NYSE stock specialists charged for insider deals

NEW YORK -- Fifteen specialists who managed trades on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange used their inside positions to earn an estimated $20 million in illicit gains for themselves and their firms, federal authorities charged Tuesday. The Securities and Exchange Commission also filed civil charges against 20 specialists, including the 15 charged in the criminal indictment, and the NYSE as well. An SEC official decried the violations as "profound and, at times, profane."

U.S. trade deficit reaches monthly high in February

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. trade deficit hit a record monthly high of $61.04 billion in February as imports of oil and textiles surged while American exports barely budged. The deficit figure sent tremors through Wall Street with investors worrying that the huge amount of foreigners' money America needs to finance the deficit could at some point trigger a freefall in the dollar and aggravate U.S. inflation problems.

Computer theives' haul from LexixNexis grows

LONDON -- Criminals may have breached computer files containing the personal information of 310,000 people, a tenfold increase over a previous estimate of how much data was stolen from information broker LexisNexis, the company's parent said Tuesday. Last month, London-based publisher and data broker Reed Elsevier Group PLC said criminals may have accessed personal details of 32,000 people via a breach of its recently acquired Seisint unit, part of Dayton, Ohio-based LexisNexis. LexisNexis is a Reed subsidiary.

Speedy Internet option brings lawsuit threat

WASHINGTON -- The super-fast "Internet2" network that connects universities researching the next-generation Internet is also apparently popular among college students who download pirated music and movies. Entertainment groups said Tuesday they intend to sue hundreds of students accused of illegally distributing copyrighted songs and films across college campuses using the private research network, which boasts speeds hundreds of times faster than the Internet.