(Reuters) - Confidential whistleblower documents that helped spark a massive state and federal investigation into how Bank of New York Mellon Corp charged pension funds for currency exchange, provide a rare window into how a bank insider aided a lawsuit against the bank. The information provided by whistleblower Grant Wilson, who worked at BNY Mellon, included a detailed analysis of how the bank allegedly provided "fictitious" foreign-currency costs for pension funds.

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(Reuters) - Italy's short-term debt costs halved at auction Wednesday as a new austerity package and an injection of cheap long-term money from the European Central Bank won Rome some respite in thin year-end markets. But analysts warned that market nerves could easily reignite and pointed to a tougher test Thursday, when Italy will sell up to 8.5 billion euros ($11.1 bln) of longer-term bonds, including three- and 10-year paper.

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(Reuters) - Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext have extended the deadline for completion of their planned merger to March 31 next year as they seek to convince European regulators to back the $9 billion deal. The exchanges, which agreed the merger on February 14, told the Securities and Exchange Commission last week they were exercising their right to extend the initial termination deadline of December31 2011.

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(Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury again shied away from labeling China a currency manipulator on Tuesday, but it rapped the country for not moving quickly enough on exchange rate reforms. The United States also chided Japan for stepping into the currency market to stem the yen's rise, and urged South Korea to use such interventions sparingly.

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(REUTERS) - Stocks cut gains with all three major indexes turning negative on Monday after an initial bounce was eroded by weakness in financial stocks. The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI rose 1.85 points, or 0.02 percent, to 11,868.24. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index .SPX dropped 2.16 points, or 0.18 percent, to 1,217.50. The Nasdaq Composite Index .IXIC dropped 0.85 points, or 0.03 percent, to 2,554.48.

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(Reuters) - Car maker Saab ran out of room for maneuver on Monday when its Dutch owner filed for bankruptcy, calling time on a nine-month battle to rescue the struggling Swedish marquee. Saab's cash problems began in March this year, after 2010 sales fell short of target. It has not made any vehicles since April.

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(Reuters) - European finance ministers discussed ways of boosting IMF resources to build a better firewall against the debt crisis on Monday, while also assessing plans for tighter euro zone fiscal rules that they hope will prevent the problems from worsening. With new governments in Italy and Spain redoubling austerity efforts, the EU ministers were locked in a three-hour teleconference call with discussions focused on the draft text of a new "fiscal compact" that they aim to have finalized by the end of January, EU officials said.

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(Reuters) - Homebuilder sentiment perked up in December for the third month in a row, to its highest level in a year and a half, the National Association of Home Builders said on Monday. The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market index rose to 21 from a downwardly revised 19 in November, the group said. Economists polled by Reuters had predicted a reading of 20. The index was at its highest level since May 2010.

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(Reuters) - Investors raised their cash balance to the highest in a year in December as they prepared for a jittery 2012 with growing concerns over the euro zone debt crisis, although some dipped back into cheap equities, Reuters polls showed on Monday. The surveys of 56 leading investment houses in the United States, continental Europe, Britain and Japan showed a typical balanced portfolio held 6.6 percent of its assets in cash, its highest since at least December 2010, from 6.4 percent last month.

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(Reuters) - Stocks declined Wednesday as a fall in commodity prices sparked a selloff in the energy and materials sectors and as a falling euro and high Italian bond yields kept Europe's debt crisis in focus. Eight of 10 S&P 500 sectors were down, with energy .GSPE leading the way. The S&P 500 .SPX fell below its 50-day moving average, which may be a portent of more losses.

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