U.S.

Dodd Will Offer Financial-Overhaul Bill as Talks With Republicans Continue Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd said he will release his financial overhaul legislation next week while talks on an agreement continue.

Stocks in U.S. Drop on Chinese Inflation, Fewer Exports; AK Steel Declines U.S. stocks fell, paring this week’s rally in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, as higher-than- estimated inflation in China spurred speculation the nation will be forced to raise interest rates and American exports slowed.

Trade Deficit in U.S. Unexpectedly Shrinks as Oil, Automobile Imports Drop The trade deficit in the U.S. unexpectedly narrowed in January as demand for foreign oil and automobiles dropped.

Economy in U.S. to Cool as Stockpiles Give Way to Exports as Growth Driver Efforts to stabilize inventories will contribute less to the U.S. economy in coming months, leaving business investment and exports to propel growth, according to economists surveyed by Bloomberg News.

Fed Shoulders AIG Japan Mortgage Losses to Ease Sale of Alico to MetLife The Federal Reserve Bank of New York and American International Group Inc. agreed to shoulder as much as $450 million in losses tied to the insurer’s Japan real estate bets as part of the sale of a division to MetLife Inc.

Company Bond Spreads at the Narrowest This Year Lure GMAC: Credit Markets Corporate bond yields fell to the lowest this year relative to benchmark government securities, luring GMAC Inc. to sell its longest-maturity notes since 2004.

Latin America

Chavez Outdone by Billionaire Mendoza as Wealth Soars Amid Takeover Threat Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s “21st Century Socialism” is failing to rein in billionaire Lorenzo Mendoza.

Brazil Recovery and Record Retail Surge Boost Chance of Interest Rate Hike Brazil’s fastest economic expansion in two years and a record jump in retail sales may prompt policy makers to start raising interest rates as early as next week.

Hedge Fund-Backed Argentine Soy Producer Tejar Weighs U.S. IPO on Demand El Tejar SA, Argentina’s largest agricultural producer, is weighing an initial public offering in New York to tap rising investor demand for farming assets.

Earthquake Devastates New Chilean President Pinera's Plan to Spur Economy Fisherman Adolfo Opazo walks in a daze to where his house stood until Feb. 27, when an earthquake and tsunami turned his neighborhood in Constitucion, Chile, into a wasteland.

Devon Energy to Sell Assets in Brazil, Gulf of Mexico to BP for $7 Billion BP Plc will pay Devon Energy Corp. $7 billion for assets in Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico and Azerbaijan, adding fields that may extend its production lead over Exxon Mobil Corp.

Batista's LLX Logistica Plans to Invest $1.04 Billion in Projects in 2010 LLX Logistica SA said it plans to invest 1.85 billion reais in 2010.

Exclusive

Chavez Outdone by Billionaire Mendoza as Wealth Soars Amid Takeover Threat Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s “21st Century Socialism” is failing to rein in billionaire Lorenzo Mendoza.

Brown Tries to `Perversely' Benefit From U.K. Relapse Risk Before Election Gordon Brown is trying to turn the threat of a double-dip U.K. recession into an advantage.

Solar Prospectors Chase `Gold Mine' Deals in Chinese, Israeli Subsidies Olivier de Vergnies quit managing family fortunes at Dexia Private Bank (Switzerland) Ltd. in 2008 to run a New York start-up at 100 Wall St. that’s trying to tap riches in solar energy.

Chrysler in Hibernation Means Marchionne May Have to Wait on Fiat Spinoff Fiat SpA, the Italian carmaker that helped Chrysler Group LLC emerge from bankruptcy, may wait to turn around the U.S. business before deciding on a share sale or spinoff for its automotive division.

Geely May Need to Invest at Least $1.4 Billion in Volvo to Revive Carmaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. may have to spend at least 10 billion kronor ($1.4 billion) to revive Volvo Cars after buying the Swedish brand from Ford Motor Co., Volvo union officials and board members said.

Red-Coral Rescue Plans Endanger Italian Jewelry Makers of Torre del Greco The people of Torre del Greco, 10 miles south of Naples, have lived off the red corals found in the Mediterranean Sea for more than two millennia. A proposal to list the species as endangered may push the seaside town’s $217 million-a-year coral industry into extinction.