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House, Senate Leaders Agree on Most of Health Bill (Update2) House and Senate leaders have agreed on most elements of legislation needed to push forward President Barack Obama’s proposed overhaul of the U.S. health- care system, top House Democrats said.

Home Equity Lending That Fueled Spending to Recover (Update1) John Hale’s four-bedroom house near Seattle is worth about $2 million and is 90 percent paid for. It still took him nine months to find a bank that would give him a $250,000 home equity line of credit.

India’s Stalled Arms Buying Leaves Its Army Outgunned by China India, which has tripled its defense spending in a race against China’s military buildup, is having trouble converting the funding into weapons and equipment its military says are urgently needed.

Pelosi Staff Said to Be Told of Massa in October (Update2) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s staff first learned of concerns about the behavior of former New York Representative Eric Massa in October, four months earlier than the speaker previously disclosed, said a Democratic aide who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Pledge of Allegiance in Schools Ruled Constitutional (Update1) Reciting the Pledge of Allegiance with its reference to God in public schools doesn’t violate the U.S. Constitution’s separation of church and state, a federal appeals court ruled.

GMAC Executive Pay Packages Questioned by TARP Panel (Update2) GMAC Inc., the auto and home lender rescued by the U.S. government, may have overpaid its top executives after receiving taxpayer funds, according to a report by the panel overseeing the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Venezuela Bolivar May Sink as Low as 9, Barclays Says (Update1) Venezuela’s bolivar may fall as low as 9 per dollar in the “worst scenario” as the government refrains from selling U.S. currency in the unregulated market to preserve foreign reserves, Barclays Plc said.

Treasury Yield Curve Near Record Adds to Demand at Bond Auction Treasury 30-year bonds gained as one of the biggest yield premiums over 2-year government securities on record bolstered demand at today’s U.S. auction of $13 billion in bonds.

EIM USA Chief Said to Leave Busson’s Fund of Hedge Funds Antonio Munoz, chief executive officer of EIM USA Inc., left the U.S. arm of Arpad Busson’s $9 billion fund-of-hedge-funds firm, according to two people with knowledge of the move.

GameStop Gains Most in Year on Takeover Speculation (Update1) GameStop Corp., the world’s largest video-game retailer, gained the most in almost a year in New York and trading of its bullish options jumped to a record on speculation that the company will be acquired.

New Jersey’s Christie May Privatize State Jobs to Reduce Costs New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said he may privatize some state jobs in 2011, as he struggles to close an $11 billion budget deficit amid rising costs for employee salaries and benefits.

Natural Gas Drops to 15-Week Low on Ample Supply, Mild Weather Natural gas futures fell to a 15- week low in New York after a government report showed supplies of the fuel will be ample during milder-than-normal weather at the end of the heating season.

Most U.S. Stocks Fall on Chinese Inflation, Trade; Banks Rally Most U.S. stocks fell as higher- than-estimated inflation in China spurred speculation the nation will be forced to raise interest rates while technology companies and banks rallied.

Toyota Seeks to Regain Most of Lost U.S. Market Share in 2010 Toyota Motor Corp. set a 2010 goal of regaining most of the U.S. market share lost in the past two months after global recalls of 8 million vehicles damped demand, the No. 2 U.S. sales executive said.

House Republicans Announce They Won’t Seek Earmarks (Update1) House Republicans announced they won’t request any so-called earmarks in an election-year attempt to outdo Democrats in clamping down on the practice of adding money for pet projects to legislation.

Iraq Contender Raises Suspicion of Tampering Amid First Results As the first results from Iraq’s election showed blocs led by former premier Ayad Allawi and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki leading in their areas of core support, Allawi complained about possible vote-tampering.

Sensata IPO Raises $569 Million at Low End of Range (Update2) Bain Capital LLC’s Sensata Technologies Holding NV sold $569 million of shares at the low end of its price range in the biggest U.S. initial public offering this year.

United’s Bonds Jump Most of 2009 Airline Issues as Travel Rises Bonds issued last year by U.S. carriers including UAL Corp.’s United Airlines and Delta Air Lines Inc. are all trading at or above par for the first time amid improving demand as business travel returns, according to RBS Securities Inc.

U.S. 30-Year Bond Rises as Sale Draws Lower Than Forecast Yield Treasuries rose after the U.S. sold $13 billion of 30-year debt, the final of three note and bond auctions this week totaling $74 billion. The difference in yield between 2- and 30-year debt was near the highest on record.

Foreclosure Filings Rise at Slowest Pace in 4 Years (Update1) U.S. foreclosure filings rose at the slowest pace in four years in February as the government sought to reduce record bank seizures, RealtyTrac Inc. said.

