Finance news

• US gov't to review mystery of slow 1st quarter growth

  22-05-2015 23:47 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — There's something strange about the U.S. economy in the first three months of every year: It frequently grows at a much slower pace than in the other nine months.
  
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• US stocks fall slightly on lower oil, mixed earnings news

  22-05-2015 23:43 via news.yahoo.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market capped a quiet week of trading on a down note.
  
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• TSX eases after recent rally as energy, financials slip

  22-05-2015 23:13 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Investors took a cautious approach ahead of a U.S. trading holiday on Monday, though U.S. dollar strength hurt some energy stocks as crude prices slipped. Energy stocks were five of the 10 biggest negative weights on the Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index . U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen provided further evidence that the central bank is poised to raise rates this year as the U.S. economy bounces back from an early-year slump.
  
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• Wall St. ends lower after Yellen comments fail to inspire

  22-05-2015 22:35 via news.yahoo.com
  
  In a speech, Yellen said a rate hike would be warranted this year if the economy keeps improving as expected. Investors have enjoyed an extended period of low volatility and steady gains, but with the Fed on track to raise rates this year and major indexes near records, the market could get a bit choppier in coming weeks. “I think what Janet Yellen and all of the Fed officials have been doing is very carefully choreographing their move.
  
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• Wall Street ends lower after Yellen comments fail to inspire

  22-05-2015 22:34 via news.yahoo.com
  
  U.S. stocks ended weaker on Friday after Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen indicated that the central bank was poised to raise interest rates this year, in line with Wall Street's expectations. In a speech, Yellen said a rate hike would be warranted this year if the economy keeps improving as expected. Investors have enjoyed an extended period of low volatility and steady gains, but with the Fed on track to raise rates this year and major indexes near records, the market could get a bit ch
  
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• CANADA FX DEBT-C$ stumbles to five week low as greenback rallies

  22-05-2015 22:28
  (Adds analyst commentary on Fed and data, closing figures) * Canadian dollar at C$1.2301, or 81.29 U.S. cents * Bond prices mixed across the maturity curve By Solarina Ho TORONTO, May 22 (Reuters) -...
  
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• GLOBAL MARKETS-Stocks dip, bonds fall as CPI keeps Fed on course

  22-05-2015 22:26
  * Crude oil falls ahead of U.S. long weekend (Adds close of U.S. markets)
  
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• Fitch revises Hungary's outlook to positive

  22-05-2015 22:21
  May 22 (Reuters) - Fitch Ratings revised the outlook on Hungary's long-term foreign and local currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDR) to positive from stable, citing improvement in external...
  
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• EDF makes indicative offer for Areva reactors arm

  22-05-2015 22:17
  
  PARIS (Reuters) - French power utility EDFhas made an indicative offer for nuclear group Areva'sreactors business, a spokesman for Areva said. Les Echos newspaper, citing sources, said the bid...
  
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• California water board approves voluntary cutback program by growers

  22-05-2015 22:12
  LOS ANGELES, May 22 (Reuters) - California water regulators on Friday said they had approved a plan by some of the state's most senior water rights holders to voluntary cut back water use by 25...
  
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• Chicago faces test in muni market next week

  22-05-2015 22:09
  CHICAGO, May 22 (Reuters) - Chicago will get its first taste of selling debt in the U.S. municipal bond market after its credit rating was dropped to "junk" by Moody's Investors Service when it...
  
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• Wall St. ends down slightly after Yellen comments

  22-05-2015 22:04 via news.yahoo.com
  
  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks ended weaker on Friday after Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen indicated the central bank was poised to raise interest rates this year, in line with broad expectations on Wall Street.
  
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• Fitch Revises Hungary's Outlook to Positive; Affirms at 'BB+'

  22-05-2015 22:02
  (The following statement was released by the rating agency) PARIS/LONDON, May 22 (Fitch) Fitch Ratings has revised the Outlook on Hungary's Long-term foreign and local currency Issuer Default Ratings...
  
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• UPDATE 1-Speculators pare dollar bets to lowest since late July -CFTC, Reuters

  22-05-2015 21:57
  (Adds details on latest data in paragraph 5, table) May 22 (Reuters) - Speculators further scaled back bullish bets on the U.S. dollar in the latest week, pushing the currency's net long position to...
  
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• Brazil confirms $23 bln spending freeze for 2015

  22-05-2015 21:50
  BRASILIA, May 22 (Reuters) - The Brazilian government said on Friday it will freeze 69.9 billion reais ($22.6 billion) in spending this year, signaling greater commitment to austerity as President...
  
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• UPDATE 2-Brazil central bank chief vows to slash inflation by end-2016

  22-05-2015 21:49
  RIO DE JANEIRO, May 22 (Reuters) - Brazil's central bank chief on Friday renewed his commitment to slash inflation to the center of a government target by the end of 2016, signaling more interest...
  
