2 in November which was originally reported at 102

(Repeats to widen distribution) Bonds NEW YORK, Jan 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. stimulus plan beingdrafted by President-elect Barack Obama likely will includeabout $80 billion of school grants for states, U.S SenatorChuck Schumer said on Monday. The Democratic senator, at an Albany news conference withfellow Democratic Gov. David Paterson, said states should getabout one-third of the total the federal government will spendto rescue the economy from its recession. New York stateshould get at least $5 billion of that aid, he added (Reporting by Joan Gralla; Editing by Tom Hals) Bonds. NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S.

job market worsened in December and could lose another 2 million jobs in 2009, a research group said on Monday. The index has fallen for 17 months and was down from a revised 101.2 in November, which was originally reported at 102.9."During 2008, total non-farm employment declined by more than 2.5 million and the sharp declines in the Employment Trends Index suggest that in 2009 this number could grow by another 2 million," Gad Levanon, senior economist at the Conference Board, was quoted as saying in the report."The continued deterioration in the Employment Trends Index signals that no turnaround in the labor market is to be expected in the near future."Financial markets showed little reaction to the Conference board data, since it broadly reflected Friday's jobs report Stocks held onto earlier losses .GSPC and U.S. government bonds remained steady to higher on the day.Government data on Friday showing the U.S. unemployment rate surged to the highest in nearly 16 years last month as a deepening year-long recession forced companies to ax more than half a million jobs.The U.S.

economy lost an astonishing 1.9 million jobs in the past four months alone, an acceleration in layoffs toward the end of a year that brought the biggest drop in employment in more than a half century.In all of 2008, 2.6 million people lost their jobs, the largest slump in employment since a 2.75 million drop in 1945.The Conference Board says its index is based on eight components and is meant to be a forward-looking indicator.The ETI components include the percentage of those who say jobs are "hard to get" in the Conference Board's monthly consumer confidence survey, the Labor Department's data on initial claims for unemployment insurance and the National Federation of Independent Business's reading on firms with jobs open.Government and Federal Reserve data on industrial production, manufacturing, job openings and part-time employment are also used.(Reporting by Burton Frierson; Editing by Tom Hals) Hot Stocks Economy. MILAN, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Italy's Intesa Sanpaolo SpA(ISP.MI) will meet with Treasury officials in coming weeks toevaluate possible moves to bolster the banking system, ChiefExecutive Corrado Passera said on Monday. Stocks The center-right government is completing an aid packagefor banks caught up in the credit crunch. The EuropeanCommission has approved the measures, which include a budget ofup to 20 billion euros ($26.81 billion) and which would see theItalian state underwriting subordinated debt instruments. "We will evaluate the proposals in the next few weekstogether with the Treasury ministry, as to whether it ispossible to reinforce the banking system," Passera said duringa debate on the CNBC cable television network. ($1.7461 Euro) (Reporting by Giancarlo Navach, writing by Ian Simpson,editing by Gerald E McCormick) Stocks.

Glen Perkins has dropped his grievance against the Minnesota Twins.The two sides were able to reach a settlement earlier today, thus avoiding the hearing that was planned for this Friday in New York.The grievance came as a result of the Twins’ decision to option Perkins to Triple-A Rochester after activating him from the disabled list at the end of August.Perkins and his agent felt that he should have remained on the major league roster and been sent on a minor league rehabilitation assignment rather than being sent to the minors.The grievance insinuated that the Twins had sent him to Rochester in an attempt to keep him from qualifying as a “Super 2” at season’s end.Had Perkins qualified as a “Super 2” he would have been arbitration-eligible at the end of last year, rather than having to complete three years of big league service to qualify.As it stands, Perkins won’t be eligible for arbitration and the big payday that accompanies it until after 2010.Sources believe that the settlement gave the lefty some of the service time he feels he was cheated out of, but not enough to qualify for arbitration.With the grievance now settled, the Twins can decide what’s next for Perkins.It is widely-believed that Perkins is a candidate to be traded this offseason, and I’d be hard-pressed to disagree with that assessment.As a result of the grievance, Perkins burned many bridges and now finds himself in the doghouse with a lot of people in the organization.As such, a trade is probably the best solution for both sides, but what does Perkins have to offer in a tradePerkins, 26, has been part of the club’s starting rotation for the past two seasons and was a member of the bullpen to begin and end the season in 2007.In that time Perkins has been a mixed bag on the mound.He’s had starts where he looks absolutely brilliant and starts where he looks like a pee-wee league reject.His lack of consistency has been absolutely maddening to Twins’ fans who don’t know if they’re going to get an eight-inning gem out of Dr Jekyll or a two-inning implosion from Mr. Hyde.Despite his inconsistency, Perkins is a very good pitcher.In a mechanical sense, that is.He has a three pitch repertoire that consists of a low-to-mid 90s fastball, a very good changeup, and a biting curveball that he can toss with a hard or a slow break. He has tremendous control with all of his pitches and when he is on can be nearly unhittable.In addition to his “raw stuff,” Perkins also has stamina, not commonly found in young pitchers with limited big league experience.Of his 17 starts in 2009, Perkins went six innings or more ten times and pitched into the seventh inning or deeper seven times.In 2008, he was even more impressive. Perkins made 26 starts and pitched to the sixth inning or beyond in 17 of those starts.Clearly, all of the parts of the equation are there, but Perkins simply hasn’t figured it all out.He will, undoubtedly, be a tough-sell coming off a lackluster season, but his natural talent cannot be overlooked.Perkins would make a lot of sense for many National League clubs, where his lack of an overpowering fastball would be less of an issue.The NL is widely-regarded as the lighter-hitting of the two leagues, and many pitchers have seen their numbers and overall value increase by moving to the senior circuit.The Twins figure to have many irons in the fire this winter and could conceivably include Perkins in any offer.Although it is the logical move, it would still be a shame to lose someone with the talent he possesses.He has the stamina and the ability to be a legitimate front-of-the-rotation starter, but hasn’t yet put it all together with the Twins.Given his falling out with the club, it is likely that the Stillwater, Minnesota, native won’t ever get the chance to put it all together with his hometown team..