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J Sainsbury, Britain's third-biggest supermarket group, missed fourth-quarter sales forecasts, adding to signs of a slowdown in consumer spending growth as inflation climbs and government spending cuts bite. Sainsbury, which trails industry

Portugal's parliament is expected to reject the government's latest austerity measures on Wednesday, setting the stage for the possible collapse of the minority Socialist administration a day before a European summit. Prime

The Japanese government on Wednesday estimated the direct damage from a deadly earthquake and tsunami that struck the country's northeast this month at 16-25 trillion yen ($185-308 billion), making it the world's

Japanese shares fell on Wednesday after the previous day's four-percent rally, while government bond futures edged higher as investors paused to assess the economic damage from this month's earthquake and tsunami and

* NBG profits seen down 64% Alpha Bank, Greece's third-largest lender, on Tuesday reported a sharp drop in 2010 earnings, hurt by higher bad debt provisions and weak loan growth as the

* Sony may shift production abroad * Toyota, Honda suspend until Sunday Sony cut output at five more plants and Toyota delayed restarting assembly lines, as the global supply of parts and

* Ministers reach deal on ESM, no Irish debt relief European central bankers have signalled they stand ready to raise interest rates next month despite uncertainty linked to Japan's nuclear crisis and

The 2011 credit outlook for hedge funds is stable overall, with signs of improvement underpinned by the industry's positive performance and profitability, Moody's Investors Service said in an Industry Outlook published Tuesday.

After buoyant wine auctions that saw booming sales, most auctioneers believe the only bubbles in the wine market are in the Champagnes poured during the bidding. Chicago-based wine merchants Hart Davis Hart