North America

MILESTONES: CANADA   By Denise Bedell   Harper: Potash decision prompts concerns When Canada's government blocked Australian mining firm BHP Billiton's $39 billion bid for fertilizer giant Potash of Saskatchewan, it did more than put a dent in the Canadian ...

NEWSMAKERS: UNITED STATES   By Gordon Platt   Spending again: US shoppers head to the mall Surprisingly strong US retail sales in September virtually ruled out the possibility of a double-dip recession. Consumer spending, which accounts for two-thirds of US ...

CAN NAFTA FILL THE GAP?   For gaps in Nafta to be plugged, it may take smaller bilateral agreements rather than wide-ranging change to the original FTA.   By Denise Bedell   Renegotiating Nafta: (from left to right) US president ...

United States   By Gordon Platt   All change: Climate risk moves up the corporate agenda The US Securities and Exchange Commission opened a can of worms with its decision to require companies to consider the effects of climate change ...

Canada   By Erik Heinrich   Toronto’s Bay Street: Future home of many US banks? In the 1960s US draft dodgers headed north to Canada to avoid the war in Vietnam. Today, some 40 years later, Wall Street may be ...

  MILESTONES: UNITED STATES   By Gordon Platt It's official. The US recession that came to be known as the Great Recession is over. In fact, it's been over for more than a year, having officially ended in June 2009, ...

UNITED STATES   By Gordon Platt   Who me? Hurd’s multi-million dollar payoff riles investors Mark Hurd received a $20 million Golden Hello when he joined as chief executive of Hewlett-Packard in 2005, and a Golden Handshake that could be ...

UNITED STATES   By Gordon Platt   Taking a new tack: Ben Bernanke, Fed chairman Fed watchers around the world were surprised in August when the Federal Open Market Committee announced a decision to target the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet, ...

VIETNAM   By Thomas Clouse   Clinton: Comments on marine conflicts upset China Vietnam and the United States participated in joint military exercises last month for the first time since the war between the two countries ended 35 years ago. The ...

Global Finance names the World's Safest Banks 2010 in North America   NEW YORK, August 30, 2010 — Global Finance magazine (www.gfmag.com) has named the top 10"Safest Banks in North America" in an exclusive survey to be published in the ...

Global Finance names the World's Best Internet Banks in North America 2010 NEW YORK, July 26, 2010 – Global Finance has announced the First Round winners in the "World's Best Internet Banks" competition in North America. This is the 11th ...

NEWSMAKERS: UNITED STATES/ GLOBAL   By Gordon Platt   Midsize companies in the US are increasingly turning to overseas markets to boost their sales, but they are sticking to what they see as safe markets—those they understand, such as Canada ...

NEWSMAKERS: US/UK   By Gordon Platt   Speaking out: Cameron voices support for beleaguered BP BP still hadn’t plugged that hole yet in the deep-sea floor of the Gulf of Mexico by the end of June, as the Atlantic hurricane season ...

MILESTONES: UNITED STATES   Responsible Corporations Gain Protection   By Denise Bedell   Safekeeping: New law will protect companies’ ethical goals For companies that aim to always be socially and environmentally minded, achieving growth without giving up that goal can be ...

CANADIAN CORPORATES BENEFIT FROM EARLY RECOVERY   With the US recovery still on shaky ground, Canada has seen growth spike, debt markets open wide for Canadian corporates and strong interest from foreign investors in both traditional debt and infrastructure project ...

NEWSMAKERS: UNITED STATES   Obama Administration Continues Export Drive   By Denise Bedell   Gregoire: Coordinating efforts on export promotion The Obama administration has set a goal of doubling US exports in the next five years and announced the development ...

United States   By Gordon Platt   Goldman Sachs: Fraud allegations hit its reputation The Securities and Exchange Commission charged Goldman Sachs with fraud on April 16, causing a sharp decline in equity prices, particularly for financial shares, and especially ...

United States   By Gordon Platt   Valukas: Report raises fears over systemic risk The Valukas Report on the collapse of Lehman Brothers, a nine-volume, 2,200-page document that cost $38 million to produce, was worth every penny. The comprehensive “post ...

United States/United Kingdom   By Gordon Platt   A sweet deal: Kraft swallows Cadbury after a long battle US-based Kraft Foods’ $19.7 billion takeover of British chocolate maker Cadbury last month will create the world’s largest candy company. The deal ...

  United States   By Gordon Platt   Obama: Banks should call off their lawyers and lobbyists As a Congressional commission opened hearings last month on the cause of the financial crisis, United States president Barack Obama proposed a tax ...