Financial news

• UPDATE 1-Ackman's fund sells 5 mln Valeant shares to generate tax loss

  31-12-2015 23:27
  
  BOSTON, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Billionaire investor William Ackman said on Thursday he sold about 5 million shares in drug company Valeant International in order to generate a tax loss as investors in his Pershing Square Capital Management face the biggest loss in the company's history.
  
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• Federal judge throws out Quicken Loans' lawsuit against DoJ

  31-12-2015 23:27
  
  Dec 31 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit by Quicken Loans Inc against the U.S. Justice Department that alleged the company was being forced to make a big settlement over its mortgage lending and underwriting practices.
  
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• US STOCKS-Wall Street suffers feeble end to turbulent 2015

  31-12-2015 22:57
  
  * Indexes down: Dow 1.02 pct, S&P 0.94 pct, Nasdaq 1.15 pct (Adds details on total returns for S&P, Dow, paragraphs 5-8)
  
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• Champagne sales hit record high in 2015

  31-12-2015 21:10 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  About 312m bottles of the prestige sparkling wine were sold in 2015
  
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• EU's trillion euro bank bail-outs are over

  31-12-2015 21:00 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Taxpayers will no longer have to foot the bill for failing lenders as new bail-in laws call time on 'too big to fail'
  
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• Europe's trillion euro bank bail-outs are over

  31-12-2015 21:00 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Taxpayers will no longer have to foot the bill for failing lenders as new bail-in laws call time on 'too big to fail'
  
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• EU calls time on 'too big to fail' with bank bail-in laws

  31-12-2015 21:00 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Taxpayers will no longer have to foot the bill for collapsing banks as part of Brussels plans to create a banking union
  
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• UPDATE 1-Berkshire Hathaway unit buys Virginia newspaper

  31-12-2015 20:49
  
  Dec 31 (Reuters) - The newspaper unit of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc on Thursday said it purchased The Free Lance-Star, a newspaper in Fredericksburg, Virginia, from Sandton Capital Partners.
  
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• Cost of British storms to put pressure on insurance dividends, analysts say

  31-12-2015 20:43 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Flooding victims and their insurers start to count the cost of Storms Desmond, Eva and Frank
  
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• CORRECTED-Berkshire Hathaway unit buys Virginia newspaper

  31-12-2015 20:32
  
  Dec 31 (Reuters) - The newspaper unit of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc on Thursday said it purchased The Free Lance-Star, a newspaper in Fredericksburg, Virginia, from Sandton Capital Partners.
  
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• Smallest agricultural markets biggest winners in commodities rout

  31-12-2015 19:57
  
  NEW YORK, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Some of the smallest niche agricultural commodities were the biggest winners this year as weather and disease raised concerns about tightening supplies, spurring a buying spree as an exodus of institutional cash punished oil, metals and grains markets.
  
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• What the end of the financial crisis means for investors

  31-12-2015 19:45 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  The prospects for economic activity are improving, while those for financial assets are deteriorating
  
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• Correction: Financial Markets-The Year in Deals story - Yahoo Finance UK

  31-12-2015 19:41
  Yahoo Finance UK
  Correction: Financial Markets-The Year in Deals story
  Yahoo Finance UK
  FILE - In this Monday, Nov. 23, 2015, file photo, a man enters Pfizer's world headquarters, in New … FILE - In this Monday, Nov. 23, 2015, file photo, the View Photo. FILE - In this Monday, Nov. 23, 2015, file photo, the Allergan logo appears above a ...en meer »
  

• Amazon to let customers pay in installments

  31-12-2015 19:19 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Online retailer will allow people to spread payments of items over four years
  
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• Turbulent FTSE in worst year since 2011

  31-12-2015 18:14 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Market volatility wipes £80bn off country's top firms
  
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• George Osborne must 'use his influence' and step into FCA's banking review row

  31-12-2015 18:14 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Chancellor urged to act after regulator decides not to publish key report into UK's banking culture
  
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• UPDATE 1-Swiss bank Lombard Odier to pay $100 mln to resolve U.S. tax probe

  31-12-2015 18:12
  
  ZURICH, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Swiss private bank Lombard Odier said it would pay $99.8 million under a non-prosecution agreement with U.S. authorities to settle an investigation into allegations it helped wealthy American clients evade taxes.
  
