Finance news. My opinion.

The spending cuts that helped the U.K. preserve its AAA credit rating last year and bolstered the pound are now weighing on the currency as investors lose confidence that Prime Minister David Cameron will revive economic growth.

Sterling had its worst January since 2008, falling 0.6 percent, after a 3.1 percent advance in the second half of 2011, according to Bloomberg Correlation-Weighted Indexes that track 10 developed-market currencies against each other. Gilts are lagging behind lower-rated Treasuries, after world-beating gains of almost 17 percent last year.

Investors are beginning to favor policies promoting growth over austerity just as the biggest government-spending squeeze since World War II risks sending the U.K. into its second recession since 2009. U.S. President Barack Obama has used outlays to drive America

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Current and former Food and Drug Administration officials say in a lawsuit that the agency secretly monitored their private email after they raised concerns that approved medical devices might risk public safety.

The doctors and scientists who researched the products approached members of Congress and the incoming Obama administration to express alarm that the devices were approved over their objections.

Their lawsuit, first reported Monday by The Washington Post, says the agency monitored email sent from their personal Gmail and Yahoo accounts from work computers over two years. It says those emails included messages to congressional staff and drafts of whistleblower complaints.

The staffers say they were legally protected whistleblowers and the monitoring violated their constitutional rights to free speech and against illegal search and seizure, even though a warning on FDA computers said they had no expectation to privacy. The defendants say they were admonished or lost their contracts to work with FDA in retaliation.

The FDA said Monday it would not comment on ongoing litigation.

The lawsuit says the plaintiffs were among those who complained in fall 2008 to members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee that senior managers at the Center for Devices and Radiological Health “ordered, intimidated, and coerced FDA experts to modify their scientific reviews, conclusions and recommendations in violation of the law.” Then in January 2009, after Barack Obama’s election but before he was sworn into office, nine FDA employees sent a letter to the Obama transition team complaining of corruption within the FDA device review process that they said was endangering public health.

For example, the FDA scientists alleged that the agency approved the use of computer-aided detection devices with breast mammograms even though they had been determined not to be safe or effective, harming women and resulting in unnecessary public health costs.

The suit says FDA officials began secretly referring to the letter’s signatories as the “FDA 9″ and began the secret monitoring. The suit says the agency used spyware on their government-owned computers that allowed them to take “screen shots,” or pictures of what was on their computer screens without their knowledge.

The scientists’ complaints were the subject of a New York Times article on March 28, 2010, that said FDA brushed aside its own experts’ warnings about the risks of radiation exposure from routinely using powerful CT scans to screen patients for colon cancer.

The lawsuit says lawyers for General Electric Co., which applied for agency approval of CT scans for colon cancer screenings, complained that confidential information may have been leaked to the Times. Agency officials used the letter to make a criminal referral to the Office of Inspector General and attempt to have the plaintiffs investigated and potentially charged with serious crimes, the suit says. But the IG’s office found no evidence of criminal conduct and noted that disclosures relating to public safety to Congress and the media were protected whistleblower activity.

The attorney who filed the suit, National Whistleblowers Center Executive Director Stephen Kohn, said spying on employees who raise health concerns stops others from coming forward in the interest of public safety.

“The FDA’s illegal spying program is not just a problem for the six victims in this case,” Kohn said in a statement Monday. “The day we allow the government to spy on employees based on their lawful whistleblower activities is the day we give up privacy for every honest public servant in America.”

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Payday loans no faxing fall on the less risky side simply because the money loaned to you is a percentage of your next paycheck.

Greek debt talks are said to be progressing but officials have yet to announce a deal to scale back the nation’s overwhelming debt load.

Negotiations between the government and experts representing the private banks and investors that hold Greek debt — the Institute of International Finance — have been ongoing since last Wednesday.

But the outcome still remains uncertain ahead of a key two-day meeting of eurozone finance officials that starts Monday.

The lead negotiators from the IIF, Charles Dallara and Jean Lemierre, left Athens Saturday to attend "long-standing personal appointments" in Paris, according to a statement.

In a statement, Dallara stressed that progress has been made over the last few days and that the "elements" of a deal "are coming into place."

"Now is the time to act decisively and seize the opportunity to finalize this historic deal and contribute to the economic stability of Greece, the euro area and the world economy," said Dallara.

The IIF also said Dallara and Lemierre are available to Greek officials by phone "should this be necessary."

The lure to leave the euro may prove irresistible

At issue is an agreement to reduce Greece’s debt load by writing down the value of Greek bonds owned by the private sector by 50%.

