Asia stocks rise and yen steady but outlook hazy 8 Sep 2010

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Asian stocks edged up and the yen slipped from a 15-year high on Thursday, after a small rally on Wall Street driven by successful European bond auctions gave investors an excuse to lighten up on their bets.

Economists cut U.S. growth forecast again 8 Sep 2010

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Projected U.S. economic growth for the rest of this year and next was revised down for a third month in a row by a panel of about 50 economists.

FDIC's Bair warns of government "exposure" in mortgages 8 Sep 2010

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A key U.S. banking regulator raised concern on Wednesday about the risk of "exposure" the government is taking on in the mortgage market and urged more stringent standards for underwriting mortgages.

U.S. slips in WEF's competitiveness rankings 8 Sep 2010

BEIJING (Reuters) - Switzerland remains the world's most competitive economy, while the United States has fallen from second to fourth, according to the World Economic Forum.

Lloyds set to sell Crest Nicholson stake: report 8 Sep 2010

LONDON (Reuters) - Lloyds Banking Group is to sell its stake in bank-owned housebuilder Crest Nicholson for 150 million pounds ($232 million), the Financial Times said on Thursday.