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WALL STREET UPDATE
Last Update 02-06-12 1627EST

Stocks slip on Wall Street as Greek talks drag on

AP Photo NYRD203


NEW YORK (AP) _ Stock indexes are closing slightly lower as talks drag on between Greek political leaders over a fresh austerity package required for the country to get more bailout loans.

President Nicolas Sarkozy of France and German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Greek leaders that they need to push through spending cuts and other measures or risk letting the country go bankrupt.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 17 points to close at 12,845. Travelers Cos. Inc. led the Dow lower with a 1.3 percent loss.

The S&P 500 index fell less than 1 point to 1,344. The Nasdaq composite fell 4 points to 2,902.

Nearly three stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange. Trading volume was lighter than average at 3.3 billion.

Last Update on 02-06-12 1718EST

NEW YORK
Stocks ended the Wall Street session slightly lower. The Dow fell 17 points, or 0.1 percent, to 12,845. The S&P was down less than a point, while the Nasdaq slipped nearly 4 points.


CHICAGO
Boeing says repairs are needed in the tail sections of some of its new 787s. It says there is no immediate safety concern and the planes will keep flying. All of the five planes delivered since September went to Japan's All Nippon Airways.


SEATTLE
Money donated by the nation's most charitable givers is starting to catch up with pre-recession giving. The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports the top 50 donors made pledges in 2011 to give a total of $10.4 billion. A decade ago, the top 50 gave $12.5 billion.


MIAMI
JP Morgan Chase has agreed to pay $110 million to settle a class-action lawsuit claiming the bank charged excessive checking overdraft fees. The tentative deal must be approved by a judge who is overseeing similar lawsuits against about 30 banks.


TOLEDO, Ohio
A Toledo, Ohio, hot dog eatery made famous on the TV series "M-A-S-H" has been sold after a family feud over ownership. Representatives of a private restaurant group in Toledo say they have finalized their $5.5 million purchase of the Tony Packo's chain. The operation's future had been in doubt since a bank foreclosed on its loans and a court-appointed third party was put in charge.



Business News
Last Update on 02-06-12 1305EST

WALL STREET Stocks slip on Wall Street as Greek talks drag on

U.S. stocks are slightly lower at midday on Wall Street as talks drag on between Greek political leaders over a fresh austerity package required for the country to get more bailout loans.

The key averages were down 0.2 to 0.3 percent. Trading so far this year has been generally muted even as the averages have risen to multi-year highs.

On Friday, the Dow closed at its highest level since May 2008, while the Nasdaq composite index closed at its highest level since December 2000.



EUROPE-FINANCIAL CRISIS France, Germany want closer control of Greek funds

France and Germany seek to impose tighter controls on Greece's finances, warning political leaders in Athens to agree on new austerity measures soon if they don't want to see their country go bankrupt.

President Nicolas Sarkozy of France and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (AHN'-geh-lah MEHR'-kuhl) say Greek leaders need to push through reforms in order to obtain new funds in a second planned bailout worth $171 billion.

The country needs the money to repay a bond coming due in March. But Greek party leaders have been unable to agree to the new measures, missing multiple deadlines in the negotiations, and delayed their latest meeting to Tuesday. Financial markets remain on edge as investors await the outcome of the talks.

In a sign of their lack of confidence in the Greek politicians, Sarkozy and Merkel called for Athens to set up a separate account to ensure that billions of euros in bailout money go directly to servicing debt, and not other government spending priorities.

The proposal would amount to a financial straitjacket that would force Athens to put a higher priority on repaying its foreign lenders than on financing government services.



OBAMA-IRAN US levies new sanctions on Iran's Central Bank

President Barack Obama has ordered new sanctions on Iran and its central bank, in a move to enforce a law he signed in December.

In a letter to Congress, Obama said the tougher sanctions are warranted "particularly in light of the deceptive practices of the Central Bank of Iran and other Iranian banks." He said the problems included the hiding transactions of sanctioned parties, the deficiencies of Iran's anti-money laundering regime and the unacceptably high risk posed to the entire international financial system posed by Iran's activities.

