(Reuters) - Wide differences between rich and developing countries may frustrate France's hope of taking a bold step toward stabilizing the global economy at a Group of 20 finance ministers meeting this week. The two-day talks in Paris will launch debate on French President Nicolas Sarkozy's ambitious agenda for his country's year-long presidency of the G20. The agenda includes grand proposals to curb the volatility of food and fuel prices and to reduce gradually the world's reliance on the U.S. dollar.

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(Reuters) - CIT Group Inc (CIT.N), which emerged from bankruptcy in December 2009, reported a drop in quarterly profit compared with the third quarter, as the commercial lender was hurt by a fall in interest income and higher expenses. Chief Executive John Thain, who took the reins of the company in February last year, has been trying to cut expenses and boost CIT's business through debt reduction and sale of non-core assets. Thain was previously the CEO of Merrill Lynch & Co and NYSE Euronext (NYX.N).

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(Reuters) - Home improvement retailer Home Depot (HD.N) said it is hiring about 60,000 seasonal workers for a series of spring sales, a level that a spokeswoman said was comparable to last year's. Home Depot in December forecast a sales increase of between 2 percent and 2.5 percent in the 12 months ending January 2012. Spring is the busiest season for home improvement retailers such as Home Depot and Lowe's Cos Inc. (LOW.N)

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(Reuters) - The euro zone economy ended last year with stable growth, failing to meet expectations for an acceleration as expansion in the three largest nations fell short of forecasts and Greece and Portugal contracted. An expected pick-up in growth did not occur because businesses ran down stocks in France, snow and cold hit construction in Germany and the Greek economy shrank sharply. But a separate survey suggested Germany at least should enjoy a more fruitful first quarter of 2011.

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(Reuters) - Investors will scrutinize Dell Inc's quarterly earnings for signs that healthy business spending and lower component costs are shoring up margins, a top priority for the world's No. 2 personal computer maker. Wall Street has criticized Dell for its choppy execution on that front, and the company is keen to demonstrate that efforts to improve profitability by moving into new and higher-margin markets are bearing fruit.

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(Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Monday after posting two straight weeks of gains that drove indexes to new multi-year, although a recent pattern of buying on market declines was likely to continue. The S&P 500 has gained nearly 13 percent since the start of a rally in December and had a firm finish on Friday after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's resignation fueled buying interest after weeks of protests. Traders said they still see residual strength in the market, with investors willing to buy on any decrease in prices.

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(Reuters) - The White House assumes the U.S. economy will fully recoup losses incurred in the latest recession by 2017, putting it at odds with many private economists who believe the downturn left permanent scars. In its budget plan released on Monday, the Obama administration envisions economic growth accelerating in 2012 and remaining above average through 2017. By contrast, the Blue Chip survey of private forecasters shows more moderate growth over that period, peaking in 2012.

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(Reuters) - The U.S. economy is heading in the right direction and will pick up steam over the next two years, but high unemployment and low inflation still paint an unsatisfactory picture, New York Federal Reserve President William Dudley said on Monday. "The economy is healthier, but it is not yet well," Dudley said in remarks prepared for a press briefing. "In order to reduce joblessness significantly over the coming quarters, the economy needs to grow at a considerably faster rate than we have seen so far in this recovery."

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(Reuters) - The White House assumes the U.S. economy will fully recoup losses incurred in the latest recession by 2017, putting it at odds with many private economists who believe the downturn left permanent scars. In its budget plan released on Monday, the Obama administration envisions economic growth accelerating in 2012 and remaining above average through 2017. By contrast, the Blue Chip survey of private forecasters shows more moderate growth over that period, peaking in 2012.

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(Reuters) - Deutsche Boerse (DB1Gn.DE) risks ceding control to NYSE Euronext (NYX.N), a supervisory board member at the German exchange said on Monday. Johannes Witt, a labor representative, said remarks made on Sunday by U.S. Senator Charles Schumer that a tie-up would give NYSE managerial control served as a warning. "Just like in the Euronext deal, it will be a matter of time before the Americans take control. We should be wary of this. It won't be possible to undo the deal once it is signed," Witt said.

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