Bullish Blog

Reuters - Phillip Bennett, the former head of Refco Inc who was accused of orchestrating a fraud that led to the demise of the commodities broker, has reached a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, according to court documents.

The company's computers are due for an overhaul, and an Apple official has promised a 'future product transition.' Giving the MacBook a new touch screen is the likely next step, analysts say.

AP - Pax World Management Corp. has agreed to pay a $500,000 fine because it failed to follow its own socially responsible investing criteria over a five-year period, when two of its mutual funds invested in off-limits industries such as gambling and liquor, and oil and gas exploration.

Reuters - A federal appeals court reversed the convictions of two former New York Stock Exchange floor traders on Wednesday, the latest blow to a U.S. government case that had originally charged 15 traders with fraud.

Reuters - The Toronto Stock Exchange's main index jumped more than 2 percent on Wednesday, spurred by resource issues, especially the energy sector, which rallied along with oil prices.

AP - A federal appeals court dealt what was likely to be the final blow to the ill-fated prosecution of 15 New York Stock Exchange specialists Wednesday by overturning the securities fraud convictions of two of the floor supervisors.

AFP - Blue chips closed higher as Wall Street remained firmer, with Rexam, Admiral and Aviva all continuing to gain after positive earnings news.

AP - Wall Street soared for the second straight day Wednesday, rallying in the last hour of trading after a rebound in financial stocks and optimism about private sector jobs.

AFP - Europe's main stock markets rose strongly on Wednesday as oil prices cooled further and after an overnight bounce on Wall Street which helped to lift Asian equity prices, traders said.

Reuters - The Dow industrials and S&P 500 rose on Wednesday as a surprising increase in private-sector employment and central bank efforts to boost liquidity in stormy financial markets offset a surge in oil prices.