Japan's Fast Retailing interested in J.Crew buy: source

Japan's Fast Retailing Co Ltd , parent of apparel chain Uniqlo, has expressed interest in buying J.Crew Group Inc from private equity owners, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday. J.Crew, which ...

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Bitcoin: Oh, what a wild, wild ride it's been

News of the Mt. Gox bankruptcy filing on Friday capped off a tumultuous week — and month — for bitcoin

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Where’s that tech IPO bubble we were promised?

The long anticipated 2014 tech IPO bubble is having some problems getting inflated. So far this year, there’s been almost no activity – one small deal for babysitter web site Care.com

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IMF's Lagarde says no need to panic on Ukraine aid request

* Premature to assess Kiev's needs, Lagarde says WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - The head of the International Monetary Fund said on Friday that there was no need to "panic" in terms of delivering economic aid to Ukraine, as she cast doubt the nation would need as much immediate help as its new leaders claim. "We do not see anything that is critical, that is worthy of panic at the moment," IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde told reporters. Ukraine's government coffers have been depleted by huge debt repayments, efforts to protect its currency and high energy costs.

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More than $1 billion worth of Apple TVs sold in 2013 - CEO

CUPERTINO, California (Reuters) - Apple Inc(NSQ:AAPL) CEO Tim Cook said the company had sold more than $1 billion's worth of Apple TV set-top boxes in 2013, a small but significant number for a $99 device ...

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SeaWorld's bizarre PR draws more attention to 'Blackfish'

SeaWorld's latest attack on documentary 'Blackfish' may alienate it further with consumers, says Jeff Macke

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Today's Trending Ticker: Mommy deals site Zulily

The mommy deals site reported it's first earnings as a public company earlier this week and has had investors buzzing all week. Can it continue?

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Investors unprepared for Tesla’s growing pains

Tesla's stock soared to another record high on news about the company's plans to build a $5 billion "gigafactory" for electric batteries. Are investors too optimistic about the electric car company? Aaron Task and Rick Newman offer their opinions.

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Fannie, Freddie and the Fed, cutting America’s debt

Washington may have discovered a new way to shrink the $17 billion national debt. But you won't hear anybody crowing about it. The once-wrecked Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been putting money back in taxpayer pockets.

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Fed officials downplay worries over U.S. growth

Recent bad weather in large portions of the United States is having an impact on economic activity, but that is no reason for less optimism about economic prospects for the rest of the year, St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard told CNBC television on Friday. The Texan is one of the most outspoken opponents of the current round of bond buying, which has swollen the Fed's balance sheet to more than $4 trillion.

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Tesla to Texas: How do you like us now?

Tesla may be locating a massive Gigafactory in Texas for producing lithium-ion batteries and electric storage applications.

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3 reasons why gold will rise despite price fix scandal

A price fix scandal rocks the gold trade, but David Lutz says gold will shake it off and push higher.

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Bitcoin needs to grow up if it wants to survive Mt. Gox collapse

At this moment, it seems clear bitcoin needs some kind of regulation to protect consumers, or it will remain at best a fringe way to conduct transactions and, at worst, a venue that continues to attract shysters and criminals.

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Now Uncle Sam Is Ripping Off Fannie and Freddie

Next month Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the giant enterprises that own or guarantee roughly half of all new mortgages, will hand over $7.2 billion to the U.S. Treasury, paying back more than the entire amount of their bailout. The achievement, which once seemed unimaginable, should be good news for the companies' many private shareholders. Thanks to astonishingly duplicitous behavior by the federal government, they may never get another dime from their investment. The story begins in July 2008, when Congress passed the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (HERA), authorizing a new regulator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to take over Fannie and Freddie if necessary.

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US stocks push further into record territory

U.S. stocks are opening higher, pushing the market further into record territory. The Standard & Poor's 500 index is on track to close up about 4 percent for February, retracing its losses from the month before.

