U.S.

Metals Fall, Yen Strengthens on Speculation China Will Restrain Expansion Commodities fell and the yen strengthened on increasing speculation that China, the world’s fastest-growing economy, will slow its expansion to control inflation. Stocks swung between gains and losses.

Foreclosures in U.S. Rise at Slowest Pace in Four Years on Obama Efforts U.S. foreclosure filings rose at the slowest pace in four years in February as the government sought to reduce record bank seizures, RealtyTrac Inc. said.

Trade Deficit in U.S. Probably Widened for Third Month as Imports Climbed The U.S. trade deficit probably widened in January for a third month as imports grew faster than exports, pointing to a rebound in global economic growth, economists said before a report today.

U.S. Stock-Index Futures Drop; Safeguard Falls, Devon Soars on BP Deal U.S. stock-index futures fell, indicating the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index may snap two days of gains, before economic reports that may give further clues about the strength of the recovery.

GMAC's Executive Pay May Not Be `Appropriate,' TARP Oversight Panel Says GMAC Inc., the auto and home lender rescued by the U.S. government, may have overpaid its top executives after receiving taxpayer funds, according to a report by the watchdog for the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

El-Erian Says World Economy May Face Disruptive Sovereign Debt Imbalances Mohamed A. El-Erian, whose company runs the world’s biggest mutual fund, said deteriorating public finances may affect the global economy more than is currently realized.

Latin America

Chavez Outdone by Billionaire Mendoza as Wealth Soars Amid Takeover Threat Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s “21st Century Socialism” is failing to rein in billionaire Lorenzo Mendoza.

Brazil GDP Jumps 2% in Fourth Quarter at Fastest Quarterly Pace Since 2007 Brazil’s economy rose in the fourth quarter of 2009 at the fastest pace in two years, giving policy makers the necessary ammunition to raise interest rates as soon as next week to fight inflationary pressures.

Hedge Fund-Backed Argentine Soy Producer Tejar Weighs U.S. IPO on Demand Argentina’s El Tejar SA, which produces about 3 million tons of grains and oilseeds in South America, is weighing an initial public offering in New York to tap rising investor demand for agricultural assets.

Earthquake Devastates New Chilean President Pinera's Plan to Spur Economy Fisherman Adolfo Opazo walks in a daze to where his house stood until Feb. 27, when an earthquake and tsunami turned his neighborhood in Constitucion, Chile, into a wasteland.

Devon Energy to Sell Assets in Brazil, Gulf of Mexico to BP for $7 Billion BP Plc will pay Devon Energy Corp. $7 billion for assets in Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico and Azerbaijan, adding fields that may extend its production lead over Exxon Mobil Corp.

Pulp Price May Rise to Record as Chile Quake, Finnish Strike Curb Output Chile’s earthquake and a Finnish port strike may propel pulp prices to a record, hastening a tightening of inventories after papermakers cut output.

Exclusive

Chrysler in Hibernation Means Marchionne May Have to Wait on Fiat Spinoff Fiat SpA, the Italian carmaker that helped Chrysler Group LLC emerge from bankruptcy, may wait to turn around the U.S. business before deciding on a share sale or spinoff for its automotive division.

Geely May Need to Invest at Least $1.4 Billion in Volvo to Revive Carmaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. may have to spend at least 10 billion kronor ($1.4 billion) to revive Volvo Cars after buying the Swedish brand from Ford Motor Co., Volvo union officials and board members said.

Solar Prospectors Chase `Gold Mine' Deals in Chinese, Israeli Subsidies Olivier de Vergnies quit managing family fortunes at Dexia Private Bank (Switzerland) Ltd. in 2008 to run a New York start-up at 100 Wall St. that’s trying to tap riches in solar energy.

Nomura's Wang, Feldkamp Leave as Former Lehman Managers Depart Brokerage Nomura Holdings Inc.’s vice chairman of China investment banking and head of equity capital markets for Asia outside Japan left the Tokyo-based company, according to people with knowledge of the departures.

Chavez Outdone by Billionaire Mendoza as Wealth Soars Amid Takeover Threat Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s “21st Century Socialism” is failing to rein in billionaire Lorenzo Mendoza.

Red-Coral Rescue Plans Endanger Italian Jewelry Makers of Torre del Greco The people of Torre del Greco, 10 miles south of Naples, have lived off the red corals found in the Mediterranean Sea for more than two millennia. A proposal to list the species as endangered may push the seaside town’s $217 million-a-year coral industry into extinction.