U.S. Household Worth Rose at Slower Pace Last Quarter (Update2) Household wealth in the U.S. grew in the fourth quarter at a slower pace, limited by a drop in home values that indicates the recovery in consumer spending will take time to gain speed.

Fannie Mae Sells Largest Benchmark Debt in a Year (Update1) Fannie Mae sold $6 billion of debt, its biggest offering of benchmark notes in almost a year, as the company boosts borrowing and cuts holdings to fund about $130 billion of planned purchases of delinquent loans from the mortgage securities it guarantees.

Toning Shoes May Find Untapped Market in Men, NPD Data Find Skechers USA Inc. and other makers of toning and shaping shoes may be poised for faster sales growth if they can figure out how to lure men.

Obama’s $79 Billion Tech Plan May Favor Web Programs (Update1) Vivek Kundra, the Obama official with $79 billion to spend on technology, said the government can be more efficient by putting programs on the Web, paving the way for companies like Microsoft Corp. and Google Inc. to win business.

Airline Loss Estimate Cut by 50% as Demand Rebounds (Update3) Airlines worldwide will lose a collective $2.8 billion in 2010, half the previous forecast, as emerging markets lead a rebound in traffic, the International Air Transport Association said.

U.S. Economy: Trade Deficit Unexpectedly Shrinks (Update1) The trade deficit in the U.S. unexpectedly narrowed in January as imports fell for the first time in five months, indicating demand is cooling following the fastest pace of growth in six years.

Quake Shakes Pinera’s Plan to Spur Chilean Economy (Update2) Sebastian Pinera was inaugurated as Chile’s president today minutes after powerful earthquakes shook buildings in Santiago and Valparaiso, stirring memories of last month’s devastating 8.8-magnitude temblor.

University of Southern California Names New President (Update1) The University of Southern California, the largest private institution of higher learning on the U.S. West Coast, named Provost C.L. Max Nikias its next president, succeeding Steven Sample.

Curbs on Media, Internet Rise Worldwide, U.S. Says (Update1) Crackdowns on the media and on Internet use rose last year in China, Iran, Russia and other nations in an effort by governments to clamp down on dissent, according to the annual U.S. report on human rights.

Hedge Fund-Backed Farm Group Tejar Weighs U.S. IPO (Update2) El Tejar SA, Argentina’s largest agricultural producer, is weighing an initial public offering in New York to tap rising investor demand for farming assets.

Goldman Sachs Hedge Fund Head Flamand Said to Start Own Firm Pierre-Henri Flamand, the head of Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s largest internal hedge fund, is retiring from the world’s most profitable securities firm to start a hedge fund, according to three people with knowledge of his plans.

New York Times Won’t Be Sold or Split, Chairman Says (Update1) New York Times Co. won’t be sold or split apart and the company is “delighted” to have billionaire Carlos Slim as an investor, Chairman Arthur Sulzberger Jr. said.

Elliott Said to Plan Sale of Novell Business If Offer Succeeds Elliott Associates LP, the fund manager that made an unsolicited $2 billion offer for Novell Inc., would sell the NetWare networking-software unit if its bid succeeds, a person familiar with the matter said.

VW, BMW Forecast Growth as German Carmakers Lead (Update1) Volkswagen AG plans a second consecutive record year for deliveries and BMW, helped by the new 5-Series sedan, aims for an increase in sales as China, Brazil and the U.S. propel a recovery in the global car market.

Roach Says China Will Seek to Limit Inflation Rate to 5% China won’t allow its inflation rate to exceed 5 percent, said Stephen Roach, chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia Ltd., after a report today showed the country’s consumer prices rose at the fastest pace in 16 months.

Conan O’Brien Plans 30-City Tour After Exit From ‘Tonight Show’ Conan O’Brien, ousted as host of “The Tonight Show” by NBC, plans a 30-city comedy and music show beginning next month.

Americans Less Concerned About Climate Change, Gallup Poll Says Americans are less concerned about the threat of climate change than they were two years ago and almost half say the seriousness of global warming is overblown, a Gallup Organization Inc. poll shows.

US Airways Jet Returns to Airport After Bird Strike (Update1) A US Airways Group Inc. flight bound for Charlotte, North Carolina, returned to the airport in Rochester, New York, after reporting that birds hit the plane.

U.S. Auto Regulator Had ‘Years of Stagnation,’ Dingell Says The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, faulted for its handling of Toyota Motor Corp.’s vehicle defects, “suffered years of stagnation in funding,” Representative John Dingell said today.

GameStop Shares, Options Climb on Speculation It May be Bought GameStop Corp. rose the most in three months and trading of bullish options jumped to a record on speculation that the world’s largest video-game retailer may be acquired.