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Pending home sales edge up in January

The National Association of Realtors said its pending home sales index, based on contracts signed last month, rose 0.1 percent to 95.0 in January. "Ongoing disruptive weather patterns in much of the U.S. inhibited home shopping," Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the Realtors, said in a statement.

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Consumer sentiment inches up in February

Consumer sentiment rose marginally in February even as concerns about the extreme weather persisted, a survey released on Friday showed. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's final reading on the overall index on consumer sentiment for February came in at 81.6, slightly above the 81.2 in both the preliminary February number and the final January reading. "The most significant implication is not whether consumers have correctly assessed the weather's negative impact on the economy, but the resilience consumers have demonstrated in the face of the polar vortex as well as higher utility bills and minimal employment gains," survey director Richard Curtin said in a statement.

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Citi hit by fraud in Mexico unit, cuts 2013 profit

Banking giant Citigroup cut its fourth quarter and full year 2013 estimates, as profit was hit by fraudulent activity at a Mexico-based subsidary.

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U.S. fourth-quarter growth cut to 2.4 percent

The U.S. government slashed its estimate for fourth-quarter growth as consumer spending and exports were less robust than initially thought, leaving the economy on a more sustainable path of modest expansion. The loss of momentum appears to have spilled over into in the first quarter of 2014, with an unusually cold winter weighing on retail sales, home building and sales, hiring and industrial production.

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Live: Breaking news on GDP; Yellen weighs in on weather, Bitcoin

Join Hot Stock Minute live now for the latest premarket headlines.

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Walmart takes on dollar discounters, but is it worth it?

Having conquered the world of big box discount retail Walmart has set its sights on taking over dollar stores. It’s good news for consumers but not even execution is likely to move the needle for long suffering shareholders.

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Andreessen Offers Defense in Wake of Icahn's eBay Criticism

Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen defended the corporate-governance practices of the technology industry and said he recuses himself from boardroom discussions that could involve companies his firm is backing. Mr. Andreessen's comments, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, are his first public remarks on this topic since activist investor Carl Icahn on Monday made him the focus of complaints about conflicts of interest at eBay Inc. Mr. Andreessen has investments in startups that compete with eBay's PayPal unit and was part of an investor group that bought a majority stake in Skype from eBay in 2009. Mr. Andreessen, who is a director on seven boards including Facebook Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co., declined to respond directly to Mr. Icahn's complaints about eBay.

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Gold Fix Study Points to Decade of Bank Manipulation

The London gold fix, the benchmark used by miners, jewelers and central banks to value the metal, may have been manipulated for a decade by the banks setting it, researchers say.

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EU-U.S. trade talks face growing hostility, ministers warn

Free-trade talks between the United States and the European Union are in danger of being derailed by populist groups opposing everything from globalization to multinationals, EU ministers and business leaders said on Friday. The rise of anti-EU parties, reports of U.S. spying in Europe and accusations that a trade pact would pander to big companies have combined to erode public support for a deal that proponents say would dramatically increase economic growth. "We are grappling with people who are anti-European, who are anti-American, who are anti-free trade, who are anti-globalization and who are anti-multinational corporations," Finland's minister for Europe and trade, Alexander Stubb, told his EU counterparts and business leaders at a meeting in Athens. With the euro zone's economy barely out of a two-year recession, EU governments see a trade deal with the United States as the best way to create jobs.

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Euro zone inflation stabilizes in 'danger zone'

Euro zone inflation stabilized in what the European Central Bank has called the "danger zone" in February, data showed on Friday, while unemployment remained stuck near record highs ahead of an ECB policy meeting next week. The European Union's statistics office Eurostat estimated that consumer prices in the 18 countries sharing the euro rose 0.8 percent year-on-year this month. ECB President Mario Draghi has warned of the risk of inflation getting stuck in a danger zone below 1 percent, but said again on Thursday that there was clearly no deflation.

