Feb 14 (Reuters) - China's trade surplus fell to its lowest in nine months in January after imports surged, supporting the government's case ahead of a G20 meeting that it is doing enough to spur domestic demand without speeding up currency appreciation. The trade surplus shrank to $6.5 billion from $13.1 billion in December, well short of forecasts for a $10.7 billion gap. Global stocks and commodity prices climbed higher, with the surprisingly strong imports highlighting China's massive appetite for raw materials and its solid export growth hinting at solidifying recoveries in the U.S. and European economies.

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(Reuters) - General Electric Co (GE.N) is to buy a unit of British energy services firm John Wood Group (WG.L) for about $2.8 billion, the latest move by the largest U.S. conglomerate to boost its presence in oil services. GE's acquisition John Wood's well support division raised hopes of more deals in the oilfield services sector, where GE has recently been an active buyer of assets. GE, which is buying the unit through its oil and gas business, in December agreed to buy Britain's oil drilling pipemaker Wellstream Holdings Plc for $1.3 billion.

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(Reuters) - French hopes for tough curbs on commodities speculation to tame soaring food prices look set to be thwarted as leading producer nations line up to oppose market interference. France is president of the Group of 20 leading developed and developing economies this year. The group's finance ministers meet in Paris on Friday and Saturday with commodities high on the agenda. But as with an earlier French-backed push for a global tax on financial transactions, there is no consensus for radical measures beyond more reporting requirements for traders.

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(Reuters) - Nokia's already battered shares fell further on Monday as analysts slammed its all-or-nothing Microsoft deal for being badly planned and failing to answer questions on developing smartphones. New CEO Stephen Elop announced the software tie-up with Microsoft on Friday, but the mainstay of his much-anticipated strategy revamp failed to restore investor confidence in Nokia. Under the partnership, which Elop said was worth billions, Nokia will adopt Windows Phone software across its devices, replacing its home-grown Symbian platform and turning the world's largest cellphone maker into a pure hardware player.

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(Reuters) - Mutual fund manager Bruce Berkowitz resigned from the board of St. Joe Co (JOE.N) on Monday, shortly after joining it, citing disagreements with other board members at the company where he is the largest shareholder. His exit is the latest twist for St. Joe, the largest private landholder in northern Florida. While Berkowitz has raised his stake in the company and repeatedly said he would like to buy all of it if he could, prominent hedge fund manager David Einhorn has attacked its aggressive real estate bets and says the shares are wildly overvalued.

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(Reuters) - MGM Resorts International (MGM.N) reported lower fourth-quarter earnings at most of its resorts in Las Vegas, the company's most important market, sending its shares down 3.2 percent. MGM, reported to be planning a public listing of shares in its Macau joint venture at the end of February, posted a narrower net loss for the quarter as it cut expenses. The casino operator opened its flagship CityCenter project on the Las Vegas Strip at the end of 2009 and has struggled amid the recession and downturn in consumer spending.

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(Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Friday as market uncertainty over Egypt grew amid risks of spreading unrest in the Middle East. Protesters insisted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak step down in the increasingly tense situation, which raised fears of violence in the most populous Arab nation, a key U.S. ally in an oil-producing region.

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(Reuters) - The Obama administration nailed a 'condemned' sign on the wrecked U.S. housing finance system on Friday, but did not offer a clear blueprint for a rebuilding project that could go on for years. With real estate markets fragile and 2012 elections ahead, political consensus on an overhaul that would raise mortgage costs was likely to be elusive, leaving mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac limping forward.

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(Reuters) - Nokia and Microsoft teamed up on Friday to build an iPhone killer in a desperate attempt to take on Google and Apple in the fast-growing smartphone market. Shares in the world's largest cellphone maker fell sharply on uncertainty about the financial impact of Nokia's new chief executive Stephen Elop's strategic u-turn which will use Microsoft's Windows Phone software in its smartphones.

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(Reuters) - The U.S. trade deficit widened in December to its highest level in four months, the U.S. government said on Friday in a report that also showed the annual trade gap expanded nearly 33 percent in 2010 as imports from China hit record levels. The December trade deficit grew nearly 6 percent to $40.6 billion, just slightly higher than a consensus estimate of Wall Street analysts, as the average price for imported oil leapt to its highest level since October 2008.

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