OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- Paper gains on derivative contracts helped Berkshire Hathaway Inc. triple its third-quarter profit as its insurance businesses did well, but Warren Buffett's company said Friday that many of its other operating businesses struggled. The Omaha-based company delivered relatively flat results made to appear spectacular by the .. more »

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Private equity firm Blackstone Group LP posted a forecast-beating quarterly profit on Friday and said it is gearing up for more deals and IPOs as the lending and equity markets recover. The company, which has immense real estate and private equity assets, has stepped up deal activity in the past few months, including buying .. more »

Results were announced three days after Buffett revealed the biggest acquisition in his 44 years running Berkshire, a $26 billion takeover of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. Berkshire had already owned 23 per cent of the nation's second-largest railroad operator. Third-quarter net income for Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire rose to $3.24 .. more »

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc said third-quarter profit tripled on gains in derivatives tied to stocks and bonds. Net income surged to $3.24 billion, or $2,087 a share, from $1.06 billion, or $682, in the same period a year earlier, the Omaha, Nebraska-based company said yesterday in a regulatory filing. .. more »

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc said it plans to limit the amount of business underwritten by its reinsurance operations, as it prepares to spend roughly $26 billion to buy railroad operator Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. The disclosure, made in Berkshire's quarterly report released Friday, suggests that Buffett .. more »

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc on Friday said quarterly earnings tripled, as rising stock markets boosted its investment holdings and a quiet hurricane season contributed to higher insurance profit. Results were announced three days after Buffett revealed the biggest acquisition in his 44 years running Berkshire, a $26 .. more »

Gold prices weakened by Rs 25 per 10 gram in the bullion market here due to poor demand, a day after the precious metal climbed to an all time high of Rs 16,850 per 10 gram. The precious metal had closed in the Rs 17,000 per 10 gram level yesterday on high demand, influenced by India's purchase of the metal from IMF. "Such high levels .. more »

Berkshire said Friday it generated $3.2 billion, or $2,087 per share, in net income. That's up significantly from last year's $1.1 billion, or $682 per share. Most of the swing in earnings is related to unrealized gains in the value of Berkshire's derivatives, some of which are tied to credit defaults and some of which are tied to equity markets. .. more »

New Delhi: Gold prices on Saturday spiked to a new high of Rs16,900 per 10 gram in the bullion market here on strong marriage season demand amid firming global trends. Gold gained Rs75 to close at Rs16,900 per 10 gram, a level never seen before. The precious metal in the US markets scaled a new high of $1,099 an ounce. Marketmen said fresh buying .. more »

Kochi: The National Multi-commodity Exchange on Saturday launched gold guinea futures contract here and has roped in Kerala-based Muthoot Group to deliver its products from 22 centres across the country. The country's third-largest commodity exchange, which has a large presence in cash crops like rubber and some other farm items, seeks to cash .. more »

Forex dealers said despite a firm dollar overseas, rupee appreciated on hopes of more capital inflows. The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex today advanced further by 151.77 points or 0.95%. The rupee sentiment was also boosted by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's statement that the government will not put any curbs on foreign .. more »

(Figures in Rupees) --------------------- Currencies Buy Sell US Dollar 44.10 49.30 Sterling Pound 73.50 81.55 Euro 65.30 72.80 Australian Dollar 40.95 45.15 Bahrain Dinar 115.95 132.10 Canadian Dollar 40.45 45.50 Danish Kroner 08.50 09.95 Egyptian Pound 06.20 08.90 Hong Kong Dollar 05.50 06.55 Japanese Yen/100 48.60 54.15 Jordan Dinar 58.65 67.95 .. more »

Initially, the rupee dropped by 11 paise to 47.16 against the dollar owing to some dollar demand from banks amid a firm dollar overseas. However, the domestic currency moved in a range of 46.99 and 47.25 during the day. It ended at Rs 47.02/03 per dollar, up by 3 paise over the previous close. Government bonds ended steady on Thursday, as traders .. more »

September infrastructure numbers and tepid corporate earnings. The Planning Commission is the body that processes this information for further policy action. In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Dr Saumitara Chaudhuri, Economist and Member of Planning Commission, sifts through India's macro-economic data and presents his outlook for growth. Here is a .. more »

BSNL, along with Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd, a smaller state firm, are part of a group led by little known Indian company Vavasi, which aims to take a 46 percent holding in the Kuwaiti firm. Chairman Kuldeep Goyal said if BSNL had to go directly, it would take MTNL along with it... more »