Keystone report raises pressure on Obama to approve pipeline
Pressure for President Barack Obama to approve the Keystone XL pipeline increased on Friday after a State Department report played down the impact it would have on climate change, irking environmentalists and delighting the project's proponents. The agency made no recommendation on whether Obama should grant or deny an application by TransCanada Corp to build the $5.4 billion line, which would transport crude from Alberta's oil sands to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast. But the State Department said blocking Keystone XL - or any pipeline - would do little to slow the expansion of Canada's vast oil sands, maintaining the central finding of a preliminary study issued last year. "President Obama is out of excuses," said John Boehner, the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives and a big Keystone proponent.
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Exclusive: Obama considering Citi's Sheets for senior Treasury post - sources
The Obama administration is considering nominating Citigroup economist Nathan Sheets to be the Treasury Department's top official for international affairs, according to two sources familiar with the matter. If nominated and confirmed by the Senate, Sheets would be a key figure in U.S. financial and economic diplomacy and would help lead international discussions on the global economy. As the Treasury's under secretary for international affairs, Sheets would have to field questions from emerging market nations whose markets are reeling from a dramatic reversal of money flows tied partly to the U.S. Federal Reserve's decision to curtail its economic stimulus. He would also get an earful from developing countries frustrated by U.S. intransigence in following through on a promise to give emerging economies a bigger say at the International Monetary Fund.
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Super Bowl ads or players’ salaries: Which cost more?
It's the biggest sporting event of the year in the U.S., and when it comes to the Super Bowl, that means sports fans and advertisers shell out serious money to get in on the action. We break down the mindblowing money being spent, the over-hyped economic impact, and the best deal around.
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Fed draws criticism from abroad as emerging markets still reeling
MUMBAI/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve's decision to keep trimming its economic stimulus drew fire on Friday as India's central bank chief said Americans should be more attuned to the global impact of their policies, and the IMF called for vigilance given strains in financial markets. The push-back came on Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's last day on the job and two days after the U.S. central bank reduced the pace of its huge asset purchase program. The Fed made the move on Wednesday despite a bruising selloff in emerging markets that was prompted in part by the prospect of less U.S. monetary support. With the turmoil in currencies and stocks spreading into more emerging markets on Friday, Fed officials, addressing the rout for the first time, offered no hint the sell-off would influence their policy stance unless the U.S. economy were threatened.
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4 big challenges for new Fed Chair Janet Yellen
It will take years to determine whether Ben Bernanke’s 8-year tenure as chairman of the Federal Reserve was successful, but there’s one thing we already know about Bernanke: He was the Master Easer. For his successor, worrying about inflation could be the least of her problems.
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For companies, a rocky road ahead in emerging markets
And many warn that if China suffers a credit crisis as some fear, then things could get a whole lot worse. The sudden onslaught of market volatility in Turkey, Argentina, South Africa and Brazil, along with worries about an abrupt slowdown in China, means companies are now bracing for deeper reversals in demand for their products in emerging economies. Automakers Ford Motor Co. (NYS:F) and Fiat SpA (MIL:F), home appliance manufacturer Whirlpool Corp (WHR) and liquor giant Diageo (DGE.L) all cited weakness and a more sober outlook in once-roaring emerging markets in earnings reports this week. "We've been in the Brazilian market for over 60 years and we've managed hyper inflationary periods, busts, booms, and we've never had a loss-making year in Brazil."
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Wal-Mart outlook hit by store closings, food stamp cuts
Wal-Mart Stores Inc Friday cut its quarterly profit outlook because of a host of issues, including reduced food stamp benefits and the restructuring of Sam's Club's in the United States and the closing of stores in Brazil and China. The announcement comes the day before Doug McMillon, who had been chief executive officer of the Walmart International unit, becomes president and CEO of the Bentonville, Arkansas-based company. After decades of robust growth, Wal-Mart now faces fierce competition in the United States from Amazon.com Inc and other retailers as well as challenges abroad as it adjusts its big-box model. Wal-Mart said Friday that it expected to report earnings for the fourth quarter ending on Jan. 31 at or slightly below the low end of its previous forecast of $1.60 to $1.70 a share.
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Court approves Bank of America's $8.5 billion mortgage settlement
A New York state judge on Friday approved most of Bank of America Corp's $8.5 billion settlement with investors in mortgage securities, which would resolve much of the bank's liability from its acquisition of Countrywide Financial Corp during the financial crisis.
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Obama asks CEOs for help hiring long-term jobless
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NCAA fumbles, college football team wants to unionize
This week, in a first for college sports, Northwestern University football players have petitioned to join a union, adding fuel to the debate over college athletes' financial rights and position. What are the chances of success and could this trend spread?
