It Ain't Brain Surgery

It Ain't Brain Surgery—But the Pay is Twice as Nice [Bloomberg] "Wall Street traders discouraged by declining bonuses this month can take solace: They still earn much more than brain surgeons and top U.S. generals. An oil trader with 10 years in the business is likely to earn at least $1 million this year, while a neurosurgeon with similar time on the job makes less than $600,000, recruiters estimated. After a decade of deal-making, merger bankers take home about $2 million, more than 10 times what a similarly seasoned cancer researcher gets."

Economists See Improving Conditions [Wall Street Journal] "Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal are increasingly optimistic about the pace of the recovery, predicting the U.S. will grow at better than a 3.2% annual rate in each quarter this year."

Google Investigated in Europe for Anti-Competitive Practices [New York Times] "European antitrust investigators are asking advertisers whether Google ever suggested that they increase spending in return for improved visibility in its Web search results, or stymied attempts to move their business elsewhere. The queries are among about 120 on a questionnaire sent as part of the European Union’s inquiry, opened late last year, into possible antitrust abuses by Google, the giant Internet search engine."

China Eases Currency Controls [Financial Times] "China took a further step towards increasing its currency’s global role, allowing domestic companies to move renminbi offshore for investment purposes."

College: Arizona Shooter was a 'Creepy' Student [New York Times] "In 51 pages of confidential police documents released by the college [Pima Community] on Wednesday, various instructors, students and others described Mr. Loughner as 'creepy,' 'very hostile,' 'suspicious' and someone who had a 'dark personality.'"

Trichet Signals Tighter Monetary Policy at ECB [Financial Times] "The European Central Bank has struck a tougher stance on inflation, increasing the chances of an interest rate rise and sending the euro higher in spite of the eurozone debt crisis. Jean-Claude Trichet, president, said on Thursday that the ECB had never ruled out an increase in official borrowing costs and its actions to combat inflation were “disconnected” from its steps to prop up the eurozone banking system."