In addition to the writedown, the deal is expected to include a debt exchange, in which investors would swap Greek bonds for new 30-year securities with an interest rate, or coupon, of about 4%.

The exchange could result in "real" losses of up to 70% for the private sector.

But it could also ease the burden on the Greek government as it struggles under a massive €350 billion pile of debt and a deepening recession.

The talks have been hindered by disagreements over the terms of the debt exchange and signs the participation rate may fall short of expectations.

The stipulation that investors voluntarily accept the writedowns has also been a stumbling block.

A non-voluntary writedown could trigger credit default swaps, a form of insurance that investors use as protection against a default.

Eurozone officials have insisted that the agreement be voluntary, arguing that credit default swaps could spread chaos in the financial system. But investors who have purchased credit protection might have an interest in holding out for a default.

The private sector owns over €200 billion worth of Greek debt, so the 50% writedown would translate to €100 billion.

That would help shrink Greek government debt to 120% of gross domestic product by 2020, according to eurozone officials. Currently, Greece’s debts are equal to about 160% of GDP.

Both sides are under pressure to reach agreement before Monday’s meeting of euro area finance ministers, known as the Eurogroup.

The restructuring of Greece’s private sector debt is a key condition for the nation to receive additional bailout funds from the European Union and International Monetary Fund.

Greece is facing a €14.5 billion bond payment in March that it may not make without another injection of emergency financing.

Europe: Still a huge pain in the neck for investors

Officials from the EU, IMF and European Central Bank arrived in Athens last week to begin reviewing the government’s finances.

The troika, as three institutions are known, is beginning the process of negotiating a second bailout for Greece, valued at €130 billion.

Greece has struggled in the past to implement the austerity measures and structural reforms that are a condition of its existing bailout loans.

Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, a former ECB vice president, was appointed last year to impose more budget cuts and revive Greece’s moribund economy.

The big concern is that Greece could default in a disorderly way, a development that could force the nation out of the euro currency union.

That would likely cause the Greek banking system to collapse and plunge the nation’s economy deeper into recession. It could also drive up borrowing costs for other vulnerable euro area economies, such as Italy and Spain.

The spread of a debt contagion in the eurozone is seen by most economists as the single biggest threat facing the global economy. 

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Sales (ETSLTOTL) of previously owned U.S. homes probably rose in December to the highest level in more than a year, a sign the housing market ended 2011 with momentum, economists said before a report today.

Purchases increased 5.2 percent last month to a 4.65 million annual rate, the most since May 2010, according to the median forecast of 75 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News.

Historically low mortgage rates and a pickup in employment may be giving Americans the confidence to purchase homes that have fallen in value. At the same time, another wave of foreclosures may inhibit a faster recovery in real estate as more distressed properties are put on the market.

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi says his strategy for battling Europe

The leaders of Germany and Italy sought to present a united front Wednesday in the fight to resolve the eurozone debt crisis and revive the ailing European economy.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel praised the efforts of Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti to cut government spending and make his nation’s economy more competitive.

"We have followed with great respect how quickly the measures are being implemented," said Merkel. "The work of the Italian government is being honored."

Monti said Italians support a "very hard series of measures," adding that Europe "doesn’t have to fear any more that Italy is a possible source of contagion."

Italy has been a big worry for global investors in recent months. The nation’s economy has been stagnant for a decade and its borrowing costs have ballooned, raising concerns about the government’s solvency.

Monti acknowledged that high interest rates could have been justified when market participants were uncertain about Italy’s economic policies. "But not anymore," he said, adding, "especially after representatives of those same markets have said they appreciated the efforts [Italy] made."

That assertion will be put to the test this week when the Italian government will offer €8.5 billion in bills Thursday and up to €4.75 billion in bonds Friday.

On Wednesday, yields on 10-year Italian bonds eased, but still held above the key 7% threshold.

Europe’s debt crisis: An end in sight? Not so fast

The meeting in Berlin between Merkel and Monti was the latest in a series of talks this week among top European Union leaders as they piece together a solution to the long-running government debt and banking problems in the eurozone.

Merkel met with International Monetary Fund director Christine Lagarde late Tuesday and French President Nicolas Sarkozy Monday. Lagarde will meet with Sarkozy later Wednesday in Paris.

Merkel and Sarkozy will travel to Rome for more talks with Monti on Jan 20. Then, the top leaders of all 27 members of the EU will gather in Brussels on Jan. 30 for their first summit of the year.

