Futures

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• Copper Topping Out?  Friday, 25 Mar 2011 | 10:06 AM ET

  

  Copper is up 33% over the past year. Insight on whether now is now the time to buy, with Michael Widmer, Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Research.

• Credit Suisse Wants Fed's Mortgage-Backed Securities Friday, 25 Mar 2011 | 7:05 AM ET

  

  Credit Suisse has joined the list of banks and investment firms considering a rival bid for the portfolio of mortgage-backed securities that has already drawn a $15.7billion offer from AIG, people familiar with the matter said. The FT reports.

• Learning to Love the Fear Index Friday, 25 Mar 2011 | 3:20 AM ET

  

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• Scots Incensed at 'Raid' on North Sea Friday, 25 Mar 2011 | 2:59 AM ET

  

  Scottish politicians accused George Osborne of using North Sea resources to “fuel his Budget”, saying the chancellor had given too little in return for his unexpected £2 billion tax raid on the oil and gas industry, reports the Financial Times.

• NYSE Morning Preview  Thursday, 24 Mar 2011 | 9:05 AM ET

  

  CNBC's Bob Pisani reports on the trading day from the NYSE.

• Salaries at HSBC: Time for a Change? Wednesday, 23 Mar 2011 | 5:57 AM ET

  

  HSBC is sounding out its shareholders on a proposed shake-up of its executive pay plans, which could see its top bankers unable to sell their stock until retirement, the Financial Times reports.

• Police Issue Warning Over Anti-Cuts Protest Wednesday, 23 Mar 2011 | 3:00 AM ET

  

  Police chiefs have told protesters bent on trouble to stay away from Saturday’s mass demonstration in London against government spending cuts, as union bosses predicted a peaceful “family friendly” event, reports the Financial Times.

• Finland Holds Key to Euro Zone ‘Grand Bargain’ Tuesday, 22 Mar 2011 | 3:08 AM ET

  

  When European Union leaders gather in Brussels at the end of the week to finalise a much-anticipated “grand bargain” to solve their debt crisis, the eyes of the financial markets will be focused on an unlikely place: Finland, reports the Financial Times.

• Quadruple Witching Friday: What to Expect Friday, 18 Mar 2011 | 10:08 AM ET

  

  Friday is Quadruple Witching Day. But with geopolitical events rocking stocks this week, this quarterly event has had less effect on the markets than usual. Quadruple witching is when contracts for stock index futures, stock index options, stock equity options and single stock futures expire. This happens once every quarter, on the third Friday of March, June, September and December, and has also been called "Freaky Friday."

• History Shows Rebuilding Spurs Economy Monday, 14 Mar 2011 | 2:45 AM ET

  

  A few years ago, a senior official at Japan’s finance ministry shocked a foreign guest by making a deliberately provocative statement. “What Japan’s economy needs is a really good earthquake,” he said. Now, tragically, his tongue-in-cheek wish has come true, the Financial Times reports.

• US Warns Russia Over Investor Risk Friday, 11 Mar 2011 | 1:59 AM ET

  

  The US vice-president has warned Russia it risks scaring away investors unless it moves to strengthen the rule of law and introduce political reforms.

• Tripoli Pours Old Notes Back in Circulation Thursday, 10 Mar 2011 | 4:41 AM ET

  

  Libya’s central bank has ordered banks to recirculate old currency in the first sign that the oil-rich north African state is facing liquidity problems amid international efforts to freeze the regime’s assets, reports the Financial Times.

• Greeks Adopt ‘Won’t Pay’ Attitude Thursday, 10 Mar 2011 | 2:08 AM ET

  

  Local residents in a small town north of Athens, angry at losing their exemption from paying tolls for using a 500m stretch of motorway, raised a banner saying “Den Plirono” (“I won’t pay”).  In four months, Den Plirono has grown to a nationwide anti-austerity movement, reports the Financial Times.

• Concerns Over Latest EU Bank Stress Tests Wednesday, 9 Mar 2011 | 1:37 AM ET

  

  Key parts of a stress test for European banks designed to raise investor confidence in the sector have been softened by regulators despite widespread derision of a similar exercise last year, which was seen by financial markets as too lax, reports the Financial Times.

• Move to 'Synthetic' US Junk Bonds Wednesday, 9 Mar 2011 | 12:18 AM ET

  

  Demand is growing for "synthetic" financial instruments that enable investors to take positions in the US junk bond market without owning the underlying securities.

• Barclays Reveals Executive Pay Details Tuesday, 8 Mar 2011 | 1:52 AM ET

  

  Barclays has revealed that Bob Diamond, its chief executive, and two of his top lieutenants received nearly £30 million ($48.6 million) in pay and bonuses for 2010 and another £77 million for past performance, reports the Financial Times.

• Muni Industry Optimistic About State Revenues Recovery Tuesday, 1 Mar 2011 | 6:58 AM ET

  

  A growing number of municipal bond experts believe state and local government revenues will return to pre-crisis levels within two years, reflecting their optimism that the worst fears about rising defaults may not be realized. The FT reports.

• Dollar Losing Safe Haven Appeal Tuesday, 1 Mar 2011 | 5:22 AM ET

  

  A flight to the dollar usually accompanies increased risk aversion. This time, though, while the traditional havens of the Swiss franc and the yen have benefited, the US currency has suffered. The FT reports.

• Citigroup Under Fire Over Disclosure Tuesday, 1 Mar 2011 | 5:18 AM ET

  

  Citigroup has come under attack from a prominent analyst and accountancy experts for failing to disclose regulatory criticism of the bank’s valuation of troubled securities during the financial crisis, reports the Financial Times.

• Italian Banks Lobby to Tap Into Surging Gold Prices Tuesday, 1 Mar 2011 | 5:12 AM ET

  

  Italian banks, which are shareholders in the country’s central bank, want to have their stakes in the Bank of Italy marked-to-market on the back of surging gold prices.