Americans swiped their credit cards more often in October and borrowed more to attend school and buy cars. The increases drove U.S. consumer debt to an all-time high.
The leadership of the Securities and Exchange Commission will change next month. Its approach to regulation probably won't.
Intrade, the online prediction market that gained popularity as an informal oddsmaker for the presidential election, shut itself to U.S. customers Monday after regulators charged it with illegally facilitating bets on future economic data, the price of gold and even acts of war.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Friday that it expects to hire more than 50,000 people this holiday season and will be offering more hours to its existing employees.
Under pressure to take action on rising gasoline prices, President Obama wants Congress to strengthen federal supervision of oil markets, increase penalties for market manipulation and empower regulators to increase the amount of money energy traders are required to put behind their transactions.
A financial-exchange executive said Tuesday that he was told former Sen. Jon Corzine might have known that MF Global tapped clients' money to lend to a European affiliate of the firm.
A federal rule adopted Monday places tighter restrictions on how U.S. trading firms can invest their customers' money. The action comes amid a federal investigation into whether MF Global illegally tapped its clients' accounts before filing for bankruptcy.
The top Democrat and Republican on a key Senate panel say Congress should look deeply into what led to the collapse of MF Global, a trading firm run by one of their former colleagues.
The European debt crisis has claimed its first big casualty on Wall Street, a securities firm run by former New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine.
