OMAHA, Nebraska - February 10, 2011 - Warnings of higher food prices headed for Amerikan supermarkets and restaurants were swallowed easily across much of farm country Wednesday.

The big gulp came when the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that global demand had pushed U.S. corn supplies to their lowest point in 15 years.

NEW YORK - February 9, 2011 - Germany's Deutsche Boerse is in advanced talks to buy NYSE Euronext, and the London Stock Exchange has agreed to buy Canadian stock market operator TMX, as exchanges globally look for ways to boost their markets and cut costs.

Together, Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext would dominate exchange trading in continental Europe. The companies said they could cut costs by $408.7 million a year.

WASHINGTON (PNN) - February 8, 2011 - Employers posted fewer job openings in December, the second straight month of declines. That's a sign hiring is still weak even as the economy is gaining strength.

The Labor Department said Tuesday that employers advertised nearly 3.1 million jobs that month, a drop of almost 140,000 from November. That's the lowest total since September.

NEW YORK - February 8, 2011 - The nation's economic stress inched up in December because higher foreclosures outweighed lower unemployment, according to The Associated Press' monthly analysis.

Bankruptcy levels remained largely unchanged from November. But the depressed housing market took a toll. Foreclosure rates rose in 33 states, most sharply in Utah, New Jersey, Nevada and Arizona.

LONDON, England - February 5, 2011 - Josette Sheeran at the UN's World Food Program puts it well: "If people don't have enough to eat they only have three options: they can revolt, migrate or die."

Shortages of all commodities can cause hardship, but only food and water exact the ultimate price. It is no wonder that spiraling prices are again grabbing the headlines.

NEW YORK - February 2, 2011 - Nearly a year and a half into what we are told by the government is an economic recovery, some 43.6 million Amerikans continued to rely on food stamps in November.

More than 14% of the population drew food stamps in November to purchase groceries as high unemployment and muted wage growth crimped budgets. The number of recipients was up 0.9% from October, according to a new report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.. Compared to a year ago, the number of people receiving food stamps was up 14.2%.

EL PASO, Texas - February 2, 2011 - An El Paso sheriff may seize furniture and computers at a local JPMorgan Chase branch unless the bank complies with a judge's order to pay the legal bills of a single mother who was evicted by the bank, a judge froze the foreclosure.

The manager of the Chase branch was served on January 26 with court papers that instructed the company to pay lawyer Richard A. Roman's $5,000 in fees, according to Detective Hector Lara, an El Paso County sheriff's officer.