State Street Corp. will absorb 100 employees from Morgan Stanley Investment Management as part of a deal announced Monday to provide servicing for investments worth about $300 billion.

NYSE Euronext, which operates the New York Stock Exchange and other trading venues, on Monday said it completed its acquisition of trading technology provider NYFIX Inc. The $144-million all cash deal, announced in August, valued NYFIX stock at $1.675 per common share.

The next wave of opportunities in the equity markets will be big, “boring” companies that have been largely overlooked in the current rally, according to hedge fund manager Joel Hirsch. “The companies with the most significant competitive advantages right now are priced as average companies,” said Mr.

Stocks fluctuated in a tight range Monday as investors weighed concern about fallout from Dubai’s debt crisis against improving signs from U.S. consumers. After initial sharp drops late last week, global markets are stabilizing following an announcement that Dubai World, the main investment arm of the Persian Gulf city-state, asked to defer payments on $60 billion in debt for six months.

Making one’s true love happy will cost a whopping $87,403 this year, a minuscule increase from last year, according to the latest cost analysis of the items in the carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” That’s the grand total for the single partridge in a pear tree to the 12 drummers drumming, purchased repeatedly as the song suggests, according to the annual “Christmas Price Index” compiled by PNC Wealth Management. The price is up about $800 from $86,609 last year. The cost of buying each item just once is increasing this year to $21,466, up 1.8 percent from last year’s $21,081

The I Bond program was created in 1998 to protect investors from inflation. They are a valuable asset to have in times of economic difficulty because they accrue interest just like a savings account.

Dealing in a world of credit can be a very nervous thing for anyone. Credit is power for people who of course have good credit.