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• Speculators pare dollar bets to lowest since late July -CFTC, Reuters

  22-05-2015 21:44
  May 22 (Reuters) - Speculators further scaled back bullish bets on the U.S. dollar in the latest week, pushing the currency's net long position to the lowest over nine months, according to Reuters...
  
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• Spec net shorts in U.S. 10-year T-notes lowest in 3 months -CFTC

  22-05-2015 21:37
  May 22 (Reuters) - Speculators' net bearish bets on U.S. 10-year Treasury note futures fell to their lowest levels in three months in the latest week, according to Commodity Futures Trading...
  
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• Traders keep bets on first Fed rate hike in December

  22-05-2015 21:27 via news.yahoo.com
  
  (Reuters) - U.S. short-term interest-rate futures contracts added to losses on Friday as Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen signaled the U.S central bank was on track to raise rates this year as a disappointing start to 2015 gives way to a stronger economy. The futures contracts show that traders see a 61 percent chance that the first Fed rate hike will come this December, based on CME FedWatch, which tracks rate hike expectations using its Fed funds futures contracts.
  
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• UPDATE 2-Fed on track to hike rates as economic headwinds wane -Yellen

  22-05-2015 21:25
  * Confident tone suggests Fed trying to pave way for markets (Adds reaction, context)
  
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• WRAPUP 2-Germany, France usher Greece back to negotiating table

  22-05-2015 21:02
  * Bundesbank chief: cannot always be about buying Greece time
  
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• Pennsylvania may need to bail out Scranton pension fund -official

  22-05-2015 20:50
  HARRISBURG, Penn., May 22 (Reuters) - The public pension plan for firefighters in Scranton, Pennsylvania, might need emergency state aid in order to avoid insolvency, the state's chief fiscal officer...
  
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• Microsoft, Salesforce talks fell through on pricing: CNBC

  22-05-2015 20:46
  
  (Reuters) - Microsoft Corpand Salesforce.com Incheld "significant talks" this spring but failed to agree on a price, CNBC reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
  
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• UPDATE 2-Microsoft, Salesforce talks fell through on pricing - CNBC

  22-05-2015 20:38
  * Potential bidder can go up to $70 bln on high end - analyst
  
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• PartnerRe moves to shareholder vote on Axis merger

  22-05-2015 20:29
  MILAN/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bermuda-based reinsurer PartnerRewill ask its shareholders to vote on a merger with Axis Capital Holdingsagreed in January, after rival bidder Exorrefused to further...
  
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• TREASURIES-U.S. bond yields rise on Yellen, inflation data

  22-05-2015 20:22
  * April core price rise revives bets on Fed rate hike * Fed's Yellen sees rate liftoff in 2015 if economy improves * Lack of Greek debt deal underpins safety bids for bonds * U.S. bond market to...
  
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• U.S.-focused stock funds worldwide post $8.5 billion outflows in week: BofA

  22-05-2015 20:10
  
  (Reuters) - Investors worldwide pulled $8.5 billion out of funds that specialize in U.S. stocks in the week ended May 20 on appetite for cheaper share prices in Europe, data from a Bank of America...
  
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• Fed's Yellen expects rate hike 'some point this year'

  22-05-2015 20:06 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Janet Yellen said Friday she expects the Federal Reserve to begin raising interest rates "at some point this year," saying delaying the long-awaited move risks the economy overheating. The comments came two days after minutes of the Fed's policy board made clear that slow economic growth in recent months meant it was not expecting to increase the benchmark Fed funds rate before late July, despite earlier forecasts of a mid-year hike. Yellen said she expects the economy to bounce b
  
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• In Spain, grassroots movements revive interest in politics

  22-05-2015 19:52 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Sonya Dowsett and Inmaculada Sanz MADRID (Reuters) - In an apartment block in central Madrid, homeowners and tenants in danger of being evicted gather every Thursday to plan awareness campaigns and get free advice from lawyers. 'The Mortgage Victims' Association', or PAH - its initials in Spanish, has stopped hundreds of evictions and is one of many grassroots campaigns to rise from Spain's brutal six-year economic downturn in a popular revival of political involvement. &q
  
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• Citigroup selling retail online FX trading platform to FXCM, Saxo Bank

  22-05-2015 19:42
  
  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Citigroup said on Friday it is selling its margin foreign exchange business, including the CitiFX Pro and TradeStream platforms to U.S.-based FXCM and Danish investment bank SAXO...
  
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• Wall St flat, Yellen comments in line with expectations

  22-05-2015 19:40 via news.yahoo.com
  
  U.S. stocks were flat on Friday after Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said it would be appropriate to raise interest rates this year if the economy continues on its current path, in line with broad expectations on Wall Street. In a speech, Yellen said the economy was well-positioned for growth and that it would take several years to return to normal interest rates. Yellen is a dove more than a hawk, and she's not in a real rush to raise rates.
  
