U.S. treasury bonds fell as Chicago’s manufacturing index rose more than analysts had expected, overshadowing another indicator displaying lackluster economic growth.

At 11 a.m. EDT, the 10-year Treasury note was down $2.50 per $1,000 in face value, or 8/32 point, from its level at 5 p.m. Wednesday. Its yield, which moves in the opposite direction, rose to 4.91 percent from 4.87 percent.

The 30-year bond fell 14/32 point. Its yield rose to 5.03 percent from 5.01 percent.

The 2-year note fell 2/32 point. Its yield rose to 4.92 percent from 4.89 percent. Read more

Original post by The Associated Press

Wachovia Corp. agreed to buy A.G. Edwards Inc., the 120-year-old securities firm, for $6.8 billion, doubling its sales staff as regional brokers struggle to remain independent amid declining revenue from … via Bloomberg

Original post by Bloomberg

“There are a lot of different flavors of all-cap funds”

Investors looking to all-cap funds as a simple way to immerse themselves in wide variety of stocks might consider that “all” in some cases can really mean “most,” as in “all-expense-paid vacation” or “all solid … via Tacoma News Tribune

Original post by Tacoma News Tribune

“We were trying to find out what positive qualities lead to peace”

The United States is among the least peaceful nations in the world, ranking 96th between Yemen and Iran, according to a new index released yesterday that evaluates 121 nations based on their peacefulness. via Jamaica Gleaner

Original post by Jamaica Gleaner

“This decline is caused by China’s effort to cool its stock market. It should be short-lived”

A big fish in a little pond, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company is the leading Filipino telecommunications provider with more than 15 million fixed-line and wireless subscribers. via M2.com

Original post by M2.com

“They do not have a moat, switching brokers is easy. They have a lot of research tools but I don’t think the research tools are much of a differentator [sic]. Electronic brokerage is strictly a commodity business.”

Everyone loves a winner. It’s reasonable to assume, then, that everyone hates a loser. via The Motley Fool

Original post by The Motley Fool

“It was a real jaw-dropper of a day. I think the market was expecting hawkish report from the Bank of Canada, but they really let it out”

The Canadian dollar charged to a new 29-1/2 year high on Tuesday, while bonds sank, as the Bank of Canada left interest rates unchanged but signaled it could raise rates in the near future. via Globeinvestor.com

Original post by Globeinvestor.com

London’s blue-chips have fallen more than 1% after concerns over the Chinese stock market sparked a sell-off.

The losses were triggered by sharp falls in Chinese exchanges after the government imposed a tax on stock trades in an effort to cool the booming market.

The fears took the shine off positive Wall Street trading overnight and the London market extended losses from earlier in the session with the FTSE 100 Index down 66.9 points at 6539.6 by mid-morning.

Among a handful of companies in positive territory on Wednesday investors took refuge in property firms to see out the storm. Read more

Original post by The Press Association

“BMC has developed BSM into a locomotive that is now in a position to pull the whole IT management software train of associated monitoring and IT management technologies.”

Posted on May 29th, 2007 with stocks: BMC TRANSCRIPT SPONSOR BMC Software, Inc. F4Q07 Earnings Call May 29, 2007 5:00 pm ET Executives Derrick Vializ - Investor Relations Robert E. Beauchamp - President, Chief … via Seeking Alpha

Original post by Seeking Alpha

“There are many parts to the decline in housing that have yet to play out”

Floridians soured on the economy in May, while, nationwide, consumer views perked up unexpectedly. via Florida Today

Original post by Florida Today