Economics,Politics
Dollar General sweetens Family Dollar bid, may go hostile
02.09.2014 14:38
(Reuters) - Dollar General Corp (DG.N) raised its bid forFamily Dollar Stores Inc (FDO.N) to $80 per share, or $9.1 billion, and warned it may turn hostile and appeal directly to shareholders if the new offer was rejected.
The No.1 U.S. deep-discount retailer also said it would pay a...
Record 4.1 million in Syria got food aid in August, U.N. says
02.09.2014 14:36
(Reuters) - A record 4.1 million people in Syria received food rations in August due to more convoys being able to cross front lines and borders from Turkey and Jordan, the U.N.'s World Food Program (WFP) said on Tuesday.
"We are reaching more people every day with urgently...
Exclusive: Over 100 Russian soldiers killed in single Ukraine battle - Russian rights activists
02.09.2014 14:35
(Reuters) - More than 100 Russian soldiers were killed in eastern Ukraine in a single battle this month while helping pro-Russian separatists fight Ukrainian troops, two members of the Russian presidential human rights council said on Thursday, citing accounts from eyewitnesses and...
Putin comment on 'taking Kiev in 2 weeks' taken out of context: aide
02.09.2014 14:34
(Reuters) - A reported comment by President Vladimir Putin that Russia could capture Ukraine's capital Kiev within two weeks was taken out of context, Itar-Tass news agency quoted a Kremlin foreign policy aide as saying on Tuesday.
It quoted Yuri Ushakov as saying that whether or not...
Risk appetite flickers in Europe, ECB speculation holds down euro
02.09.2014 14:32
(Reuters) - Risk appetite flickered back into life in financialmarkets on Tuesday with the dollar and European and Japanese shares rising while safe-haven bonds, the yen and gold all took a step back.
The dollar rose to its highest since January against the yen and the euro sank to a one-year...
Ukraine accuses Russia of 'undisguised aggression' as rebels advance
02.09.2014 14:31
(Reuters) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko accusedRussia on Monday of "direct and undisguised aggression" which he said had radically changed the battlefield balance as Kiev's forces suffered a further reverse in their war with pro-Moscow separatists.
In the latest in a string of...
Talks optimism fades as Ukraine says Russia makes new incursion
27.08.2014 15:32
(Reuters) - Ukraine accused Russian forces of launching a new military incursion across its border on Wednesday, a day after the leaders of both countries agreed to work towards ending a separatist war in the east of the country.
The accusation, which could not be immediately verified, quickly...
Buffett puts shareholders ahead of patriotism in Canadian deal
27.08.2014 15:31
(Reuters) - Warren Buffett may be most famous for the billions of dollars he has made from investing but he is also well known as a cheerleader for the United States. The Oracle of Omaha routinely exhorts investors to put their money in America, "the mother lode of opportunity," as he...
Global stocks gain on ECB stimulus hopes, U.S. economic data
27.08.2014 15:30
(Reuters) - Worldwide stock indexes rose modestly on Tuesday and European bond yields fell on expectations of more stimulus from the European Central Bank, while strong U.S. data on durable goods and consumer confidence underpinned U.S shares.
Wall Street's benchmark S&P 500 closed...
Islamic State executes soldiers, takes hostages at Syria base: social media
27.08.2014 15:29
(Reuters) - Islamic State militants have executed Syrian army soldiers and are holding a group hostage after capturing an air base in northeast Syria at the weekend, pictures posted on social media by supporters showed on Wednesday.
Islamic State, an offshoot of al Qaeda, stormed Tabqa...
Euro falls widely on ECB easing speculation
27.08.2014 15:28
(Reuters) - The euro fell broadly on Wednesday, hitting a 19-month low against the Swiss franc, as speculation that the European Central Bank will resort to quantitative easing was fueled by yet more bad news from the euro zone.
The common currency also hit a 13-month low against the dollar of...
Ukraine Fighting Rages On After Leaders Hail Summit
27.08.2014 15:26
Bloomberg: Fighting in eastern Ukraine between government forces and pro-Russian rebels raged on after the Russian and Ukrainian presidents hailed as “positive” talks last night on ending the conflict.
Ukraine’s military said today that its forces killed 225 rebels and destroyed three tanks...
Equities Reach Record $66 Trillion as S&P 500 Hits 2,000
27.08.2014 15:23
Bloonberg: Rallies from Brazil to Japan and the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index’s first trip above 2,000 sent the value of global equities to a record $66 trillion.
Shares worldwide added more than $2.2 trillion in value since Aug. 7, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Optimism...
Europe Bank Cleanup Driving $1.72 Trillion of Asset Sales
27.08.2014 15:21
Bloomberg: Europe’s largest banks are finally putting hundreds of billions of dollars of unwanted assets up for sale amid mounting competition among buyers and regulatory pressure. A wave of deals could be a boon to the region’s economy if the banks free up capital to increase lending.
Banks...
Lawmakers slam Fed's crisis lending proposal
20.08.2014 13:51
(Reuters) - A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Monday urged the Federal Reserve to restrict its crisis lending programs for big banks, which were criticized as bailouts during the 2007-2009 meltdown.
