European stocks drop before ECB rate call (AFP)

AFP – European stock markets slid on Thursday as investors took profits from recent gains amid caution before the latest interest rate decision from the European Central Bank.

Runaway Algo Shows New Rules Needed, Says Commission
A malfunctioning algorithm that caused a $1 surge in oil prices earlier this year shows the need for regulators to zero in on the risks posed by high-speed trading, an official from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission said on Thursday.

SEC says it lacked authority to charge Moody’s (AP)
AP – The Securities and Exchange Commission has declined to seek fraud charges against Moody’s Investors Services over its ratings of risky investments that led to the financial crisis.

State Street Releases Risk Analytics and Services Products for Institutional Investors
New tools for clients, including performance heat maps and compliance features, are integrated into State Street’s Analytics Dashboard.

Canadian Solar Reports 2Q10 Financial Results
ONTARIO, Canada, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ — Canadian Solar Inc. (the “Company”, “we” or “Canadian Solar”) (Nasdaq: CSIQ), one of the world’s largest solar companies, today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010 and its outlook for the third quarter

Wall St rises after payrolls data (Reuters)

Reuters – Wall Street advanced on Friday after a better-than-expected jobs report lifted investor optimism on the economy but gains were checked after data showed services sector activity slowed.

Strong Asian data boosts world stocks (Reuters)

Reuters – World stocks kicked off September on a stronger note on Wednesday as data showed a manufacturing rebound in China and stronger-than-expected growth in Australia, while the yen held near recent 15-year peaks against the dollar.

Justice Department Ends Probe of Hedge Fund ‘Idea Dinner’
Hedge fund managers can go back to eating, drinking and sharing trading ideas now that sources say federal investigators have dropped an inquiry into whether a group of money-managers conspired at a so-called “idea dinner” to drive down the value of the euro.

U.S. Judge Approves BofA Settlement Fund
A federal judge approved the creation of a $150 million fund for Bank of America Corp shareholders as part of a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission over the bank’s 2009 acquisition of Merrill Lynch.

Technically, Chesapeake Energy Is a Sell
Assuming you pay attention to lines on a graph.

Does Amazon Pass Buffett’s Test?
Discover one of the Oracle of Omaha’s favorite ways to size up a stock.

What’s Up With This Margin Trend?
Keep your eye on Margins.

6 Big-Time Electronic Stocks Up for Grabs
These large-cap stocks look pretty cheap

The Most Popular High Yielders in Food and Drink
You may be surprised.

How Safe Are Xilinx’s Dividends?
Let’s find out.

What’s the Best ETF Right Now?
We poll a panel of Fools for their finest fund picks.

6 Big-Time Material Stocks Up for Grabs
These large-cap stocks look pretty cheap

Whoa! What Just Happened to My Stock?
These stocks just took off, but are they about to make a return trip to earth?

Pfizer Takes an Orphan Into the Fold
Rare diseases are the new black.

These Global Giants Look Cheap
Get emerging markets exposure without leaving the U.S. market.

5-Star Stocks Poised to Pop: Leucadia
Market-trouncing returns could be written in these five stars.

The 7 Most Popular High Yielders in Consumer Goods
You may be surprised.

Technically, BB&T Is a Sell
Assuming you pay attention to lines on a graph.

Mutual Funds Weekly: Invest confidently when others lose their nerve
This summer has burned investors, and no amount of SPF — stock protection factor — has been able to soothe their sores.

Democrat Says Abolish Freddie, Fannie
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should be abolished rather than reformed as part of the Obama administration’s planned overhaul of the government’s role in housing finance, Rep. Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services committee said.

Solace Systems And Serisys Sign Distribution Agreement For China
This agreement allows Serisys, which is based in Hong Kong and has offices in Shanghai, Tokyo and Singapore, to sell and service Solace equipment to financial services providers throughout China including Hong Kong.

Latin American Markets: Petrobras shares up as oil-rights deal moves ahead
Sao Paulo-traded shares of Brazilian oil giant Petrobras rise Thursday in the wake of the company’s long-awaited oil-rights agreement with the government.

Alternative Trading Strategies Flourish for Range-Bound Equities
With equities stuck in a range and long-term investors sidelined by high volatility, alternative trading strategies are set to make gains as long as the market zigzags.