On Wednesday, Merkel and Monti discussed the situation in Greece, where Prime Minister Lucas Papademos is under pressure to push through reforms needed to secure additional bailout funds.

Merkel said the first step in resolving the debt crisis is to "create the preconditions" for a second bailout for Greece fast payday loan.

EU leaders agreed in October to provide a second €130 billion rescue package for Greece and announced a deal with private sector investors to voluntarily write down the value of Greek government bonds by 50% as part of a debt exchange.

But negotiations with the private sector have stalled and there is still disagreement among some policymakers over whether requiring Greece to enact more austerity as a condition of a second bailout will help or hurt the nation’s fragile economy.

"The talks with banks are being pushed so that the question of Greece can be solved rationally, so that we can then focus on structural reforms in the euro zone as a whole," said Merkel.

Europe: Still a huge pain in the neck for investors

Still, European leaders are optimistic that a proposed fiscal compact, designed to ensure that governments do not spend beyond their means and rack up unsustainable debts, will be signed by the end of the month.

"There is work to be done but there is a good chance that we can expect significant progress or a political conclusion already on Jan. 30," said Merkel.

The terms of the pact include, among other things, a balanced budget requirement with an "automatic correction mechanism," and a provision to make national budget policies subject to EU authority "ex ante," or before the fact.

The political leaders of the 17 eurozone nations, which share the embattled single euro currency, agreed in principle to abide by the pact following a summit on Dec. 9. But the agreement is still subject to parliamentary approval in some member states.

Merkel also suggested that Germany, the eurozone’s largest economy, could commit more capital to the European Stability Mechanism, which is expected to come into effect this year.

But Merkel was careful to say that Germany would contribute more capital to the fund only if necessary and other eurozone governments do the same.

The ESM would enhance or replace the eurozone’s current bailout fund, known as the European Financial Stability Facility. European leaders have said they will decide in March on a proposal to put more capital into the €500 billion ESM.

– CNN’s Diana Magnay contributed reporting from Berlin. 

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St. Louis should be in a better position to weather the latest round of airline consolidations — and a bankruptcy filing by another major carrier — than some other U.S. cities, aviation officials say.

Delta Air Lines halted its daily nonstop service between St. Louis and Washington’s Reagan-National Airport last week. But the Atlanta-based carrier expects to add a fifth flight later this year to New York’s La Guardia Airport, where it is beefing up its presence.

The latest round of airline mergers — which include the pairings of Southwest Airlines and AirTran and United Airlines and Continental — have communities bracing for lost competition and skimpier schedules.

But Lambert-St. Louis International Airport already took the brunt of its lost flights in the decade that followed American Airline’s acquisition of Trans World Airlines in 2001. Prior to that acquisition, TWA was the dominant carrier at Lambert.

Today, Lambert’s flight schedule is spread over 13 air carriers, said Airport Director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge. Southwest Airlines now offers more daily flights — 84 — than any other airline serving Lambert.

“It just happened to us first, which was hard,” Hamm-Niebruegge said. “It did give us time to see the value of diversification and going out and trying to broaden your base.”

In recent months, Southwest Airlines has merged with fellow low-cost carrier AirTran Airways. St. Louis is one of 33 markets served by both airlines. In July, AirTran moved to a gate and ticket space inside Lambert’s Terminal 2, near Southwest.

Southwest spokeswoman Laurel Moffat said the airline is working on obtaining Federal Aviation Administration approval to operate as a single carrier. Southwest expects to receive the single-operation certificate by the end of the first quarter.

But the process of absorbing AirTran into the Southwest brand is expected to take several years, she said. AirTran serves Atlanta and Orlando from St. Louis. Southwest already has picked up AirTran’s service between Milwaukee and Lambert.

The AirTran merger with Southwest will cause “a lot of problems” elsewhere — including AirTran’s hub in Atlanta — but none is expected in St. Louis, said airline analyst Michael Boyd my credit score. Same is true for the United-Continental merger.

“Honestly, you have fewer brand choices,” he said. “But we’ve looked at this. There aren’t any great changes in terms of access for St. Louis.”

Last month, Delta Air Lines and US Airways concluded a swap of slots at Reagan-National Airport and La Guardia Airport, respectively.

The move nixed one Delta flight between St. Louis and Reagan. But Delta expects to add a flight to La Guardia this spring, giving it five direct flights between Lambert-St. Louis and that destination.

Delta completed its merger with Northwest Airlines in 2008.

United and Continental completed their merger in October 2010 and are still integrating their operations. A spokesman said the company is working toward adopting a single United brand identity late this quarter. So far, no changes have been announced in St. Louis.

