Investing

June 23, 2009 -- CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Duke Energy has declared a quarterly cash dividend on its common stock of $0.24 per share, an increase of $0.01 over the previous level. The dividend is payable on Sept. 16, 2009, to shareholders of record on the close of business Aug. 14, 2009.

"Despite challenging economic conditions, Duke Energy continues to successfully implement its business strategy. We are pleased to share this success with our investors," said James E. Rogers, chairman, president and CEO.

This is the 83rd consecutive year that Duke Energy has paid a quarterly cash dividend on its common stock.

Source: Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK)

London - 23 June 2009 - J.P. Morgan Worldwide Securities Services today announced it will provide fund accounting, OTC derivatives services and compliance reporting to Schroder Investment Management's UK range of retail funds.

J.P. Morgan already provides custody, accounting, OTC derivative compliance reporting, securities lending, trust & fiduciary, cash and foreign exchange services to Schroders, and services the company from Australia, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, the US and the UK.    » read more »

Washington, D.C., June 22, 2009 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a New York-based broker-dealer and four individuals with securities fraud, alleging that they collectively raised billions of dollars from investors for Bernard L. Madoff's Ponzi scheme.    » read more »

June 22, 2009 -- Five individuals pleaded guilty today in federal court in Detroit for their roles in a wide-ranging international stock fraud scheme involving the illegal use of bulk commercial e-mails, or "spamming."    » read more »

James H. Hance Jr. to Join Board in July

June 22 2009 -- New York -- Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) announced today that James H. Hance, Jr. has been elected to the company's Board of Directors, effective July 1. This will bring the total size of the Board to 13 members.

Mr. Hance, 64, is a Senior Advisor at The Carlyle Group and was formerly Chairman of Carlyle Capital Corp. Previously, Mr. Hance was with Bank of America and its predecessor companies for 18 years as a Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer and a member of the board. He was also a Partner at Price Waterhouse in the 1980s.    » read more »

June 22 2009 -- Riyadh -- Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) today announced that Morgan Stanley Saudi Arabia (MSSA) has launched equity trading on the KSA stock exchange, Tadawul. This new capability enables the Firm and its clients to trade cash equities and delivers the Firm's global market expertise to Saudi as well as GCC investors. The launch also enables MSSA to service international clients via swap contracts.

The new equity trading capability follows on the Firm's recent initiation of economic and equity strategy research coverage for Saudi Arabia.    » read more »

Washington, D.C., June 19, 2009 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged two accountants who produced bogus financial statements and an Antiguan regulator who took bribes to look the other way as Robert Allen Stanford conducted an alleged $8 billion Ponzi scheme.

The SEC previously charged Stanford and his companies — Antiguan-based Stanford International Bank (SIB), Houston-based broker-dealer and investment adviser Stanford Group Company (SGC), and investment adviser Stanford Capital Management — as well as SIB chief financial officer James Davis and Stanford Financial Group chief investment officer Laura Pendergest-Holt with securities fraud in an enforcement action filed in federal court in Dallas on February 17.    » read more »

Stanford Financial Group Executives and Former Chairman of Antiguan Bank Regulator Indicted for Fraud and Obstruction; Charges Related to $7 Billion Dollar Scheme to Defraud Investors

June 19, 2009 -- Robert Allen Stanford, 59, chairman of the Houston-based Stanford Financial Group (SFG), three SFG executives and the former chief executive officer of the Antiguan bank regulatory agency have been indicted on fraud and obstruction charges related to a $7 billion scheme to defraud investors.    » read more »

LONDON, June 22 -- The Bank of New York Mellon has introduced Derivatives360, an integrated investment servicing lifecycle solution to help clients efficiently execute and manage derivatives transactions.

Derivatives360's flexible modular design allows clients to select some or all of the components offered by the new platform, allowing them to focus resources and management time on their core activities.

Clients are today looking to outsource derivative functions historically handled in-house for a number of reasons, including credit considerations, product complexity, the high investment costs associated with specialist systems, a shortage of high-calibre staff, stronger regulation and the wider industry drive towards standardisation.    » read more »

Announces Date for Annual Meeting of Stockholders; Stockholders to Vote on Merger Agreement with Pfizer

Madison, N.J., June 18, 2009 – Wyeth (NYSE:WYE) today announced that it has filed a definitive proxy statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for its Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Among other matters, stockholders will vote on Wyeth’s merger agreement with Pfizer (NYSE: PFE), which was announced on January 26, 2009.    » read more »

The State Of Qatar Launches “Qatar Exchange” As It Signs Today Formal Terms Of Strategic Partnership With NYSE Euronext

Doha / New York / Paris, 19 June 2009 – Qatar Holding (“QH”), the strategic and direct investment arm of Qatar Investment Authority (“QIA”), and NYSE Euronext (NYX) today announced the signing of binding agreements to form a major strategic partnership which will establish Qatar Exchange (successor to the current Doha Securities Market (“DSM”)) as a world-class international exchange, and provide NYSE Euronext with a valuable presence in the Middle East.

The successful closing of negotiations follows a preliminary announcement on 24 June 2008 that Qatar had selected NYSE Euronext as a partner.    » read more »

Program Trading Averaged 30.7 Percent of NYSE Volume during June 8-12

NEW YORK, June 18, 2009 -- The New York Stock Exchange, a subsidiary of NYSE Euronext (NYX), today released its weekly program-trading data submitted by its member firms. The report includes trading in all markets as reported to the NYSE for June 8-12.

The data indicated that during June 8-12, program trading amounted to 30.7 percent of NYSE average daily volume of 2,233.0 million shares1, or 686.0 million program shares traded per day.

Program trading encompasses a wide range of portfolio-trading strategies involving the purchase or sale of a basket of at least 15 stocks.    » read more »

June 18, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today attended a U.S. Senate Banking Hearing entitled “The Administration's Proposal to Modernize the Financial Regulatory System." In response, Brown issued the following statement:

Let me say at the outset that I agree with the president that we must reform our nation’s financial regulatory system. Why? All you have to do is pick up a paper or turn on the television to learn about homes being lost, Americans losing their jobs because businesses can’t get access to credit, and banks being shuttered.

I believe that one of our nation’s forefathers, James Madison, said it best when he wrote that “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”    » read more »

AIG Extends Until June 24, 2009 Exchange Offers For Its 8.175% Series A-6 Junior Subordinated Debentures And Its 8.250% Notes Due 2018

NEW YORK -- Jun. 17, 2009 -- American International Group, Inc. (AIG) announced today that it has extended until June 24, 2009:

* its offer to exchange up to $4.0 billion principal amount of its 8.175% Series A-6 Junior Subordinated Debentures which have been registered under the Securities Act of 1933 (“New Junior Subordinated Debentures”) for all of its outstanding unregistered 8.175% Series A-6 Junior Subordinated Debentures (“Old Junior Subordinated Debentures”), and    » read more »

World's biggest carbon offset exchange comes one step closer to reality as

Beijing / New York , June 18, 2009 – NYSE Euronext (NYX) today announced that BlueNext, its majority-owned environmental trading exchange, is partnering with the China-Beijing Environmental Exchange (CBEEX), the first state-level Chinese environmental rights trading platform, to set up an international carbon-trading related information platform.

Bluenext, the world’s largest “spot” trader of carbon credits supported by the world’s leading and most liquid exchange group, operates the world’s largest spot market for Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs). CBEEX is the gateway to China , the world’s largest market for Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects.    » read more »