U.S.

Metals Fall, Yen Strengthens on Speculation China Will Restrain Expansion Commodities fell and the yen strengthened on increasing speculation that China, the world’s fastest-growing economy, will slow its expansion to control inflation. Stocks swung between gains and losses.

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.

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.

U.S. Stock-Index Futures Drop; Intel Falls, Devon Energy Soars on BP Deal U.S. stock-index futures fell, indicating the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index may snap two days of gains, before economic reports that may give further clues about the strength of the recovery.

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.

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.

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.

Devon Energy to Sell Assets in Brazil, Gulf of Mexico to BP for $7 Billion BP Plc, Europe’s largest oil and gas company, 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.

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.

Pulp Price May Rise to Record as Chile Quake, Finnish Strike Curb Output Chile’s earthquake and a Finnish port strike may propel pulp prices to a record, hastening a tightening of inventories after papermakers cut output.

Vale Hires Four Banks to Sell Bonds in Euros for `General' Purposes Vale SA, the world’s biggest iron- ore producer, plans to sell bonds in euros.

Exclusive

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.

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.

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.

Corporate Bond Spreads at Narrowest This Year Attract 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.

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.