Hamm-Niebruegge said the destinations currently served by United and Continental flights don’t compete.

United has daily flights to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, Denver, San Francisco and Washington’s Dulles Airport out of Lambert. Continental flies to Cleveland, Houston and Newark.

Hamm-Niebruegge said nothing has changed with American Airlines’ local plans either.

AMR Corp., American’s parent company, filed for bankruptcy protection in November and made immediate assurances that there would be no immediate changes to the flight schedules in St. Louis.

Overall, St. Louis is “in a steady state right now,” said aviation consultant Darryl Jenkins, chairman of the American Aviation Institute.

The only thing that would upset the status quo would be a jolt to the area economy — good or bad, Jenkins said. Dramatic improvements to the region’s economic condition could mean more flights. Conversely, a loss of employers would mean fewer planes.

“I think for the foreseeable future, St. Louis will probably keep the city pairs it has and keep those frequencies,” Jenkins said.

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The European Commission has criticized Belgium’s 2012 budget as too optimistic, indicating that the country has to adopt more austerity measures or risk sanctions.

The country’s finance minister quickly reacted to the Commission’s intervention, saying Friday that the government was determined to meet its fiscal targets this year.

Belgium has promised to cut its budget deficit to 2.8 percent of economic output this year, from around 3.6 percent in 2011. But the Commission, the European Union’s executive, believes the Belgian government won’t be able meet this target unless tax revenues or spending cuts are increased.

The Commission’s criticism of the budget is a particularly sensitive issue in Belgium, where political parties needed more than one and a half years to set up a government, which was finally sworn in in December.

Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo had to balance the demands of the country’s strong Dutch-speaking community, which has been demanding more financial autonomy, and the French-speaking region, which is weaker economically.

But Belgium has one of the highest debt loads in the eurozone and analysts fear that it risks being dragged into the currency union’s debt crisis. Under EU rules, Belgium has to bring its deficit below 3 percent of GDP and spell out how it plans to reduce it debt to below 60 percent of GDP over the long-term, from about 100 percent currently.

“It is normal that the Commission is asking us questions,” Belgian Finance Minister Steven Vanackere told reporters outside the government offices. “The budget was set up at the end of the year at high speed. It was not the normal way to do things.”

He stressed that the government would strive to get its deficit below the 3 percent limit this year. “Belgium has not plans to skirt its responsibilities,” Vanackere said. “We want to _ also for ourselves and not for Europe _ make sure that the deficit gets under the 3 percent payday loans.”

The EU’s Economic Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn last fall threatened to hit Belgium _ along with Malta and Cyprus countries _ with sanctions under the bloc’s new, stricter budget rules. Two non-euro countries _ Hungary and Poland _ were also suspected of overspending, but they would not face financial penalties.

A spokesman for the Commission said Friday that Rehn’s office was seeking clarification from the governments of all five countries to assess whether their estimates for both revenue and expenditure estimates were “credible.” No decision on sanction had been taken yet, he said, but added that it could come very soon.

The EU’s executive has been taking a much more active role in policing member states’ budgets after lackluster enforcement of the bloc’s budget rules allowed countries like Greece or Italy run up high debts.

Under the new sanctions regime, a country that is not doing enough to reduce its deficit and debt will have to pay an interest-bearing deposit of 0.2 percent of GDP, which could eventually be turned into a fine. The new rules also make it harder for countries to block sanctions against their partners.

Julien Manceaux, an economist at ING in Brussels, said the intervention from the Commission did not come as a surprise, adding that the Belgian government is already set to re-examine this year’s budget in February.

“The Belgian deficit is among the lowest in the eurozone anyway so it is certainly not a reason to panic,” he said. “But it is for sure that markets will keep an eye on the decisions that will be taken again in 2012 to stabilize debt trajectory.”

__

Raf Casert and Mark D. Carlson contributed to this article.

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Gold fell, capping the longest slump since October 2009, and silver tumbled to a three-month low as Europe’s deepening debt crisis drove commodities and stocks lower.

The euro dropped to an 11-month low against the dollar as lending to financial institutions sent the European Central Bank’s balance sheet to a record high. The Standard & Poor’s GSCI index of 24 raw materials and the MSCI World Index of equities were poised for the biggest declines in two weeks.

Platinum approached the lowest since November 2009, and palladium dropped almost 3 percent.

The ECB said lending to euro-area banks jumped 214 billion euros ($276.9 billion) to 879 billion in the week ended Dec. 23, bolstering credit to the economy during the financial turmoil. Gold has slumped 19 percent from a record $1,923.70 an ounce on Sept. 6, partly on sales to cover losses in other markets.

