Reuters - A former junior-level investment banker at Merrill Lynch & Co. pleaded guilty on Friday to insider trading after providing tips about upcoming mergers as part of a scheme that generated millions of dollars of profit.

Reuters - Crude oil futures shot to record highs on Thursday, hitting stock prices as rising tensions in the Middle East and North Korea prompted safe haven flows into bonds and the Swiss franc.

Reuters - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. shares slumped to a nine-month low on Thursday after Merrill Lynch lowered its rating on the stock, citing concerns over slowing sales and a tough economic outlook.

FT.com - European equity markets moved lower shortly after the opening on Tuesday following overnight declines on Wall Street and in Asia. European tech stocks were expected to move lower after a profit warning from Lucent Technologies (NYSE:LU) and a downgrade for the US tech sector by Merrill Lynch which contributed to a fall for the Nasdaq on Monday. High oil prices continue to weigh on sentiment with the EU due to hold talks in Brussels with Iran on its nuclear enrichment programme on Tuesday.

Reuters - U.S. technology stocks fell sharply on Monday after brokerage Merrill Lynch cut its rating on the sector and an earnings warning from data storage equipment maker EMC Corp. also hurt sentiment.

Reuters - The brokerage units of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. and Morgan Stanley on Monday sued theflyonthewall.com, accusing the Web site of infringing the copyright of their equity research reports.

Reuters - With Google Inc. taking a dominant lead in the Internet search market, it looks increasingly likely that Microsoft Corp. could make a large acquisition, such as of Yahoo Inc. , Merrill Lynch said on Friday.

A new study reveals the increasing ease of becoming a millionaire, with the announcement that the ranks of world millionaires had swelled to 8.7 million last year-half a million more than the population of New York City. A study by Merrill Lynch and consultancy Capgemini found that millionaires...

AP - The increasing ease of becoming a millionaire became clear Tuesday, with the announcement that the ranks of world millionaires had swelled to 8.7 million last year — half a million more than the population of New York City.

Reuters - A U.S. court has ordered the release from prison of two former Merrill Lynch & Co bankers convicted of fraud for helping Enron Corp artificially inflate its profit, the Wall Street Journal reported on its Web site on Thursday.

PC Magazine - SOA is the next big thing, Oracle is back in favor, and Novell gains in Linux, according to a Merrill Lynch survey.

Reuters - Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. said on Tuesday that its first-quarter profit dropped after the largest U.S. brokerage took a $1.2 billion charge related to stock-based compensation.

AP - Greg Norman never liked the idea of women competing on men's tours. He made an exception Monday for Annika Sorenstam, inviting her to play in the Merrill Lynch Shootout during the silly season.

Reuters - An analyst at Goldman Sachs, a banker at Merrill Lynch and a printing plant worker were arrested on Tuesday, charged with participating in an insider trading ring that netted $6.7 million and involved more than a dozen accomplices.

Reuters - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced on Tuesday charges in an international insider trading ring that involved employees at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Merrill Lynch and Co. Inc.

Reuters - An insider trading scheme to be revealed by federal prosecutors later on Tuesday involves a Merrill Lynch analyst and two former Goldman Sachs employees, according to a source who was briefed on the investigation.

Reuters - Merrill Lynch & Co. said on Monday it will take a $1.2 billion first-quarter charge, $850 million more than it had expected, as it switches to new accounting rules for employee stock compensation and modifies existing stock awards.

Reuters - Merrill Lynch & Co. said on Monday it will take a $1.2 billion first-quarter charge, $850 million more than it had expected, as it switches to new accounting rules for employee stock compensation.