MF Global shortfall worsened as bankruptcy neared (Reuters)

Reuters - A shortfall in customer funds at MF Global Holdings' broker-dealer unit grew in the days before the company went bankrupt, as client money increasingly was used to pay for MF's daily activities, said the trustee liquidating the broker-dealer.

After U.S. oil snub, Canada focuses on China (Reuters)

Reuters - Canada will focus on exporting oil and other goods to China and other booming Asian economies even if Washington overturns its decision to block a pipeline that would have sent more Canadian crude to the United States.

Analysis: Brent premium to U.S. oil set for another blowout? (Reuters)

Reuters - Brent crude's premium to U.S. oil could be poised for another record run after jumping 50 percent over the past week, as an expected build in Midwest inventories again exerts pressure on the U.S. benchmark.

Skepticism grows around Medco/Express Scripts deal (Reuters)

Reuters - Objections to Express Scripts' $29 billion plan to buy rival pharmacy benefits manager Medco Health Solutions are accumulating as U.S. antitrust regulators weigh whether they have enough evidence to stop the megamerger.

Anti-cuts protests push Romania PM out (Reuters)

Reuters - Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc resigned on Monday, joining a list of European leaders felled by fury at the kind of spending cuts that prompted weeks of mass protests in Bucharest against IMF-backed austerity.

Calif. and NY considering foreclosure-abuse deal (AP)

AP - California and New York were considering Monday whether to join most other states in backing a long-awaited settlement with banks over foreclosure abuses. The deal would require the five largest mortgage lenders to reduce loans for about 1 million households.

Convicted NY fraudster sentenced in hit plot (AP)

AP - Convicted of engineering a $100 million mortgage-fraud scheme, Aaron Hand was yearning for vengeance and stuck in prison, prosecutors said.

Greeks delay bailout talks as Merkel demands action (Reuters)

Reuters - German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Greece on Monday to make up its mind fast on accepting the painful terms for a new EU/IMF bailout, but the country's political leaders responded by delaying their decision for yet another day.

Hasbro 4Q net income down 1 percent (AP)

AP - It was a blue Christmas for Hasbro. The No. 2 toy maker said Monday that its fourth-quarter profit slipped 1 percent, pinched by softer-than-expected demand in the U.S. and Canada and slow sales of games and puzzles during the key holiday season.

Greece caves in on civil service firings (AP)

AP - Greece's coalition government on Monday caved in to demands to cut civil service jobs, announcing 15,000 positions would go this year, amid mounting international pressure to agree on austerity measures needed to secure major new debt agreements.

Wall Street edges lower after string of gains (Reuters)

Reuters - Stocks edged lower on Monday as investors found little reason to extend a five-week rally on lingering uncertainty over whether Greece would accept the terms of a bailout.

Swiss bank Julius Baer expects fine in US tax case (AP)

AP - Swiss bank Julius Baer Group said Monday that it might have to pay a fine to settle allegations it helped American clients cheat on their taxes, but cautioned investors that the final outcome of the case was still uncertain.

Massachusetts gas prices edge up another 2 cents (AP)

AP - Massachusetts residents are paying two more cents a gallon at the gas pump, the seventh consecutive week of increases.

China growth could halve if Europe crisis worsens: IMF (Reuters)

Reuters - China's annual economic growth could be cut nearly in half this year if Europe's debt crisis tips the world economy into a recession, putting pressure on Beijing to unveil "significant" fiscal stimulus, the International Monetary Fund said.

Analysis: Stock-picking makes a comeback as macro tides fade (Reuters)

Reuters - Stock-picking once again matters on Wall Street.

Euro zone sales tumble at Christmas, no sign of growth (Reuters)

Reuters - Retail sales in the euro zone tumbled unexpectedly in December, the biggest drop in the Christmas period in three years, data showed on Friday, with rising joblessness and stubborn inflation undercut signs of a stabilization in Europe's economy.