“What’s going on in Europe is very worrying,” James Dailey, who manages $215 million at TEAM Financial Management LLC in Harrisburg, Pa., said in an e-mail. “The dollar’s strength is working against all commodities, including gold.”

Gold futures for February delivery declined 2 percent to settle at $1,564.10 at 1:47 p.m. on the Comex in New York. The price dropped for the fifth straight session, the longest slide since October 2009. The commodity headed for the first quarterly slump since September 2008.

Silver futures for March delivery fell 5 quick guaranteed personal loans.2 percent to $27.234 an ounce on the Comex. Earlier, the price touched $27.10, the lowest since Sept. 26. The metal has plummeted 45 percent from a 31-year high of $49.845 on April 25.

Gold imports by India, the biggest consumer, may drop as much as 50 percent this month after the rupee plunged, according to the Bombay Bullion Association. China restricted gold trading in spot and futures contracts to the Shanghai Gold Exchange and the Shanghai Futures Exchange to crack down on illegal buying and selling of commodities.

Platinum futures for April delivery declined 3.2 percent to $1,392.40 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Earlier, the price touched $1,388.60. On Dec. 15, the metal declined to $1,376, the lowest since Nov. 13, 2009.

Palladium futures for March delivery slumped 2.9 percent to 647.15 an ounce on Nymex, the biggest drop since Dec. 14.

This year, gold has advanced 10 percent, heading for the 11th straight annual gain, on demand for an alternative investment amid slumping equities.

“Gold has been one of the best performers this year, so it comes as no surprise that we are seeing some end-of-year profit-taking,” said Ronald Stoeferle, a commodity analyst at Erste Group Bank AG in Vienna.

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Five months after it opened its doors, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is poised to begin the year without a Senate-confirmed director.

Over these next few weeks, the question will be whether President Obama will sidestep Congress and make a so-called recess appointment to fill the job.

The president made clear earlier this month that he would consider "all our options," including a recess appointment of former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray to run the consumer bureau.

At stake are vast new powers the CFPB can’t wield without a director. For example, the bureau can’t regulate financial products from non-banks, including student loan providers, debt collectors, payday lenders and check cashers.

Without a chief, the bureau also can’t regulate mortgage originators and servicers, which played a big role in the financial crisis by providing subprime mortgages to families who couldn’t afford them.

The new pup watching your money

Earlier this month, the Senate failed to muster the 60 votes necessary to take up and consider Cordray’s nomination.

Senate Republicans have vowed since May to block confirmation of any director unless they get structural changes to the bureau, which was formed as part of the Wall Street reform law passed last year.

On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney called Cordray the "perfect example of an abomination in terms of Senate behavior."

"He is exactly the right person for the job to be the consumer watchdog," Carney said.

Since May, Republicans have used a little-known procedure to keep the Senate in session — even as it wasn’t really conducting any business — in order to stop the president from making recess appointments.

The Constitution says neither the House nor the Senate can adjourn for more than three days without the other chamber’s consent. And since May 12, neither chamber has taken a recess.

So far, Obama has not tried to challenge the blocking move electronic check payday advance. But, legal experts say, he has options. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid could gavel down the Senate for less than three days and give the president an opening.

Another scenario: The president could make an appointment when Congress flips from its first session to its second session sometime on or before Jan. 3.

That has rarely been done. In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt made 160 recess appointments on Dec. 7, when the first session of Congress ended at noon and the second session began soon after, according to the Congressional Research Service.

The Constitution also gives the president the power to adjourn Congress into recess if the chambers can’t agree when exactly to schedule a recess, said David Arkush, an attorney and director of Congress Watch for Public Citizen, an advocacy group.

"I think it’s time for the president to make a recess appointment, it’s time for CFPB to be up and running with its full powers," Arkush said.

Republicans say their objection to Cordray’s nomination has nothing to do with the nominee.

Instead, they want three big changes to how the bureau is overseen. They want to replace the director with a board; make the bureau ask Congress for money each year; and gain more power to overrule the bureau.

If Obama decides to make a recess appointment with Cordray, he’s bound to incur the Republican wrath.

Norman Ornstein, a public policy scholar at the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute, expects Obama to spend his winter vacation analyzing the political costs to sidestepping Congress on a number confirmations that Republicans have blocked.

"Frankly, if I were President Obama, I would do some recess appointments now, because what’s going on is unconscionable," said Ornstein. 

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