Markets steady amid Xmas exodus, US budget doubts

LONDON (AP) — Financial markets were largely steady in holiday-thinned trading Monday though concerns remain over the progress of U.S. budget discussions and the future of the economic reform program in Italy.For weeks, the discussions between the White House and Congress over a budget deal have been the main driver in markets. If a deal isn’t agreed to by the start of 2013, automatic spending cuts...

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1ST Constitution Bancorp Declares a 5 Percent Stock Dividend

CRANBURY, NJ–(Marketwire – Dec 24, 2012) – 1ST Constitution Bancorp’s ( NASDAQ : FCCY ) Board of Directors has declared a 5 percent stock dividend to shareholders of record as of the close of business on January 14, 2013, payable January 31, 2013. Robert F. Mangano, President and Chief Executive Officer said that this action represents the twenty-first consecutive year that a stock dividend has been...

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Wall Street edges lower in thin trade

SOUTH WAZIRISTAN, Pakistan (Reuters) - This Christmas, pastor Nazir Alam will stoke up a fire, lay a fresh cloth on the altar and welcome parishioners as they arrive at his church in Waziristan, a Pakistani tribal area known as an al-Qaeda haven. "The lights are all up, and the choir boys are ready. The church is looking its best," said 60-year-old Alam, a former missionary who has celebrated his...

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Seahawks roll past 49ers in noisy Seattle 42-13

SEATTLE (AP) — Red Bryant remembers the early years of his career, when the Seattle Seahawks struggled to win only four and five games in his first two seasons.Getting a 10th win on Sunday night and a trip to the postseason was special to the Seahawks' big defensive end."Who has been playing better than us the last few weeks?" Bryant questioned. "This is the National Football League and you don't...

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Senators slam movie's torture scenes

In the new film "Zero Dark Thirty," Jessica Chastain plays a CIA analyst who is part of the team hunting Osama bin Laden. STORY HIGHLIGHTSSens. Feinstein, McCain, Levin send letter calling new film "grossly inaccurate"Letter adds to controversy over depiction of torture as a key to finding bin Laden, Bergen saysSenate committee has approved 6,000-page classified report on CIA interrogations programBergen...

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Nick Cassavetes Sued For Allegedly Stiffing Twin Canadian Pop Duo on $300K Movie Loan

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Nick Cassavetes, Canadian twins and incest – besides three phrases that you probably didn’t expect to read in the same sentence today, they’re also elements of a bizarre new lawsuit that hit the California court system this week.In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, TwinSpin music – home to twin Canadian pop duo Carmen & Camille – claim that “The...

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China and India: The $10 Trillion Engine of Future U.S. Growth

My friend and colleague Michael J. Silverstein, writing in this space in late October, mentioned that the most dangerous thing about China is America’s misguided attitude toward the country. In short, we appear to be afraid of China’s success.The U.S. has never before run from a challenge. This is the wrong time to start.As Silverstein and his co-authors—Carol Liao, David Michael, and Abheek Singhi—point...

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Global Family Trees: BMO Study Shows Canadians with Family and Investments Abroad Unfamiliar with Tax and Estate Laws

TORONTO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Dec 23, 2012) – With the holiday season now upon us, many Canadians have travelled abroad to visit family and friends. But while more than one-quarter (26 per cent) of Canadians have either family members or assets outside of Canada, a study by BMO Harris Private Banking found that more than one-third (36 per cent) of international asset holders are not familiar...

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Wall Street Week Ahead: A lump of coal for "Fiscal Cliff-mas"

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street traders are going to have to pack their tablets and work computers in their holiday luggage after all. A traditionally quiet week could become hellish for traders as politicians in Washington are likely to fall short of an agreement to deal with $600 billion in tax hikes and spending cuts due to kick in early next year. Many economists forecast that this...

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Falcons top Lions 31-18 for home-field advantage

DETROIT (AP) — Matt Ryan got what he wanted.Calvin Johnson was forced to settle for what he could get.Ryan matched a career high with four touchdown passes, two to Roddy White, to help the Atlanta Falcons beat the Detroit Lions 31-18 Saturday night and earn home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs."It's great," Ryan said. "Our confidence is high and our experience — good and bad — has helped...

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