During the crisis, the Fed invoked its emergency lending powers to pump cash into...
U.S. attorney general headed for racially charged St. Louis suburb
20.08.2014 13:49
(Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was due to visit Ferguson, Missouri, on Wednesday, hours after nearly 50 protesters were arrested in an 11th night of racially charged demonstrations over the killing of an unarmed black teenager by a white police officer.
The St....
Ukraine rebel movement faces uncertain future
20.08.2014 13:47
(Reuters) - The resignations were abrupt and unexpected, two quick-fire blows to a separatist movement already suffering reversals on the battle field of eastern Ukraine.
Alexander Borodai, the premier of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, and Igor Strelkov, his military commander, had...
Global stocks halt rally, BoE jolts UK markets
20.08.2014 13:46
(Reuters) - World stocks mostly halted their recent rally on Wednesday before the latest policy signal from the U.S. central bank, while UK stocks and bonds fell after Bank of England minutes showed two rate-setters voted to raise interest rates earlier this month.
Sterling jumped after...
Bank of England splits over rate hike for first time in three years
20.08.2014 13:44
(Reuters) - Bank of England policymakers have broken ranks over interest rates for the first time in three years, with two of them unexpectedly voting to tighten policy, in a move that revives speculation about a 2014 rate hike.
Martin Weale and Ian McCafferty - external members of the BoE's...
RBS warns of risks of foreign exchange inquiry and Scottish independence
01.08.2014 15:24
TheGuardian: Bank outlines risks from litigation and September referendum after revealing profits rose to £2.6bn
Royal Bank of Scotland has warned that the ongoing investigation into potential manipulation of the foreign exchange markets could hit profits.
In 17 pages of legal...
State of emergency declared in Liberia and Sierra Leone after Ebola outbreak
01.08.2014 15:23
TheGuardian: Schools closed and villages quarantined as epidemic claims more than 700 lives across three west African nations
Liberia and Sierra Leone have declared states of emergency, ordering the closure of schools and markets and the quarantining of affected communities, in an...
Middle East chaos - history of Intermixing ethnic groups, religions, states
01.08.2014 15:20
AsianReview: It has been 100 years since the outbreak of World War I. Three powers -- Germany, the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires eventually were defeated -- and in the wake of the conflict, numerous nation-states were born. Syria, which is now gripped by civil war, and Iraq,...
Moscow scurries to deflect blame for Malaysia Airlines crash
01.08.2014 15:19
AsianNews: Russian leaders asserted Monday that responsibility for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 lies with Ukraine, seeking to refute charges that pro-Russian rebels are to blame for the crash that claimed nearly 300 lives.
International investigators...
Argentina heads for second default as talks with bondholders break down
01.08.2014 15:17
TheGuardian: Axel Kiciloff, Argentina’s economy minister, has been locked in intense negotiations with holdout creditors
Argentina was heading for its second debt default in 13 years on Wednesday night after negotiations with bondholders broke down in New York.
Axel Kicillof, Argentina’s...
Greenspan Says Stocks to See ‘Significant Correction’
01.08.2014 15:15
Bloomberg: Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said equity markets will see a decline at some point after surging for the past several years.
“The stock market has recovered so sharply for so long, you have to assume somewhere along the line we will get a significant...
G-7 Nations Said to Oppose New World Bank Russia Projects
01.08.2014 15:13
Bloomberg: Group of Seven countries will vote against new World Bank projects in Russia to punish Vladimir Putin’s regime, according to three government officials with knowledge of the agreement.
The action, which puts at least $1.5 billion of contemplated World Bank projects in...
New ETF Tracks the Billionaire Dream Team
01.08.2014 15:12
Bloomberg: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
That's the philosophy behind the new Direxion iBillionaire Index ETF (IBLN). The exchange-traded fund tracks the stock holdings of some of the richest and most successful investors, such as Warren Buffett, David Einhorn and Carl Icahn.
The...
Bank Fees: With "Protection" Like This, Who Needs Enemies?
01.08.2014 15:10
Bloomberg: Whoever came up with the term "overdraft protection plans" was an evil genius. The plans don't protect against overdraft fees. They allow those fees to be assessed.
A new report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) shows just how much the plans cost many of...
Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’ Requires 1,000 Years: Hoelterhoff
01.08.2014 15:09
Bloomberg: Should Germans be able to buy copies of Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” in German inGermany?
Usually this time of year, my thoughts turn to German men, as in: Should they be allowed to wear socks with sandals and short shorts (in public, outside Germany).
As it happens, “Mein Kampf” (My...
Wall Street Gathers at Bitcoin Conference to Figure Out What Exactly Bitcoin Is
01.08.2014 15:08
Bloomberg: I've been to quite a few bitcoin gatherings, where the standard attire is a sweaty T-shirt and sneakers. This week's Digital Currencies conference in New York was different. It felt more like a Wall Street confab than the usual fellowship of the neckbeards.
The suits were out in...