(Reuters) - Federal authorities have expanded an investigation into insider trading on Wall Street, bringing to more than one dozen the number of subpoenas sent to hedge funds and other investment firms over the past two weeks, people familiar with the inquiry said. The new subpoenas signaled an intensification of one strand of a federal investigation focusing on funds that did business with so-called expert network firms. Those firms help investment managers meet industry experts to research a specific industry.

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(Reuters) - Yields on German government bonds, normally seen as a safe haven by investors, rose on Wednesday as deepening uncertainty over how to stem the euro zone's debt crisis hit even Europe's strongest economy. The yield on the 10-year German Bund, the benchmark for all euro zone debt, topped 3 percent for the first time in seven months, partly due to a sell-off in U.S. Treasuries but also due to anxiety over policy differences within the European Union.

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(Reuters) - Fortune Brands Inc (FO.N) announced plans to spin off or sell its golf and home products units, paving the way for an eventual sale of its most profitable business of alcoholic drinks. Fortune has come under pressure from activist investor William Ackman, who became the company's top shareholder two months ago after acquiring an 11 percent stake.

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(Reuters) - Stocks jumped to a fresh two-year intraday high on Tuesday as investors bet that a deal to extend tax breaks will prompt increased spending and buoy the economy. A stronger euro, rising commodity prices and an acquisition in the energy sector also combined to push Wall Street higher. U.S. President Barack Obama announced the deal to renew Bush-era tax cuts for wealthier Americans -- as Republicans had wanted -- as well as the middle class. The deal was expected to extend breaks on dividends and capital gains.

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(Reuters) - Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) will raise its dividend as soon as possible next year if it passes the current Federal Reserve stress test, Chief Executive Brian Moynihan said on Tuesday. Moynihan, speaking at the Goldman Sachs U.S. Financial Services Conference in New York, said the bank is targeting a dividend to shareholders of 30 percent of earnings, with the remaining 70 percent used to buttress the bank's capital.

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(Reuters) - The U.S. government sold off its remaining shares in Citigroup Inc on Monday for $4.35 each, marking an exit from ownership in the bailed-out banking giant with a $12 billion gross profit for taxpayers. The U.S. Treasury said it will take in $10.5 billion in sale proceeds from a public offering of 2.4 billion Citigroup shares, announced just hours earlier. The price is 10 cents below the $4.45 closing price on the New York Stock Exchange.

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(Reuters) - The head of the International Monetary Fund criticized Europe's piecemeal response to the euro zone debt crisis on Tuesday after Germany and other states resisted his calls for firmer action. IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn failed to persuade finance ministers of the 16-nation single currency area on Monday to increase the size of their financial safety net or the European Central Bank to step up government bond purchases.

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(Reuters) - Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD.TO) is in talks to buy lender Chrysler Financial from private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management CBS.UL, a source familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Chrysler Financial may sell for almost $6 billion to $7 billion and the parties may reach an agreement soon, according to Bloomberg, which first reported the news.

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(Reuters) - China is likely to raise interest rates in the coming days in a demonstration of the government's resolve to tame inflation, an official newspaper said on Tuesday. In a banner headline across its front page, the China Securities Journal said this weekend offered a "sensitive window" for a rate rise, which would be the country's second after a surprise increase in October, the central bank's first rate hike since 2007.

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(Reuters) - 3M Co (MMM.N) set a 2011 profit forecast that could top Wall Street expectations, saying strong growth in emerging markets including India and Latin America would offset more tepid results in the developed world. The diversified manufacturer, which has been on an M&A tear this year, also said it expects to continue that buying spree next year and plans to spend up to $3 billion on acquisitions.

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