Wealthy Dallas brothers become SEC fraud target (AP)

FILE ** In this file photo of Sept. 2, 2008 Sam Wyly poses at his Explore book store in Aspen, Colo. Famed Dallas billionaire investors Sam and Charles Wyly made $550 million in undisclosed profits through 13 years of insider trading in the shares of companies on whose boards they served, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit filed Thursday July 29, 2010 .(AP Photo/Ed Kosmicki,File)AP - Brothers Charles and Sam Wyly, born a year apart during the Great Depression, almost always have been joined at the hip.




Stocks are mixed but had best month since July '09 (AP)
AP - WHAT A MONTH: The Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor's had their best month since July 2009 and their first winning month since this past April. Strong earnings were behind the big gains.

Stocks end July with big gain; Dow gains 7.1 pct (AP)

FILE - In this July 28, 2010 file photo specialist Donald Civitanova, left, and trader Maier Tarlow work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Stock futures dropped Friday, July 30, as investors cautiously awaited the government's first reading on gross domestic product. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, filw)AP - Stocks had a fitting end to a choppy July as prices seesawed their way to a narrowly mixed finish. The market still had its best month in a year.




Jobs data, earnings latest test for stocks (Reuters)
Reuters - U.S. stocks are unlikely to break above a key technical level next week unless monthly jobs data and consumer company results paint a more promising picture of the recovery.

How the major stock indexes fared on Friday (AP)
AP - Stocks had a fitting end to a choppy July as prices seesawed their way to a narrowly mixed finish.

Wall Street marks best month in a year in July (Reuters)

A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange July 28, 2010. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidReuters - U.S. stocks closed little changed on Friday, but Wall Street wrapped up its best month in a year after the earnings season rounded the final turn with a group of strong results that offset the impact of poor economic data.




FTSE ends lower on US growth data (AFP)

Leading shares in London slipped lower on Friday after weaker-than-expected US growth figures stirred concern about the strength of the economic recovery, dealers said.(AFP/File/Shaun Curry)AFP - Leading shares in London slipped lower on Friday after weaker-than-expected US growth figures stirred concern about the strength of the economic recovery, dealers said.




Mutual Fund Buzz for July 30: Investors Still Favor Bond Funds (U.S. News & World Report)
U.S. News & World Report - Investors still trust the safety of bond funds. June was another good month for fixed income. The Investment Company Institute reported that overall, mutual funds saw net inflows, mostly into bond funds. Bond funds experienced inflows of more than $20 billion--up about $6 billion from May. Meanwhile, stock funds saw more outflows. The WSJ reports that investors haven't consistently put money into stock funds since the market hit its low in March 2009. Low-yielding money market funds also continued to see outflows, which brings their total outflows for the year to more than $500 billion.

Subdued US growth weighs on world markets (AP)

Specialist Michael Sollitto, right, directs trades at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Wednesday, July 28, 2010. The Dow Jones industrial average fell almost 40 points after the Fed released its regional survey of the economy, a report known as the 'beige book.' (AP Photo/Richard Drew)AP - European and U.S. stock markets dropped sharply Friday after figures showed the U.S. economy slowed faster than expected in the second quarter, further eroding confidence in the recovery in the world's largest economy.




European stocks falter before US output data (AFP)

A trader sits in front of a board displaying Germany's share index DAX at the stock exchange in Frankfurt in May. Europe's main stock markets fell on Friday as investors looked ahead to key economic growth figures from the United States, after dissecting news of a major takeover, company earnings and eurozone data.(AFP/DDP/File/Martin Oeser)AFP - Europe's main stock markets fell on Friday as investors looked ahead to key economic growth figures from the United States, after dissecting news of a major takeover, company earnings and eurozone data.




SEC accuses Dallas investors of insider trading (AP)
AP - Sam and Charles Wyly, Dallas billionaire investors known for their support of conservative candidates and causes, made $550 million in undisclosed profits through 13 years of insider trading, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit filed Thursday.

Citigroup to pay $75 million to settle SEC charges (Reuters)

Pedestrians walk past a Citibank branch in Washington in this January 19, 2010 file photo. REUTERS/Jim YoungReuters - Citigroup Inc will pay $75 million to settle charges that it failed to disclose subprime exposure to investors in 2007, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said on Thursday.




Citigroup paying $75M to settle civil charges (AP)

A man pictured at a branch of Citibank at the US banking giant Citigroup's world headquarters on Park Avenue, New York, in 2008. Citigroup on Friday said it made a 2.7 billion dollar profit in the second quarter of this year, down nearly 40 percent from the same period last year.(AFP/File/Emmanuel Dunand)AP - Banking titan Citigroup Inc. is paying $75 million to settle civil charges that it misled investors about its potential losses from subprime mortgages as the housing bust hit in 2007.




SEC charges Wyly brothers with $550 million fraud (Reuters)
Reuters - The Securities and Exchange Commission charged billionaire Samuel Wyly and his brother Charles with fraud for reaping more than $550 million of illicit gains by trading stock in four companies while they were serving as directors.

A look at global economic developments (AP)
AP - A look at economic developments and activity in major stock markets around the world Thursday:

Cisco briefly halted after circuit breaker (Reuters)
Reuters - Trading in Cisco Systems Inc shares was briefly halted on Thursday after triggering a circuit breaker.

CA-CANADA Summary (Reuters)
Reuters - Proposed Canadian regulations to cut emissions from cars and trucks may have little to no effect as early "action credits" banked by automakers may be able to carry them through the compliance period, an environmental think tank said on Thursday.

FTSE 100 edges up in early deals (AFP)

London's leading shares rose slightly at the start of trading on Thursday as positive corporate earnings figures countered weak US economic data.(AFP/File/Carl de Souza)AFP - London's leading shares rose slightly at the start of trading on Thursday as positive corporate earnings figures countered weak US economic data.




RIM shares up on reports of new BlackBerry (AFP)

A Blackberry Pearl 3G. Shares in Canada's Research in Motion surged Wednesday on reports the BlackBerry maker plans to release a new smartphone next week to rival Apple's iPhone.(AFP/File/Punit Paranjpe)AFP - Shares in Canada's Research in Motion surged Wednesday on reports the BlackBerry maker plans to release a new smartphone next week to rival Apple's iPhone.




Soros to buy 4 pct stake in Bombay bourse: report (AFP)

Billionaire investor George Soros, pictured, is close to sealing a 40-million-dollar deal to buy Dubai Holding's 4.0 percent stake in the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the Financial Times reported Wednesday.(AFP/File/Bay Ismoyo)AFP - Billionaire investor George Soros is close to sealing a 40-million-dollar deal to buy Dubai Holding's 4.0 percent stake in the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the Financial Times reported Wednesday.