(Reuters) - The European Central Bank has expressed "serious concerns" that a new law in Ireland could force the central bank to take losses on the collateral it accepts in exchange for loans to commercial banks. Ireland parliament approved on Wednesday legislation which will give the government extensive powers to restructure the banking sector, including the power to impose losses on subordinated bondholders and transfer deposits.

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(Reuters) - The Federal Reserve's $600 billion bond buying program has been "at least modestly successful" so far, St Louis Fed President James Bullard told the CNBC TV business channel on Monday. Bullard said nominal interest rates alone should not be used to judge the program's success. He said economic growth would likely be stronger next year than was anticipated even a few months ago.

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(Reuters) - U.S. online sales are up 12 percent to $27.5 billion so far this holiday shopping season compared with a year ago, according to research firm comScore. In the November 1 through December 17 period, four individual days surpassed $900 million, led by "Green Monday" on December 13 with $954 million and "Free Shipping Day," December 17, with $942 million, according to comScore.

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(Reuters) - Sony Corp's LCD TV sales will likely fall slightly short of a targeted 60 percent rise in unit terms this financial year, a senior executive said, with new 3D TVs unable to resuscitate soft sales in mature markets. Sony Executive Deputy President Hiroshi Yoshioka said in an interview with Reuters and other media that Sony would struggle to make the TV division profitable this year and that he was not expecting substantial profits from the operations in the next financial year.

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(Reuters) - U.S. energy firm Chevron (CVX.N) said on Monday it had suspended production from an oil pipeline in Nigeria's Delta state, which was breached on Friday. Chevron said it was investigating the damage to the Dibi-Abiteye pipeline, which feeds the Escravos oil stream, but did not comment on how much production would be lost. Escravos crude exports were due to be around 123,000 barrels per day in December, according to loading programmes. It was not clear how much this would be reduced by the pipeline damage.

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(Reuters) - The S&P 500 and Dow were slightly lower on Friday, weighed by renewed concerns over euro zone debt after Ireland's credit rating was slashed. European bank stocks were hit hard after Moody's cut Ireland's rating by five notches. European Union leaders have agreed to create a financial safety net and the European Central Bank will double its capital to cope with bigger credit risk.

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(Reuters) - The U.S. economy is gathering steam as the year draws to a close, according to a private industry group's index of economic indicators published on Friday. The Conference Board's measure of leading economic indicators jumped 1.1 percent in November, the biggest rise since March and the fifth straight monthly gain.

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(Reuters) - U.S. state and local governments faced the realization on Friday that in just 14 days they will no longer be able to sell taxable Build America Bonds, the federally subsidized debt created in the economic stimulus plan to fund infrastructure projects and create jobs. Investors, analysts, underwriters and federal policy-makers also confronted a future without taxable BABs, which made up more than a quarter of all new municipal debt sold this year and which have been largely credited with restarting stalled municipal credit markets.

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(Reuters) - Employment conditions in more than half of U.S. states improved in November from a year earlier, the government reported on Friday, with unemployment rates dropping in 28 states and the District of Columbia. Compared to October, jobless rates rose in 21 states and the District of Columbia, the Labor Department said, and were unchanged in 14 states. Last month, jobless rates rose in 16 states.

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(Reuters) - Ratings agency Moody's gave an emphatic thumbs-down on Friday to Europe's efforts to resolve a debt crisis, slashing Ireland's credit rating as EU leaders took no new action to prevent market turmoil spreading. Moody's cut Ireland's rating by a stunning five notches during a European Union summit meant to restore confidence in the euro zone by creating a permanent financial safety net from 2013 and vowing to do whatever it takes to protect the euro.

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