United States
New U.S. offshore oil drilling rule planned: New York Times
The United States is planning to impose a major new regulation on offshore oil and gas drilling to try to prevent the kind of explosions that caused the catastrophic BP Plc (BP.L) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing Obama administration officials.
GE to sell bulk of finance unit, return up to $90 billion to investors
General Electric Co will shed most of its finance unit and return as much as $90 billion to shareholders as it becomes a “simpler” industrial business instead of an unwieldy hybrid of banking and manufacturing.
Fed's Lacker says no shame in returning to zero after June hike
Federal Reserve official Jeffrey Lacker on Friday repeated his call for the central bank to consider hiking interest rates in June, and said there was no shame in adjusting them lower again if economic data demanded it.
Wall Street Week Ahead: Fed takes back seat as market shifts focus to earnings
With earnings season underway, Wall Street is temporarily putting the U.S. Federal Reserve and macroeconomic policy on the back burner in favor of a focus on individual company results and forecasts for a pulse on the economy's health.