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Mt. Gox in bankruptcy, may have lost all its bitcoins to hackers

Mt. Gox, once the world's biggest bitcoin exchange, filed for bankruptcy protection on Friday, saying it may have lost all of its investors' virtual coins due to hacking into its faulty computer system. Chief executive Mark Karpeles, bowing in contrition and wearing a suit instead of his customary T-shirt, apologised in Japanese at a news conference for the company's collapse, blaming "a weakness in our system." The company and Karpeles have said little in the days before the filing, which is similar to Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States, except that they were working with others to resolve their problems. Karpeles told the news conference that Mt. Gox wanted to file a criminal complaint against what he said was a hacking attack, but had no specific means of doing so.

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Gap's 4th-quarter profit down 12.5 percent

Gap Inc.'s fourth-quarter profit dropped 12.5 percent as the clothing retailer discounted heavily over the holiday shopping season to entice customers. The clothing chain, which operates Gap, Old Navy, ...

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GAO report: Airline pilot shortage? Not clear

It's not clear there is a shortage of airline pilots even though regional airlines report difficulty over the past year in finding enough pilots to hire, according to a draft report by a government watchdog ...

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Japan economy holds steady as tax hike looms

Japan's recovery is holding steady ahead of a looming sales tax hike, economic indicators showed Friday, though weakness in wages and spending suggest it remains vulnerable to a reversal. The consumer ...

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Big cut in U.S. fourth-quarter GDP growth looms

The U.S. government is set to slash its estimate of fourth-quarter growth as exports and restocking by businesses were less robust than previously thought, leaving the economy on a more familiar path of modest expansion. That could be lowered to a pace of about 3 percent.

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Japan's factory output jumps, inflation up but anxiety lingers

Japan's factory output rose in January at the fastest pace in more than two years and core inflation hovered at five-year highs, suggesting the economy has enough momentum to withstand an expected hit from a sales tax hike scheduled for April. Other data were equally upbeat, with labor demand improving and household spending rising in a sign the world's third-biggest economy is on course to shaking off two decades of stagnation even as it steers through some speed bumps. Domestic consumption is seen supporting activity as shoppers brought forward purchases, but the recent debate in markets has centered around an expected chill in demand after the tax hike and the risks that it may take the wind out of the government's growth strategy. "I'm not that confident about the economy after the sales tax hike," said Norio Miyagawa, senior economist at Mizuho Securities Research & Consulting Co.

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Asian stocks advance, take comfort from Yellen's comments

Asian stocks managed to shrug off early losses on Friday and push higher, inspired by gains on Wall Street after U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's comments underscored her confidence in the U.S. economy. Yellen's testimony to a Senate committee helped the S&P 500 (.SPX) shrug off fears of rising tension in Ukraine and Russia and close at a record high. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.2 percent, on track for a weekly gain, while Tokyo's Nikkei stock average (NIK:^9452) erased most losses and ended the morning session just a few ticks shy of flat. Tokyo got some help from data showing Japanese factory output rose in January at the fastest pace in more than two years and core inflation stood close to a five-year high.

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EBay founder rejects Icahn's call for PayPal spinoff

Omidyar, who is the largest shareholder in eBay with a stake of 8.37 percent, said separating PayPal from eBay was not a new idea and the board had evaluated the option but decided to keep the businesses together. Icahn, who disclosed a 2.15 percent stake in the e-commerce company last week, had also accused two long-time eBay board members, Marc Andreessen and Scott Cook, of having business interests that directly competed with eBay.

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Could this be the key to success on Wall Street? Ray Dalio thinks so

A string of recent deaths within the banking world have brought global attention to the stressful conditions that financiers work in and around.

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Why home builders could be in trouble

Recent housing data are a mixed bag. But, will the rest of 2014 look bleak for home builder stocks?

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US consumer bureau sues college chain ITT over student loans

The U.S. consumer watchdog said on Wednesday it has sued ITT Educational Services Inc for what the agency says are predatory student lending practices that could lead borrowers to default on their loans.

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Will weed be the best investment of the next decade?

