Another sorry week as Cameron stumbles on

Jarred Cummans submits:After a rough start to this shortened trading week, major indexes weathered the storm to close out the week on a positive note. The S&P 500 gained 0.53%, while the Dow Jones experienced a 52 point rise to put the index above the 12,500 level today. On the commodity side, a weakness in the dollar saw oil move above $112 per barrel, while gold, still sitting at its historic high, settled above $1,500 per ounce. The positive day was fueled by strong earnings from some of the nation’s largest companies.

ByDavid Kronenfeld:On Tuesday, McDermott International, Inc. (MDR) announced the acquisition of subsea engineering company DeepSea. With the acquisition, McDermott adds approximately 100 engineers to its current roll of 800 engineers.

ByDavid Kronenfeld:On Tuesday, McDermott International, Inc. (MDR) announced the acquisition of subsea engineering company DeepSea. With the acquisition, McDermott adds approximately 100 engineers to its current roll of 800 engineers.

A couple of readers asked me to comment on the Sun Sentinel article Are loss-share lenders gouging us? In the wake of the recent real-estate meltdown, the borrower of a nonperforming loan called his lender with promising news: "I have a buyer looking to make an all-cash offer for my Florida property. Will you meet with us tomorrow?" The lender's answer: "No."

Jan. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister David Cameron predicted a difficult year for the U.K. economy that will require maintaining the current mix of low interest rates and budget-deficit reduction.

Merkel and Cameron Deadlocked British Prime Minister David Cameron is locked in a battle with German chancellor Angela Merkel over whether to increase the size of the EU budget. Cameron is the only holdout (yet he deserves no credit for his position). Rather, the British Parliament Voted to Reject EU Budget, Cornering Cameron. Otherwise he was prepared to have the EU budget go up at the rate of inflation.