new rules in the wake of the financial crisis.

FILE - In this Dec. 6, 2011 file photo, SEC Chair Mary Schapiro testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, before the Senate Banking Committee hearing on the implementation of the Wall Street reform act. The Securities and Exchange Commission staff is drafting proposals that Schapiro says are needed to safeguard the industry and the investing public before the next financial crisis. It’s an attempt to fix weaknesses exposed when a large money fund collapsed in 2008, creating a scare that led the government to temporarily guarantee money fund assets.

Ill-timed fight erupts over money-market funds

A fight is breaking out between the money-market mutual fund industry and federal regulators. Whatever the outcome, investors will question whether they can continue to rely on money funds as a safe place to keep cash readily accessible.

What settlement will and won't do for homeowners

The mortgage settlement that government officials announced Thursday is intended to help victims of foreclosure abuses that followed the housing bust.

Want an aisle seat? Not for $2,000, Ralph Nader tells American Airlines

As if bankrupt American Airlines didn't have enough problems, along comes consumer advocate Ralph Nader, who's really steamed that for a flight Saturday to Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, the only way for a non-frequent flyer to get an aisle seat was to pay a full $2,680 fare instead of the $700 price he'd already paid.

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