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• Savers face double hit as FSCS rules change

  31-12-2015 18:03 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Account holders face a double hit if they move money to fall in line with new depositor protection threshold
  
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• Indian business expansion talks send Vodafone to top of FTSE

  31-12-2015 18:01 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  After a turbulent 12 months the FTSE 100 closes at 6,242.32
  
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• Lombard Odier to pay nearly $100 mln to resolve U.S. tax dispute

  31-12-2015 17:43
  
  ZURICH, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Swiss private bank Lombard Odier said it would pay $99.8 million under a non-prosecution agreement with United States authorities to settle an investigation into allegations it helped wealthy American clients evade taxes.
  
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• European shares end 2015 with gains but below peaks

  31-12-2015 17:19
  
  * FTSE has underperformed, down around 5 pct (Updates with prices at close)
  
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• Number of UK house sales down, but prices up by 4.5%

  31-12-2015 17:01
  
  Sales during 2015 were 8% lower than in 2014 due to an ‘acute shortage’ of properties on the marketSalford and Pontefract were two hotspots, but 2015 was a relatively poor year for house sales due to an “acute shortage” of properties coming on to the market, according to new data.The number of property sales during the first eight months of 2015 was 8% lower than in the same period in 2014, said the Halifax, which based its figures on the latest Land Registry data which c
  
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• UPDATE 1-WellCare makes CVS Health its pharmacy benefit manager

  31-12-2015 16:41
  
  Dec 31 (Reuters) - Health insurer WellCare Health Plans said it would change its pharmacy benefit manager to CVS Health Corp from UnitedHealth Corp's Optum Rx, effective Jan. 1.
  
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• Amazon starts offering loans to customers with pay monthly option

  31-12-2015 16:40
  
  Instalment loans offered to those spending over £400 in potential ‘gamechanger’ for UK furniture and electricals marketAmazon has started offering loans to customers buying products off its website in a move that could shake up the UK furniture and electricals market.The world’s biggest online retailer is offering a new pay monthly option on orders of more than £400, which can include multiple items. Continue reading...
  
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• Crossing the green line: The first cannabis company on Wall Street

  31-12-2015 15:44 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  A broken neck in a surfing accident triggered a dramatic career change for Derek Peterson, a former Wall Street banker who now heads listed cannabis company Terra Tech
  
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• How did the world's richest billionaires fare in 2015?

  31-12-2015 15:30 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Here's how much the world's 20 richest people made - and lost - this year
  
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• WellCare to transition pharmacy benefit management to CVS Health

  31-12-2015 14:43
  
  Dec 31 (Reuters) - Health insurer WellCare Health Plans said it would transition its pharmacy benefit management to CVS Health Corp from Jan. 1.
  
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• Britain's banking regulator ditches review of industry culture

  31-12-2015 14:42
  
  LONDON (Reuters) - A public review of Britain's banking culture has been scrapped just months after it was announced, with the UK regulator saying on Thursday it had opted instead to work with lenders individually to address any concerns.
  
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• Giant escaped barge forces BP and Conoco to evacuate North Sea oil rigs

  31-12-2015 14:32 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Floating barge misses the oil rigs by around two kilometres, after safety alert forces a halt in production
  
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• UPDATE 1-Britain's banking regulator ditches review of industry culture

  31-12-2015 14:31
  
  LONDON, Dec 31 (Reuters) - A public review of Britain's banking culture has been scrapped just months after it was announced, with the UK regulator saying on Thursday it had opted instead to work with lenders individually to address any concerns.
  
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• North Sea storm forces oil platform evacuations, output shutdown

  31-12-2015 14:10
  
  OSLO (Reuters) - A fierce storm in the North Sea forced oil firms to evacuate platforms and shut down production on Thursday on concerns that they could be hit by a drifting barge that had broken its anchor.
  
