Business News

Investors anxiously await bank earnings

AP - Sat Dec 15, 5:07 AM ET

NEW YORK - Wall Street and stock market investors in general aren't feeling much love for Ben Bernanke these days.

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Economy News

  • Gas prices spur consumer inflation AP - Sat Dec 15, 3:10 AM ET

    WASHINGTON - Led by higher gasoline prices, consumer inflation shot up in November by the largest amount in more than two years.

  • Inflation hottest in two years, output solid Reuters - Fri Dec 14, 6:22 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Consumer prices rose the most in more than two years in November as energy costs surged and a host of other prices marched higher, damping prospects of further interest-rate cuts from the Federal Reserve.

  • China asset investment keeps rising AP - Fri Dec 14, 12:16 PM ET

    SHANGHAI, China - China's investments in factories, real estate and other urban assets surged 26.8 percent in the first 11 months of this year despite government curbs meant to prevent runaway spending, according to data reported Friday.

  • November CPI up 0.8 percent Reuters - Fri Dec 14, 8:35 AM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Consumer prices jumped a bigger-than-expected 0.8 percent in November, the sharpest climb in more than two years and driven by surging energy costs, a government report released on Friday showed.

  • C.bankers worry over action plan Reuters - Fri Dec 14, 8:28 AM ET

    LONDON (Reuters) - Top European central bankers expressed concern on Friday about the success of a concerted action plan to grease the wheels of seized-up money markets, as U.S. banking giant Citigroup faced fresh strife.

Stock Markets News

  • Wall Street indexes fall as inflation worries weigh Reuters - 21 minutes ago

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks swooned on Friday on concerns that surging inflation may prevent the Federal Reserve from lowering interest rates enough to pull the economy out of the grip of a housing and credit crisis.

  • Stocks fall on inflation report AP - Sat Dec 15, 3:10 AM ET

    NEW YORK - Stocks finished a bruising week on the downside Friday after a jump in consumer inflation raised concerns about how much freedom the Federal Reserve has to continue cutting interest rates. The Dow Jones industrial average gave up more than 178 points.

  • Annual re-ranking announced of Nasdaq-100 index Reuters - Fri Dec 14, 8:49 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Nasdaq Stock Market Inc late on Friday announced the annual re-ranking of the Nasdaq-100 Index.

  • Wall St unease about credit squeeze remains FT.com - Fri Dec 14, 4:45 PM ET

    Wall Street stocks hit reverse gear this week after interest rate cuts and a central bank plan to help ease banks' funding problems failed to convince investors that the worst effects of the credit squeeze were over.

  • UBS tumbles following extra EU7bn writedown FT.com - Fri Dec 14, 2:45 PM ET

    After a rollercoaster week, European stocks surrendered early gains as euphoria about central banks' moves to boost liquidity in the global banking system gave way to doubts over their likely effectiveness.

Earnings News

  • Investors anxiously await bank earnings AP - Sat Dec 15, 5:07 AM ET

    NEW YORK - Wall Street and stock market investors in general aren't feeling much love for Ben Bernanke these days.

  • Double-digit profits unlikely in '08: strategists Reuters - Fri Dec 14, 1:54 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hopes for double-digit earnings growth in 2008 have all but evaporated as the credit market turmoil is expected to exert more pressure on financial services companies.

  • Lehman earnings fall amid $830 million writedown Reuters - Thu Dec 13, 8:45 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc said on Thursday fourth-quarter earnings fell 11 percent, as the credit market crisis triggered write-downs, and the company said further write-downs were possible.

  • Costco 1Q profit up, shares fall AP - Thu Dec 13, 4:55 PM ET

    SEATTLE - Warehouse retailer Costco Wholesale Corp. said Thursday its fiscal first-quarter profit rose 11 percent on increased sales and higher revenue from membership fees.

  • Lehman 4Q profit down, beats estimates AP - Thu Dec 13, 4:41 PM ET

    NEW YORK - Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. reported its third straight quarter of losses on Thursday, due to further turmoil in global credit markets, but the company managed to offset most of its problems and easily beat Wall Street expectations.