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Consumer sentiment dips in January
Consumer sentiment dipped slightly in January, with recent economic improvement not translating to expectations for future gains, a survey released on Friday showed. The final reading on the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's overall index of consumer sentiment slipped to 81.2 in January, down from the 82.5 posted in December but up from the preliminary January reading of 80.4. Analysts were looking for a reading of 81.0 in the month. "Prospects for either consumers' own personal finances or for the economy as a whole have remained more resistant to improvement, especially longer term prospects," survey director Richard Curtin wrote in a statement.
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Keystone review looming, likely to show little climate risk
The U.S. State Department is poised to issue an environmental review of the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline that will likely say the project will not appreciably increase carbon emissions, sources said late Thursday, forcing President Barack Obama closer to a tough decision. Rumors swept through Washington late Thursday that the long-delayed review of the 1,179-mile (1,900-km) pipeline to bring oil from Canada to Nebraska would finally be released as soon as Friday. "The Environmental Impact Statement is in the final stages of preparation and we anticipate a release of the document soon," a senior State Department official said late on Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity. Supporters say the TransCanada Corp project would create thousands of jobs and reduce U.S. reliance oil imports from nations that are less friendly than Canada.
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Labor costs rise in fourth quarter
Labor costs rose in the fourth quarter, with the biggest jump in wages and salaries since 2009, but there was still little sign of wage inflation amid slack in the jobs market. The Employment Cost Index, the broadest measure of labor costs, increased 0.5 percent after rising 0.4 percent in the third quarter, the Labor Department said on Friday. Economists polled by Reuters had expected labor costs to increase 0.4 percent. During periods of strong economic growth, the U.S. central bank closely monitors the index for signs of wage inflation.
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U.S. consumer spending rises in December, income flat
U.S. consumer spending rose more than expected in December, but weak income growth suggested the economy could cool off a bit in the first quarter. The Commerce Department said on Friday that consumer spending increased 0.4 percent after rising by a revised 0.6 percent in November. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, rising 0.2 percent in December. When adjusted for inflation, consumer spending rose 0.2 percent after advancing 0.6 percent in November.
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U.S. Banks Start to Ease Limits on Lending
In both the U.S. and Europe, new reports released Thursday show banks are slowly starting to increase their appetite for risk. The U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said banks relaxed the criteria for businesses and consumers to obtain credit during the 18 months leading up to June 30, 2013, while the European Central Bank said fewer banks in the euro zone were reporting tightened lending standards to nonfinancial businesses in the fourth quarter of 2013. The World Bank predicts global growth of 3.2%, bolstered by stronger recoveries in the U.S. and the euro zone. The Federal Reserve predicts U.S. growth between 2.8% and 3.2%, while the euro zone is expected to grow by 1.1% after two years of contracting.
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Microsoft Investors Say Nadella Safe Choice, Glad Search Ending
The most exciting part of elevating Satya Nadella to chief executive officer of Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) may be that it would end the search to replace Steve Ballmer, investors in the world's biggest software maker said. The 46-year-old native of Hyderabad, India, is a cloud computing whiz with the potential to reverse Microsoft's image as a company stranded in the past, said Chad Morganlander, a fund manager at Washington Crossing Advisors. At the same time, he spent two decades working for Ballmer and Bill Gates and shareholders may be disappointed no outside candidate was found, said Donald Selkin of National Securities Corp. Microsoft's board is preparing to make Nadella, the company's enterprise and cloud chief, its CEO, and is discussing replacing Gates as chairman, according to people briefed on the process who asked not to be identified because the process is private.
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Facebook looks to nab Twitter's 'second screen' crown in Super Bowl
More than 100 million people will be glued to their TV screens on Sunday, when the Denver Broncos take on the Seattle Seahawks in America's premier sporting contest, the Super Bowl. But two fierce rivals, Facebook Inc (FB.O) and Twitter Inc (TWTR.O), will also be clashing head-to-head on a "second screen" that TV viewers will tune in for the big game. The two social networks are jostling to be the venue of choice for fans to comment on big plays, the star-studded halftime show and of course the commercials - multi million dollar productions by major brands that are often a draw in their own right. The Super Bowl is the biggest stage for a broader battle that has intensified over the past year between the two behemoths of social media.
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Euro zone inflation drop in January gives ECB fresh headache
Euro zone consumer prices dropped in January, bucking market expectations for a rise and providing a possible trigger for further easing by the European Central Bank to sustain a fragile recovery and ward against deflation. Consumer prices in the now-18-country bloc fell to 0.7 percent year-on-year in the first month of 2014, down from 0.8 percent in December, data from the EU's statistics office Eurostat showed on Friday. "The ECB's sensitivity to inflation data was already high and even a small surprise like this one today might tip the balance towards more easing," said Frederik Ducrozet, a senior euro zone economist at Credit Agricole.