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• U.K. Financial Regulator Drops Review of Banking Culture - Bloomberg

  31-12-2015 14:08
  Bloomberg
  U.K. Financial Regulator Drops Review of Banking Culture
  Bloomberg
  A U.K. regulator dropped a review of banking culture, signaling that the Financial Conduct Authority is continuing to shelve projects initiated by former Chief Executive Officer Martin Wheatley. The FCA said on Thursday that it won't deliver the ...en meer »
  

• Sri Lankan share index falls 5.5 pct in 2015, ends at 1-month high

  31-12-2015 14:01
  
  COLOMBO, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's main share index fell 5.5 percent this year, but ended firmer at a more than one-month high on Thursday in thin trading due to the holiday and investors awaiting the impact of a hike in commercial banks' statutory reserve ratio (SRR).
  
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• UPDATE 1-China says to step up checks on individuals' forex buying

  31-12-2015 13:52
  
  BEIJING, Dec 31 (Reuters) - China's foreign exchange regulator said on Thursday it will step up checks on individuals' foreign currency buying, in its latest step to curb capital outflows.
  
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• BBC reports own websites hit by cyber attack

  31-12-2015 13:47
  
  LONDON (Reuters) - The BBC's online services, including its news website and iPlayer catch-up TV platform, were taken down on Thursday by a large web attack, the British broadcaster reported.
  
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• Floating barge forces BP and Conoco to evacuate North Sea oil rigs

  31-12-2015 13:21 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Giant barge misses the oil rigs by around two kilometres, after safety alert forces a halt in production
  
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• UPDATE 1-Rate hike could hurt Sri Lanka's growth: central bank chief

  31-12-2015 13:09
  
  * Private sector credit growth "overheating" (Adds quotes, background)
  
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• Britain to review airport shop sales as retailers pocket tax savings

  31-12-2015 13:05
  
  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is to review airport retail sales after some businesses were found to be pocketing about half of tax savings meant for passengers, rather than passing on the discount, the government said on Thursday.
  
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• Why the experts are 'cautiously bullish' on equity markets in 2016

  31-12-2015 13:03 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Analysts believe European stocks could rise by 10pc in 2016, but UK-listed stocks remain a cause for concern amid possibility of a 'Brexit'
  
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• Labour criticises knighthood for Conservative election guru

  31-12-2015 13:01
  
  LONDON (Reuters) - The award of a knighthood to Lynton Crosby, the political strategist who led the Conservatives' successful election campaign, undermined the integrity of Britain's honours system, opposition MPs said on Thursday.
  
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• Nasdaq makes first share trade using blockchain technology

  31-12-2015 12:36 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Market operator has spent millions experimenting with the technology behind Bitcoin
  
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• New 60p coin to mark Queen's Diamond Jubilee among scores rejected by the Royal Mint

  31-12-2015 12:29 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  Proposals to mark anniversaries of the Titanic disaster, the creation of the Football Association, George V's coronation and the death of Captain Scott also among those abandoned
  
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• 'How will tax be applied if I exceed the new Personal Savings Allowance?'

  31-12-2015 12:29 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  The Personal Savings Allowance is causing some confusion - here's all we know so far on how savings tax will work if you exceed the limit
  
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• Fund tips for 2016: 'My favourite fund is...'

  31-12-2015 12:22 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  We ask those who pick funds for a living to name the one fund they would back above all others in 2016
  
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• Tom Stevenson: Four funds for my Isa in 2016

  31-12-2015 11:55 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  The Telegraph columnist reveals where he will put his money next year
  
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• BP orders complete evacuation of Valhall field in North Sea, production shut down

  31-12-2015 11:49
  
  OSLO (Reuters) - BP said it ordered a total evacuation of its Valhall platform in the North Sea on Thursday after a barge broke its anchor and was drifting towards the installation following a storm.
  
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• Chinese stock market beats Wall Street and FTSE by closing up in 2015

  31-12-2015 10:39 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  The Shanghai Composite beats Wall Street and most European indices
  
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• Prompt prices firm as temperatures set to drop

  31-12-2015 10:16
  
  LONDON (Reuters) - Prompt British gas prices were firm on Thursday as cooler temperatures over the coming days were expected to push up demand for gas for heating in the short term.
  
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• Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley pledges £10m pay rise

  31-12-2015 10:00 via telegraph.feedsportal.com
  
  The sports clothing retailer will pay staff above the minimum wage at a cost of £10m
  
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• McCoy to become Sir AP in New Year honours

  31-12-2015 08:34
  
  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's twenty-times champion jump jockey AP McCoy was knighted by the Queen in the New Year Honours List on Wednesday.
  
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