Banks could be obliged to to set aside $143 billion in reserves if municipal bonds are downgraded, a report says.
The firms will join forces to offer international cash- and fixed-income exchange traded fund products.
After a buyout, a company cuts an average of 7% of its workforce, but new positions in new locations are added at a 6% clip.
Ameriprise posted strong returns, while E*Trade took a larger-than-expected plunge into negative territory.
First-time jobless claims fell by 1,000 to 301,000, the lowest level since early September.
Treasury bill, note and bond issuance is expected to climb to $125 billion during the first quarter of this year.
Speaking at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Bob Greifeld urged Congress to speedily pass a stimulus package.
Fears that stock-market panic may spread to the bond market led to a meeting between regulators and several large insurers of debt.
The tentative deal involving $150 billion worth of tax rebates would provide $300 to $1,200 per household.
For all of 2007, the median sales price of an existing single-family home fell 1.8%.