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Honda warns on emerging markets while aiming for record sales
Honda Motor Co warned auto demand is cooling in emerging markets and especially Southeast Asia, but Japan's third-biggest carmaker remained upbeat about its prospects and said it aims to sell a record 4.5 million vehicles or more in 2014. Honda said new, smaller models would help it to maintain strong sales growth in some key emerging markets like Indonesia and India where industry-wide demand has been ebbing. Rising interest rates and currency worries have cast a shadow over the economic growth outlook in several emerging markets, which are key to Honda's aggressive expansion targets. That will require Honda to nearly double sales in emerging markets, where it sold 1.6 million to 1.7 million vehicles in 2013.
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Google's outsized ad growth offsets steep price decline
Google Inc's quarterly revenue beat Wall Street's target despite an ongoing decline in prices for its online ads and deepening losses at Motorola, the handset-making division to be sold to China's Lenovo. Shares of Google, which have risen more than 20 percent in the past three months, rose nearly 4 percent to $1,178 in after-hours trading on Thursday. Google executives said in a conference call on Thursday that the company benefited from strong demand from brand marketers and retailers in the fourth quarter, as well as healthy demand for online ads in international markets. "In the holiday season one thing has become very clear, the Web has truly become the new holiday store window," Google Chief Business Officer Nikesh Arora said.
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Asian stocks slip, yen rises in holiday-hit trade
jeudi 30 janvier 2014
Asian stocks slipped on Friday, as fears about the impact of the Federal Reserve's stimulus withdrawal on emerging markets offset the reassurance of upbeat U.S. growth data. The U.S. dollar index was nearly flat on the day at 81.101 (.DXY) but remained close to a one-week high against a basket of major currencies hit on Thursday, when it rose as far as 81.135 from a session low of 80.545.
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Wall Street rallies on Facebook and GDP; Amazon sinks late
The S&P 500 scored its biggest gain in more than a month on Thursday as Facebook led a tech rally and data showed the U.S. economy was on solid footing in the fourth quarter. The day's rebound pushed the S&P 500 back into positive territory for the week, but the index was still down 2.9 percent for the month. Facebook Inc (FB.O) shares jumped 14.1 percent to end at $61.08, hitting a lifetime high of $62.50 during the session and supporting both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq. Google Inc (GOOG) shares jumped 2.6 percent to $1,135.39, a day after Lenovo Group said it would buy the Internet search giant's Motorola handset division for $2.91 billion.
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Apple, Samsung spar over potential U.S. ban on smartphone sales
Samsung sought to defeat Apple's bid for a permanent sales ban against some Samsung smartphones, arguing in court on Thursday that Apple's request was an attempt to instill fear among telecom carriers and retailers that carry Samsung's products. At a hearing in federal court in San Jose, California, Samsung attorney Kathleen Sullivan told U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh that the injunction would give the iPhone maker an opening to come back to court quickly and argue that newer Samsung products should also be banned. "An injunction would create fear and uncertainty for the carriers and retailers with whom Samsung has very important customer relationships," Sullivan said.
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Amazon warns of possible loss, mulls Prime fee-hike
Amazon.com Inc missed Wall Street's estimates for the crucial holiday period and cautioned investors about a possible operating loss this quarter as shipping costs climb, pushing its shares down more than 5 percent. It was a contest that many retail industry executives have blamed on Amazon. The Seattle-based company, which has spent freely to forge new markets in cloud computing and digital media, is experiencing slower growth at home after years of rip-roaring expansion, and its international business continues to underperform. Amazon expects operating results for the current quarter to range from a $200 million loss to a $200 million profit, compared with a $181 million profit a year ago.
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Microsoft board close to naming Nadella as new CEO
NEW YORK/SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp is close to naming a new chief executive, most likely its cloud-computing head Satya Nadella, a source close to the matter said on Thursday, concluding a five-month long search for a heavy-hitter to lead the world's largest software company. As part of the move, co-founder Bill Gates may step aside as chairman but remain on the board, while lead independent director John Thompson will take on the chairman role, the source said on condition of anonymity because the process is private. Nadella, a native of Hyderabad, India - where Microsoft has its largest non-U.S. research center - was promoted to run the company's fast expanding cloud, or internet-based, computing initiatives in July last year as part of current CEO Steve Ballmer's radical re-organization of the company. Before his role in shaping Microsoft's cloud computing business, Nadella was in charge of the company's growing server and tools unit, following on from high-level roles in Microsoft's Office and Bing search engine teams.
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