Industries

  • Nissan and Chrysler in talks on car, truck supply AFP - Sat Dec 15, 2:25 AM ET

    TOKYO (AFP) - Nissan Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC are in talks to supply each other with vehicles as they seek to expand their market share in North America amid tightening competition, a Japanese daily reported Saturday.

  • Ford expects Jaguar, Land Rover sale soon AFP - Fri Dec 14, 8:30 PM ET

    DETROIT, Michigan (AFP) - Ford Motor Co. expects to complete the sale of its Jaguar and Land Rover nameplates by early next year at the latest, company executives say.

  • Gas prices spur consumer inflation AP - Fri Dec 14, 5:30 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - Led by higher gasoline prices, consumer inflation shot up in November by the largest amount in more than two years.

  • AstraZeneca files US action against generic Crestor drugs AFP - Wed Dec 12, 10:10 AM ET

    LONDON (AFP) - Anglo-Swedish pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca said Wednesday it would sue seven generic drug manufacturers in the United States to defend its patent of cholesterol treatment Crestor.

  • Nortel files lawsuit against Vonage AP - Sat Dec 15, 2:58 AM ET

    NEW YORK - Nortel Networks Corp., the Canadian maker of telecom equipment, filed a lawsuit on Friday against Vonage — claiming that it violated nine patents related to Internet phone services and related features such as 911 and 411 calling and click to call.

Opinion

  • Bravo to Sony's LCD TV with Bravia Link BusinessWeek Online - Fri Dec 14, 8:08 AM ET

    Late to the flat-panel game, Sony decided a couple of years ago to focus its efforts entirely on building the best liquid-crystal display, or LCD, TVs on the market. The resulting troika of Sony , Samsung, and Sharp now battle with each succeeding model for the honor of best LCD TV.

  • Teen + Windfall = Disaster? BusinessWeek Online - Fri Dec 14, 8:08 AM ET

    Custodial account remorse: It's the regret you feel about a special type of investment or savings account you set up for your toddler years ago. You thought you were doing the right thing at the time. But now that tot is a reckless teenager, and you're not sure he'll be mature enough to handle this much money when you hand it over to him at age 18 (or 21, depending on the state).

  • Where the Affordable Suburbs Are BusinessWeek Online - Thu Dec 13, 8:08 AM ET

    Finding an affordable house in a well-located, high-quality suburb is not easy, even in this climate of slumping real estate markets and omnipresent "For Sale" signs. The credit crunch is making it tougher than ever for buyers without trust funds or Wall Street paychecks to finance a dream pad in their favorite suburb.

  • New funds are cautious of past numbers AP - Wed Dec 5, 7:11 AM ET

    NEW YORK - In investing, like sports, the numbers can be compelling but don't always tell the whole story.

  • Subprime plan could lift stocks Reuters - Sun Dec 2, 12:22 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street's rebound from its first full-fledged correction in more than four years could continue this week if investors believe a plan to keep millions of Americans from losing their homes can work.

Most Popular Business News

  • Fannie CEO: housing trouble until 2009 AP - Fri Dec 14, 5:05 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - Fannie Mae's CEO told shareholders Friday he does not expect a housing market recovery until late 2009, "at the earliest," and that the mortgage-finance company is strong enough to ride out the downturn.

  • Lufthansa pays $300M for JetBlue stake AP - Thu Dec 13, 5:36 PM ET

    NEW YORK - Germany's biggest airline, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, said Thursday it is paying $300 million for a 19 percent stake in JetBlue Airways Corp., whose stock has lost about half its value since an operational meltdown last Valentine's Day.

  • Citigroup's stock slips on SIV plan AP - Fri Dec 14, 10:11 AM ET

    NEW YORK - Citigroup Inc.'s stock slipped almost 2 percent Friday after the bank said it plans to assume control of the seven "structured investment vehicles" it advises to help them repay lenders.

  • Greenspan: Odds rising for a recession AP - Fri Dec 14, 3:09 AM ET

    WASHINGTON - Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan says the odds the U.S. will fall into a recession are "clearly rising" and he believes economic growth is "getting close to stall speed."

  • Ill., Calif. investigating Countrywide AP - Fri Dec 14, 7:40 AM ET

    LOS ANGELES - Attorneys general in California and Illinois are investigating the lending practices of Countrywide Financial Corp., the nation's largest mortgage lender..


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