RJ and Makay

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The International Bribe Payers Index 2011, a joint publication of Reuters and Transparency International, shows that “bribing public officials when doing business abroad is a regular occurrence.”  The index is based on a survey of more than 3000 business executives from developed and developing countries.

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Fears of a Eurozone debt default have pressured world stock markets for months, particularly stocks that are perceived to have large exposure to European debt.  This type of news-driven selling can provide buying opportunities for patient, value driven investors, according to Seeking Alpha, which has identified Morgan Stanley as a stock that has great upside potential once Eurozone hysteria settles down.

U.S. consumer sentiment rose in April as worries about the impact of higher oil prices on economic growth eased slightly, according to Reuters.

The consumer sentiment index calculated by Reuters and the University of Michigan has spiked 3% so far this month to 69.6 from 67.5 in March. Although the latest reading beat the consensus forecast of 68.5 among economists polled by Reuters, it's still below February's result (but not March's), Reuters reports.