NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks edged lower on Monday as a delay by debt-ridden Greece in accepting the terms of a bailout gave investors little reason to buy equities after a five-week rally. Athens allowed another deadline to slip by as political leaders failed to respond to bailout terms from the European Union and International Monetary Fund. Greece needs the funds by March to meet big debt repayments or face a messy default. …

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Deutsche Boerse’s (DB1Gn.DE) chief executive Reto Francioni should step down following the collapse of its $ 7.4 billion plan to merge with NYSE Euronext (NYX.N), a member of the German exchange operator’s supervisory board told a newspaper. “The question needs to be asked whether there have to be consequences (for management),” Johannes Witt, a board member representing the interests of labour, told German weekly Euro am Sonntag in comments published …

WASHINGTON, DC (Reuters) – An advisory committee urged U.S. securities regulators on Wednesday to relax outdated rules that trigger public financial reporting for companies, but it stopped short of backing a new capital-raising strategy known as “crowdfunding.” In a public meeting, members of the Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies voted on two proposed regulatory changes for the Securities and Exchange Commission to consider that would help private companies raise capital. However, …

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.7 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.64 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.79 percent at 5:13 a.m. ET. European stocks were down around 0.7 percent in morning trade, led lower by banks, on revived worries over debt-stricken Greece after a report said Germany was pushing for Athens to …

NEW YORK (Reuters) – January has turned out strong for equities with just two trading days to go. If you’re afraid to miss the ride, there’s still time to jump in. You just might want to wear a neck brace. The new year lured buyers into growth-related sectors, the ones that were more beaten down last year. The economy is getting better, but not dramatically. Earnings are beating expectations, but at a lower …

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks rising, bulls rampant are motifs you might pick if designing a coat of arms for Wall Street at the moment. But the motto should read: Caveat emptor. Yes, buyer beware. The S&P 500, a broad measure of the market valuation of the biggest U.S. publicly traded companies, is up 20 percent from its October closing low. It keeps climbing on a mixed bag of fourth-quarter earnings, improving U.S. …

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The S&P 500 and Nasdaq dipped on Friday after a pair of bellwether corporate earnings fell short of lofty expectations, though a trio of strong results from Dow components kept the blue-chip average in positive territory. Investors also kept an eye on Greece, where a debt deal appeared to be close. IBM and other technology names lifted the Dow a day after IBM offered a strong outlook and results …

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stock investors will return to a tug of war between signs of domestic strength and overseas concerns next week as a batch of critical earnings reports look to add credence to the idea the economy is improving, while credit rating downgrades in Europe will keep that region’s difficulties in view. Bank stocks will probably once again be a primary focus, as not only will European issues call the group’s …

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks ended slightly higher on Monday in a light-volume session as investors stayed cautious ahead of corporate earnings and key auctions for European debt this week. Alcoa Inc (AA.N), the largest U.S. aluminum producer, rose 3 percent to $ 9.43 before announcing its quarterly results after the closing bell, which marks the unofficial start of the earnings season. After breaking out of the gate with strong gains on the …

KHARTOUM (Reuters) – The Khartoum stock exchange on Sunday launched a long-awaited computer trading system that will bring to an end an era of scribbling stock prices on white boards and also marks Sudan’s efforts to attract more investment. But very thin trading in the first session of the electronic system — a gift from Oman — highlighted the need to overhaul regulations and transparency. None of the 40 stocks listed on the …