U.S.

Dollar, Yen Strengthen as China Inflation at 16-Month High; Aussie Weakens The yen and dollar rose versus their major counterparts after Chinese reports on inflation, factories and loans fueled concern the government will act to damp growth, boosting demand for the lowest-yielding currencies.

Trade Deficit in U.S. Probably Widened for Third Month as Imports Climbed The U.S. trade deficit probably widened in January for a third month as imports grew faster than exports, pointing to a rebound in global economic growth, economists said before a report today.

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.

Nomura Said to Hire Puritz of Deutsche Bank as Convertibles Chief for U.S. Nomura Holdings Inc., Japan’s biggest brokerage, hired David Puritz, head of U.S. convertible bond trading at Deutsche Bank AG, to run the business in New York, two people familiar with the situation said.

Private-Equity Acquisitions Set to `Thrive,' Clayton Dubilier's Gogel Says Acquisitions by private equity firms may increase this year as capital markets improve and companies dispose of assets, said Donald Gogel, chief executive officer of private-equity firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice LLC.

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.

Slim Overtakes Gates, Buffett for Top Spot on Forbes's Billionaires List Mexico’s Carlos Slim beat Bill Gates and Warren Buffett for the top spot on Forbes magazine’s annual list of billionaires, becoming the first person from outside the U.S. to lead the rankings in 16 years.

Brazil's Recovery May Mean Rate Pause Ends in March, Vieira da Cunha Says Brazilian policy makers may see today’s government report showing that economic growth surged at the end of last year as all the evidence they need to justify raising interest rates next week for the first time since 2008, a former central bank director said.

Chile Quake Prompts Pulp Aftershock as Prices Rally on Supply Disruptions Chile’s earthquake and a Finnish port strike may propel pulp prices to a record, hastening a tightening of inventories after papermakers cut output.

Hedge Fund-Backed Argentine Soy Producer Tejar Weighs U.S. IPO on Demand Argentina’s El Tejar SA, which produces about 3 million tons of grains and oilseeds in South America, is weighing an initial public offering in New York to tap rising investor demand for agricultural assets.

P&G's McDonald Stakes Growth on Selling Closer Shaves Than a Mumbai Barber Procter & Gamble Co.’s Bob McDonald is going undercover in Latin America next week.

Exclusive

Obama Proving Pessimists Wrong as Rebounding Economy Converges With Stocks The political consensus may be that President Barack Obama’s handling of the economy has been weak. The judgment of money in all its forms has been overwhelmingly positive, and that may be the more lasting appraisal.

Buyout Firms Struggle to Spend $503 Billion of Investor Cash as Deals Wane Buyout funds sitting on half a trillion dollars committed by investors may need more than a decade to put the money to work if mergers and acquisitions continue at the current pace.

J&J Pushed Drug's Sale to Elderly After U.S. Warned of False Safety Claims Johnson & Johnson made plans to reach $302 million in geriatric sales for its antipsychotic Risperdal just months after federal regulators said the company falsely claimed the drug was safe and effective with the elderly, according to internal documents.

AIG's `Money in the Door' Asset Sales Garner $3.2 Billion for Bondholders American International Group Inc. bondholders reaped at least $3.2 billion after the bailed-out company announced deals to sell its two largest non-U.S. life insurance divisions for $51 billion.

Pink Floyd, Queen May Leave EMI as Guy Hands's Buyout Mission `Implodes' Pink Floyd and Queen, bands that have been with EMI Music for about four decades, may head for the door, according to two people familiar with their talks, as concern mounts about the U.K. record label’s finances.

Smartphones Eclipse PCs by 2012 as IPhone, Android Take Off: Chart of Day Demand for Apple Inc.’s iPhone and Google Inc.’s Nexus One will help propel smartphone sales past those of personal computers in two years, Gartner Inc. forecasts.