Reuters - Westpac Banking Corp Ltd , which has bid $17.6 billion for St George Bank in the biggest banking takeover ever in Australia, is bracing for rival offers to emerge that could push the price tag even higher.

Reuters - U.S. exports have been helped by a weaker dollar and this is providing a boost to an otherwise weak economy, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Dennis Lockhart said on Saturday.

Reuters - Stocks finished little changed on Friday as surging oil prices lifted energy shares and offset data that showed consumer confidence sank to its lowest in 28 years.

Reuters - U.S. consumer confidence tumbled to a 28-year low this month as rising prices strained household finances, while another drop in single-family housing starts underscored problems still plaguing the economy.

AP - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Friday that financial markets are "considerably calmer" now than they were two months ago. He predicted the economy will be rebounding by the second half of this year.

Reuters - If you work for a bank, a computer may be reading your e-mails, listening to your phone calls or analyzing chat conversations as you type.

AFP - A deadline for Take-Two Interactive Software shareholders to agree to a buyout by video game giant Electronic Arts has passed with neither firm commenting on the takeover bid's fate.