Stock Markets News

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. securities regulator pushed on Thursday to reform mutual fund fees that traditionally used to stimulate fund growth and help cut shareholder expenses. Full Story »

RALEIGH, N.C. - The fired former chief executive of Law Enforcement Associates, a maker of security gear for police and military customers worldwide, has claimed the Raleigh-based company violated U.S. export and insider trading laws, the company disclosed in an SEC filing. Full Story »

The precious metals sector led stock funds in November as they snapped back from declines in October. Bond funds invested in Treasuries generally edged those in corporates as investors ducked for cover when the Dubai default crisis exploded. Full Story »

NEW YORK - The Nasdaq Stock Market on Wednesday said it will delist the stocks of four small companies. Full Story »

WASHINGTON - Shares of companies developing stem cell therapies surged Wednesday on news that the federal government has cleared 13 new stem cell lines for testing, bringing to a close nearly a decade of restrictions. Full Story »

When mutual funds step off the beaten path, there's no telling what will happen. In the past, for example, oddball funds have fought the war on terror (the Ancora Homeland Security Fund), tried to prop up the sky (the Chicken Little Growth Fund), and fantasized about swinging a presidential election (the Blue Fund). And although those three particular funds--all of which have been liquidated--failed, others have stepped in to carry the torch and preserve a long and proud tradition of eccentric investing styles. Here are the 10 quirkiest funds we could find: Full Story »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. securities regulators have stepped up their probes of hedge funds and are asking some firms to hand over information about their performance and trades, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. Full Story »

KUWAIT CITY (AFP) - Gulf stock markets steadied on Wednesday after heavy losses in the previous two days, with investors hesitant to trade pending further information on Dubai's plans to sort out its debt crisis. Full Story »

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is calling the Obama administration's newly announced surge-and-exit strategy in Afghanistan "the best way to protect our nation now and in the future." Full Story »

LONDON (AFP) - The FTSE shed early gains to trade in negative territory on Wednesday as investors tracked developments surrounding Dubai's debt crisis. Full Story »

LONDON (AFP) - Asian and Gulf stock markets rose and European equities eased slightly on Wednesday as investors tracked developments surrounding Dubai's debt crisis. Full Story »

KUWAIT CITY (AFP) - Gulf stock markets steadied on Wednesday after heavy losses in the previous two days, in the absence of fresh developments in the Dubai debt crisis. Full Story »

ETFs tracking the Middle East and Gulf States' stock markets plunged this week on news of Dubai World's multibillion-dollar credit problem. Full Story »

DUBAI (AFP) - Stock markets in the United Arab Emirates plunged for a second day on Tuesday after the government said it is not guaranteeing Dubai World's 59 billion dollars of debt and the troubled conglomerate unveiled major restructuring plans. Full Story »