Call it a drug trade for investors. Todd Harrison, CEO and founder of Internet-based financial media company MInyanville, thinks cannabis "will be the single best investment idea for the next ten years."

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Why the bull run isn't done... yet

Charles Schwab Chief Investment Strategist says there is more upside for stocks from here.

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Today's Trending Ticker: Tesla has been 'driving' higher all year

Tesla has been screaming higher for the past two months and thgeir latest announcement of a "Gigafactory" has it headed even higher today.

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Japan says any bitcoin regulation should be international

By Sophie Knight TOKYO (Reuters) - Any regulation of the bitcoin crypto-currency should involve international cooperation to avoid loopholes, Japanese vice finance minister Jiro Aichi said on Thursday. Commenting on the closure this week of Tokyo-based Mt. Gox, once the world's biggest exchange for the bitcoin virtual currency, Aichi said the ministry would respond to the problems "if necessary", after finding out exactly what happened. "As for its legal position, a currency (under Japan's jurisdiction) would be coins or notes issued by the Bank of Japan. A document circulating on the internet saying that more than 744,000 bitcoins - worth around $423 million at current rates - were missing from Mt. Gox was created by a Tokyo-based consulting firm, said Ryan Selkis, a blogger who initially leaked scans of the document.

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3 ugly secrets Sears is keeping from the world

Sears may be jumping after earnings, but Brian Sozzi has 3 secrets CEO Eddie Lampert doesn't want you to know about

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Yellen: Fed monitoring recent weaker economic data

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen noted Thursday that some recent economic data have pointed to weaker-than-expected gains in consumer spending and job growth. She said the Fed will be watching to see ...

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What investors need to know about Ukraine

Talk of potential civil war and fears of possible Russian intervention in Ukraine are on the rise. Global market reaction is relatively restrained, but here’s what you need to know.

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The Wolf of Wall Street: Fact vs. Fiction

The Reformed Broker himself Josh Brown gives us an insider look into Jordan Belfort's debauched time running Stratton Oakmont

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T-Mobile’s Legere shakes up mobile industry – and investor confidence

T-Mobile: how to separate a great product and a great CEO from a less than great stock.

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Yellen nods to cold weather, says unclear impact on economy

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said on Thursday recent cold weather and storms may have weakened U.S. spending and, while the central bank will monitor it closely, it is yet difficult to know to what extent the U.S. economic recovery will be weaker than expected.

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Your information for sale: the illicit online marketplace

Welcome to the shadowy “deep Web,” where, along with drugs, weapons and hit men, one can purchase access to credit cards, online bank accounts, personal and corporate email accounts, health insurance information and much more.

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Why Janet Yellen will be more communicative than Ben Bernanke

The Fed was clearly disappointed in the bond sell-off during the summer after it hinted at a withdrawal of QE (quantitative easing).

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Yellen nods to cold weather, says unclear impact on economy

"Since my appearance before the House committee, a number of data releases have pointed to softer spending than many analysts have expected," Yellen told a Senate Banking Committee hearing, referring to a February 11 testimony. "Part of that softness may reflect adverse weather conditions, but at this point it's difficult to discern exactly how much," she added.

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Yellen opening remarks to Senate committee identical to February 11 House testimony

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's opening remarks on the U.S. economy as prepared for delivery to the Senate Banking Committee are identical to the prepared testimony she delivered to a House of Representatives ...



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Dream of U.S. Oil Independence Slams Against Shale Costs

The path toward U.S. energy independence, made possible by a boom in shale oil, will be much harder than it seems. It will take 2,500 new wells a year just to sustain output of 1 million barrels a day in North Dakota's Bakken shale, according to the Paris-based International Energy Agency. Consider Sanchez Energy Corp. The Houston-based company plans to spend as much as $600 million this year, almost double its estimated 2013 revenue, on the Eagle Ford shale formation in south Texas, which along with North Dakota is one of the hotbeds of a drilling frenzy that's pushed U.S. crude output to the highest in almost 26 years.

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