NYC Unemployment Rate Slides to 9.4 Percent in July
Wall Street brokerages hired 1,200 people in July, increasing the sector’s employment to 160,800 people.

September, February are worst months in market (AP)
AP – No month has brought worse results in the stock market than September.

Fed approves sale of Morgan Stanley stock shares (AP)
AP – The Federal Reserve has approved a request by a Chinese sovereign wealth fund to acquire up to 10 percent of the voting shares of New York investment giant Morgan Stanley.

Crisis Panel to Hear from Bernanke, Lehman’s Fuld
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and bank regulator Sheila Bair will testify this week before a U.S. panel exploring the causes of the financial crisis.

Coloring in the Margins at Coventry Health Care
Keep your eye on margins.

The U.S. vs. Steve Jobs
Unemployment is up, but so are corporate profits. What’s up with that?

Deere Wisely Kicks Wind Energy
Deere &Co.’s announced sale of its wind unit to Exelon makes awfully good sense.

Stock Cheat Sheet: Tim Hortons
Your first step toward becoming an expert.

Dividends Aren’t Enough: Hotels
This simple secret can reveal a company’s true generosity.

Why We’re Buying Interactive Brokers

Does Pfizer Pass Buffett’s Test?
Discover one of the Oracle of Omaha’s favorite ways to size up a stock.

Communities key in foreclosure fight: Fed officials
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Two top U.S. Federal Reserve officials on Thursday called for a more community-focused approach to the country’s ongoing foreclosure crisis, which is weighing on its economic recovery.

Lehman preps bank units for sale or shutdown
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc , the bankrupt U.S. investment bank, needs at least $550 million to keep its two bank units going as it prepares to sell them or shut them down in 18 months, court documents show.

Stocks edge higher after jobs, housing reports (AP)

AP – Stocks edged higher Thursday after reports on housing, manufacturing and jobs indicated the economy continues to grow, albeit slowly.

SEC probes cancelled trades in flash crash: report (Reuters)
Reuters – U.S. securities regulator is looking into a Wall Street trading practice in which unusually large numbers of orders to buy or sell stocks are placed in a fraction of a second, only to be canceled almost immediately, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

September, February are worst months in market (AP)
AP – No month has brought worse results in the stock market than September.

Discounts, heat fuel August retail sales beat
CHICAGO (Reuters) – U.S. retailers posted better-than-expected sales in August as consumers sought out bargains during the key back-to-school selling season.

Burger King agrees to be sold for $3.26 billion
LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Burger King Holdings Inc , the No. 2 U.S. fast-food chain, agreed to sell itself to investment firm 3G Capital for about $3.26 billion in a deal analysts said would give the restaurant breathing room to fix its business.

Pending homes sales rise and jobless claims dip
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Pending sales of previously owned U.S. homes rebounded unexpectedly in July and new claims for jobless benefits fell last week, hopeful signs for the sputtering economic recovery.

Jonathan Burton’s Life Savings: ‘Nifty 50/50′ portfolio keeps investing simple
Investing is complex rocket science that requires professional help — at least that’s what the professionals usually say. But a strong case can be made for investors following a design principle known as KISS, which in this case stands for: Keep it simple, saver.

Australia’s July trade surplus disappoints
Australian trade data show a trade surplus of $1.71 billion in July, with the figure falling short of economists’ estimates.

Economy takes center stage in Boxer-Fiorina debate
The economy takes center stage in Wednesday’s debate between incumbent Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer and Republican challenger Carly Fiorina, as the two trade broadsides over how best to pull the state, and nation, out of its morass.

Asia Markets: Ping An soars on Shenzhen bank acquistion plan
Ping An Insurance shares rise sharply as trading resumed after a halt of more than two months, with investors cheering the Chinese insurance giant’s latest move toward becoming a player in the banking arena.

Auto sales post weakest August since 1983
DETROIT (Reuters) – Automakers posted their weakest U.S. August sales in 27 years, underscoring uncertainty about the strength of the recovery in the world’s largest economy.

