Wall Street, funds urge SEC to keep ratings in rules. Securities regulators are locking horns with some of America's most powerful mutual funds and Wall Street players over plans to scrap requirements that money market funds hold investment-grade securities.

Informa price cut as Blackstone joins bid group. Private equity firm Blackstone has joined a consortium bidding for Informa, but an industry source said the group was no longer prepared to pay its original price for the British publishing firm.

5-minute guide to home insurance. A close look at what your policy does and doesn't cover may surprise you. Here's a 29-point guide to help you read it closely to determine what coverage is best for your situation.

Stocks mostly rise as investors snap up financials. Wall Street wrestled with intensifying economic worries Friday, extending sharp losses after a disheartening jobs report and then grudgingly engaging in some mild bargain hunting that gave the market some modest gains. The major indexes ended the week with big declines, a sign that investors, who not long ago expected the economy to improve, are now growing increasingly discouraged.

10 vital money lessons for teens. Do your kids know the difference between wants and needs? Think they're too young to learn about taxes? Or saving for retirement? Oh, you have so much to teach them.

Merrill Lynch hires mortgage executives. Merrill Lynch & Co, battered by more than $40 billion of write-downs tied largely to mortgages, said on Tuesday it hired Michael Nierenberg from JPMorgan Chase & Co to head its mortgage and securitization businesses.

Fonality Lands $12M Financing Round from Draper Fisher Jurvetson. Fonality, a provider of IP-PBX systems based on Asterisk, has just secured a $12 million financing round led by Draper Fisher Jurvetson Growth Fund with participation from existing investor Intel Capital.

German fertiliser group KS joins blue-chip DAX index. German fertiliser group K+S will join the DAX 30 index of blue-chip stocks, reflecting its growing business as prices for commodities and foods rise globally.

Hong Kong considers ban on fishing trawlers: report. Hong Kong is considering banning fishing trawlers in its waters to save fish stocks, a report said Thursday. The drastic proposal comes as annual catches were estimated to be 30 percent above sustainable levels, the South China Morning Post said, citing a consultation paper from the Food and Health bureau.

US government 'bazooka' may save Fannie, Freddie. Can Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's "bazooka" save mortgage finance titans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from a calamitous meltdown?.

Make big bucks from a rising dollar. The world of exchange-traded funds abounds with investments that can help you profit from the greenback's sudden rebound.

Blackstone joins ProvEquity in Informa bid. Providence Equity Partners Inc. and The Carlyle Group have been joined by rival Blackstone Group LP in their bid to buy U.K.based business information group Informa Plc, according to The Financial Times of..

London shares end week sharply lower. The FTSE ended the week sharply lower Friday, with miners suffering the biggest losses amid ongoing concerns over the global economy and disappointing US jobless data.

India story still attracts venture capital funds. Venture capitalists raising new funds dedicated to the Indian market are not finding the going tough despite a global slowdown impacting availability of capital.

Vanu, Inc. closes 32 million dollar investment. New Delhi News.Net Thursday 4th September, 2008 Massachusetts/ New Delhi, Delhi, Sept 4, : Vanu, Inc., a leading provider of software radio infrastructure solutions for cellular operators, today announced a 32..

30-year mortgages dip slightly to 6.35 percent. Rates on 30-year mortgages fell for a third straight week, dropping to the lowest level since mid-July.

50 stocks set to shine in September. StockScouter, MSN Money's stock-picking tool, identifies companies with solid growth prospects.

On London: Scant comfort to be found in the pound's current decline. Sterling's decline against the dollar showed no signs of slowing this week, but what was more interesting was the reaction of the London market. The FTSE 100 fell 7.1 per cent - its worst weekly performance in percentage terms in more than six years - turning on its head the idea that the UK market performs well during periods of dollar strength.

Breeden details year of progress at H&R Block. A year after orchestrating a takeover of H&R Block Inc.s leadership, Richard Breeden gave shareholders an update Thursday on efforts to rejuvenate the tax preparation giant, saying some success has been made but the work is ongoing.

Columbia Bancorp to close mortgage business, cut jobs. Columbia Bancorp, the holding company for Columbia River Bank, said it plans to close its mortgage banking division, affecting about 39 jobs, as it strives to cut costs amid a difficult mortgage market.