The sanctions were included as an amendment in the wide-ranging defense bill Obama signed into law at the end of 2011. The White House said Obama signed the executive order approving the sanctions on Sunday, well ahead of the six-month window he was afforded in the defense bill.

Obama's fresh swipe at Tehran come as the White House tries to both ratchet up pressure on the Islamic republic to abandon its nuclear program and dissuade Israel from launching a unilateral strike on Iran, a move that could roil the Middle East and jolt the global economy.

Obama said Sunday he does not believe Israel has yet decided whether to attack Iran and still believes a diplomatic solution is possible.



CHINA-IMF-ECONOMY IMF warns Europe downturn could cut China growth

The International Monetary Fund warns that a sharp downturn in Europe could cut China's economic growth rate nearly in half, adding to warnings about a possible severe global slowdown this year.

The IMF says Beijing should be ready to launch a multibillion-dollar stimulus to ward off a slump in the world's second-largest economy.

The IMF forecasts 8.2 percent growth this year for China but said that could be reduced by up to 4 percentage points if Europe's crisis causes large declines in credit and output.

China rebounded quickly from the 2008 global crisis and its economy expanded by a healthy 9.2 percent last year but growth has declined as Beijing tightened credit and investment curbs to prevent overheating.

China's leaders have responded to a plunge in global demand by promising bank lending and other aid to struggling entrepreneurs. The government warned last month it faces "complexity and challenges" due to global malaise.

The World Bank, which is the IMF's sibling organization, told China and other developing countries last month they should prepare for a global slump that it warned might hit them harder than the 2008 economic crisis.



AMGEN-BONE DRUG FDA questions Amgen drug for prostate cancer

Scientists for the Food and Drug Administration say that an Amgen drug slowed the spread of cancer to the bone in men with hard-to-treat prostate cancer, though the drug did not extend life and carried significant side effects.

The Food and Drug Administration will ask a panel of outside experts on Wednesday whether the benefits of Amgen's Xgeva outweigh its risks, which included bone disease in about 5 percent of patients taking the drug. The agency posted its review of the drug online Monday morning ahead of the meeting.

Xgeva is already approved for preventing fractures in cancerous bones, and for osteoporosis, in a different formulation called Prolia.

Amgen has asked the FDA to approve the injectable drug as a preventive measure for men with recurring prostate cancer that is at high risk of spreading to the bone. Men must have also attempted and failed treatment with hormone therapy.



VERIZON-REDBOX Verizon to set up streaming service with Redbox

Phone company Verizon Communications will challenge Netflix and start a video streaming service this year with Redbox and its DVD rental kiosks.

Verizon and Redbox parent Coinstar say the service will be national, available to non-Verizon customers. It adds another leg to Verizon's quest to become a force in home entertainment, and it looks set to compete to some extent with the cable-TV services it already sells.

Verizon has its own cable-TV service, called FiOS , available in some markets. Its Verizon Wireless subsidiary has also signed a deal to sell service from Comcast and other cable TV companies in its stores.

With the Redbox venture, Verizon is breaking ranks with the cable and satellite industry, which makes its own video streaming services available only to people who also subscribe to its traditional TV feeds. They don't want households switching to Internet-only services, which are cheaper _ Netflix charges $8 per month for its video streaming plan.



US-EARNS-HASBRO Hasbro 4Q net income down 1 percent

No. 2 toy maker Hasbro says its fourth-quarter profit slipped 1 percent, citing softer-than-expected demand in the U.S. and Canada and slow sales of games and puzzles during the holiday season.

The results contrast with larger rival Mattel, the maker of Barbie, which last week reported better-than-expected results for the season. Toy makers can make up to half of their annual revenue during the holiday quarter.

While earnings for Hasbro _ maker of Nerf, Transformers and My Little Pony _ matched Wall Street estimates, revenue was slightly below forecasts.

Hasbro owns such classic board games as Monopoly, Life and Scrabble. It has updated the brands with digital versions and high-tech features, but board games were not big sellers this holiday season. It has also started making action movies with board game titles. "Battleship" from Universal hits theaters in May.







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