Today's Headlines

Bloomberg:
- U.S. stocks rose, sparing the Standard & Poor's 500 Index from its worst January ever, after the nation's largest bond insurer said it expects to keep its AAA credit rating.
- The Bush administration is looking for “additional measures” to limit foreclosures.
- President Bush said the Senate should quickly pass the $146 billion economic stimulus plan already approved by the House so there is no delay in the effort to boost a slowing US economy.
- Google Inc.(GOOG) succeeded in its push to force the winner of airwaves being sold by the US government to open its network to any mobile device.
- The series of rate cuts by the Fed will benefit companies that rely on debt based on LIBOR, including leveraged loan borrowers, according to analysts at Merrill Lynch(MER).
- Copper is rising 2.5% on speculation lower US borrowing costs will bolster economic growth.
- An Islamic Web site has announced the death of Abu Laith al-Libi, a senior al-Qaeda commander in Afghanistan.
- MasterCard Inc.(MA), the second-biggest payment-card network, said fourth-quarter profit climbed senvenfold as US consumers spent more. The shares are soaring 14.4% on the news.
- Concur Technologies(CNQR) rose the most in almost seven years on the Nasdaq after boosting its forecast as business travel exceeded its expectations.
- Sony Corp.(SNE), the world’s second-largest maker of consumer electronics, reported record quarterly earnings after the PlayStation 3 unit turned profitable.

Wall Street Journal:
- Multitouch Interface Is Starting to Spread Among New Devices.
- New research analyzing more than 22,000 US cases of aortic aneurysm repair is likely to hasten the trend toward more procedures being done with a device called a stent-graft instead of the typical surgery that requires up to eight weeks of recovery.

NY Times:
- Bill Clinton’s Ties to Kazakhstan Deal Examined.

CNNMoney.com:
- MBIA(MBI) Confident In Ability To Maintain AAA Rating. CEO Dunton mounted a spirited defense on a conference call against “fear mongering” and “distortions” by short-sellers that he said have contributed to last year’s dramatic stock-price decline. He also said that MBIA’s capital plan currently exceeds all stated rating agency requirements. The stock is soaring from morning lows on the news.

Briefing.com:
- MBIA(MBI) management again says very clearly that there is no scenario that they can identify that would result in MBI becoming insolvent, having a liquidity event, becoming intervened with, or having a default of any kind.

Mediaweek:
- News Corp.’s(NWS/A) Fox may get as much as $260 million in ad revenue for its Super Bowl programming on Feb. 3, including the broadcast of the game and the four-hour pre-game show.

Financial Times:
- OPEC policies set to ensure oil prices stay on the boil. Iran and Venezuela have injected anti-US and radical positions on to the OPEC agenda.

globeandmail:
- Kerviel made millions from mortgage meltdown.