David Callaway: Mrs. Watanabe corners global currency market
In Japan, where stocks have been out of favor for 20 years and the yen is sacrosanct, lives Mrs. Watanabe. She’s a mythical housewife representing thousands of small Japanese investors, and Dave Callaway argues that global central banks ought to keep a closer eye on her.

Hurricane Earl threatens East Coast
The National Weather Service issues a hurricane warning for the coastline from North Carolina to Virginia.

Borders posts loss as sales continue to fall
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Borders Group Inc reported a quarterly loss as the second-largest U.S. book store chain cut prices and continued to grapple with lower sales amid a shift to electronic books.

Manufacturing grows but private jobs tumble
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The manufacturing sector grew faster than expected in August, chalking up a 13th straight month of expansion, helping to calm fears that economic growth was stagnating.

Europe Markets: U.S. data fuels European stock rally
European markets shifted higher on Wednesday, getting September off to a choppy start, helped by gains for entertainment giant Vivendi after it reported strong results and across-the-board advances for most sectors, led by financials and miners..

Energy Stocks: Energy stocks rally after losing streak
The sector kicks off the month of September in positive territory, after moving down sharply in the previous month.

GM posts double-digit drop in August sales
General Motors is the first of the major auto makers to illustrate just how tough it was to move metal last month, handing in a steep 24.9% drop in August vehicle sales.

Burger King mulls sale: source
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Burger King Holdings Inc has been considering a possible sale and has held talks with potential buyers, a source familiar with the situation said on Wednesday, lifting its shares 18.5 percent.

China may probe BHP’s bid for Potash: report
BEIJING (Reuters) – China may launch an antimonopoly probe into BHP Billiton’s $39 billion bid for Canada’s Potash Corp, the China Business News said on Wednesday, citing a source familiar with the matter.

Nasdaq rises 3 percent as rally accelerates
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks extended broad gains on Wednesday, with the Nasdaq Composite up 3 percent led by gains in large-cap technology companies.

Romer: U.S. must find will for further stimulus
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Departing White House economist Christina Romer said on Wednesday the United States needs to find the political will for more action to boost the economy and not let high deficits get in the way of creating jobs.

U.S. turns down China currency probes in two cases
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Commerce Department decided on Tuesday not to investigate whether China subsidizes exports to the United States by undervaluing its currency, prompting renewed calls for Congress to act on the issue.

Wall St ends dismal month on flat note, semis slide (Reuters)

Reuters – Stocks ended little changed in choppy trading on Tuesday, closing out an August the bulls would like to forget.

A look at economic developments around the globe (AP)
AP – A look at economic developments and activity in major stock markets around the world Monday:

Double-dip fears hit global stocks (Reuters)

Reuters – World stocks fell Tuesday in markets dominated by concerns the U.S. economy is sliding back into recession, prompting further flows into safe-haven assets.

SEC says it lacked authority to charge Moody’s (AP)
AP – The Securities and Exchange Commission has declined to seek fraud charges against Moody’s Investors Services over its ratings of risky investments that led to the financial crisis.

Investors embark on treacherous month (Reuters)

Reuters – Beaten-up investors go into September, historically a weak month for stocks, facing key reports on jobs, manufacturing and services. If those disappoint, the S&P 500 could breach technical support levels, pushing stocks yet lower.

Fed approves sale of Morgan Stanley stock shares (AP)
AP – The Federal Reserve has approved a request by a Chinese sovereign wealth fund to acquire up to 10 percent of the voting shares of New York investment giant Morgan Stanley.

Asia shares rise on China, Australia economic news (AP)

AP – Asian stock markets gained Wednesday after Australia’s economy expanded at its fastest pace in three years and Chinese manufacturing growth picked up for the first time in four months.

Loan picture improves but troubles remain: FDIC
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. loan picture improved slightly during the second quarter, with the amount of loans 90 days or more past due declining for the first time in more than four years, bank regulators said on Tuesday.

Perkins & Marie Callender’s Inc. Reports Results for the Quarter Ended July 11, 2010
MEMPHIS, Tenn., Aug. 31 /PRNewswire/ — Perkins & Marie Callender’s Inc. (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, the “Company”, “PMCI” or “we”) is reporting today its financial results for the second quarter ended July 11, 2010. Highlights for the Second Quarter of 2010: Perkins restaurant