Amid the crisis, lenders are selling some of their best businesses to raise money

After borrowing heavily to buy, they take to the streets in protest

If the stock stays below $5 it could force some investment managers to stay away

Builders broke ground in November on the most houses in over a year, led by a three-year high on work in multifamily units, a sign the market is stabilizing heading into 2012.

UniCredit SpA, Italy’s biggest lender, plans to hire an additional 12 banks to help manage its 7.5 billion-euro ($9.8 billion) rights offering next month, said two people with knowledge of the discussions.

European stocks climbed, erasing an earlier selloff, as banks rallied after a report showed that German business confidence unexpectedly rose for a second month. Asian shares and U.S. index futures rose.

U.S. stock futures rose, following yesterday’s decline in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, amid expectations the world’s largest economy will avoid a recession as housing starts rose to the highest level in a year.

Harvey McGrath, chairman of British insurer Prudential, is to step down next year after bearing the brunt of shareholder criticism over the group’s costly failed bid for Asian rival AIA.

Dexia, which is being broken up after running out of short-term funding, said it signed an agreement to sell its Luxembourg unit for ?730m.

American and Japanese conglomerates have waded into the war between Occupy London activists and the City.