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• UPDATE 1-Quest Diagnostics shares hit record high on takeover speculation

  22-05-2015 19:32
  NEW YORK, May 22 (Reuters) - Quest Diagnostics Inc shares jumped to a record high on heavy volume on Friday following chatter on Twitter and elsewhere that the lab testing company may be trying to...
  
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• CVC-Permira group preferred bidder for Italy's ICBPI: sources

  22-05-2015 19:20
  MILAN (Reuters) - The owners of Istituto Centrale Banche Popolari (ICBPI) have picked a consortium comprising private equity funds CVC Capital Partnersand Permiraas preferred bidder to buy the...
  
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• S&P, Dow dip after inflation rises; Yellen speech awaited

  22-05-2015 19:10 via news.yahoo.com
  
  The S&P 500 and Dow fell in early afternoon trading on Friday, retreating from recent record highs, as investors await Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's economic outlook for clues on the timing of a rate hike after new data showed a rise in inflation. Yellen is expected to highlight the economy's steady job growth, while April's consumer price index data is likely to bolster Fed's case for its first policy tightening in nearly a decade. Yellen's speech will start
  
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• Vodafone hits 14-year high as M&A talk rumbles on

  22-05-2015 19:08
  LONDON, May 22 (Reuters) - Britain's top share index hit its highest level in 10 days on Friday, driven by a jump in network operator Vodafone's shares, which hit a 14-year high on the back of...
  
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• Fed on track to hike rates as economic headwinds wane: Yellen

  22-05-2015 19:05 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON/PROVIDENCE (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen on Friday said she expected the central bank to raise rates this year as the U.S. economy was on course to bounce back from a sluggish first quarter and as headwinds at home and abroad begin to wane. Yellen spoke amid growing concern at the Fed about possible market volatility once it begins to raise rates, and a desire to begin coaxing skeptical investors towards accepting the inevitable: ending about a roughly six-year stretc
  
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• Europe stocks mixed as EU leaders meet

  22-05-2015 18:36 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Europe's main stock markets closed mixed on Friday as investors' attention focused to an EU summit on relations with the ex-Soviet states and the Greek crisis as well as US inflation data. "Eurozone indices have struggled... weighed down by Greek debt concerns," said Kash Kamal, research analyst at Sucden Financial. Also the dollar edged higher as US core inflation came in higher than expected and thus raised chances of an interest rate rise.
  
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• US consumer prices ticking up as Fed weighs first rate hike

  22-05-2015 18:12 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Core consumer prices outside of food and energy posted the biggest increase in April in more than a year, suggesting that an improving U.S. economy is finally starting to lift prices. That could prompt the Federal Reserve to start raising interest rates later this year.
  
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• Quest Diagnostics shares up on takeover speculation

  22-05-2015 18:07
  NEW YORK, May 22 (Reuters) - Quest Diagnostics Inc shares jumped on heavy volume on Friday following chatter on Twitter and elsewhere that the lab testing company may be trying to sell itself.
  
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• Is Twitter Making A Comeback? Some New Treats For Marketers

  22-05-2015 18:03 via news.yahoo.com
  
  For anyone who pays attention to the stock market (which I don’t) or the news (which I do), it’s clear that Twitter hasn’t been looking so hot these days. Last month, the social platform fell short of its projected revenue for the first time as a public company. Somewhat embarrassing, right? Twitter’s much younger cousin […]
  
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• Wall St lower after CPI data; Yellen speech awaited

  22-05-2015 17:46 via news.yahoo.com
  
  U.S. stocks fell in late morning trading on Friday, retreating from recent record highs, as investors await Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's economic outlook for clues on the timing of a rate hike after new data showed a rise in inflation. Yellen is expected to highlight the economy's steady job growth, while April's consumer price index data is likely to bolster Fed's case for its first policy tightening in nearly a decade. Yellen's speech will start at 1:00 p.m. ET
  
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• Wall Street lower after CPI data; Yellen speech awaited

  22-05-2015 17:46 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Yellen is expected to highlight the economy's steady job growth, while April's consumer price index data is likely to bolster Fed's case for its first policy tightening in nearly a decade. Yellen's speech will start at 1:00 p.m. ET (1700 GMT). Consumer prices moderated last month, data showed, but the so-called core consumer price index, which strips out food and energy costs, posted its largest gain since January 2013.
  
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• Exclusive: Altice seeks financing for Time Warner Cable bid: sources

  22-05-2015 17:15
  
  SAN FRANCISCO/LONDON (Reuters) - French telecommunications group Altice SA is talking to several banks about raising debt for a potential bid for Time Warner Cable Inc, the second-largest U.S. cable...
  
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• Dutch government set to recommend ABN Amro privatization

  22-05-2015 17:07
  AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch government is set to recommend on Friday that ABN Amro [ABRGPA.UL] bank return to private hands via a stock market listing -- seven years after it was nationalised...
  
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• UPDATE 2-Deere raises 2015 profit outlook despite weak farm market

  22-05-2015 17:03
  CHICAGO, May 22 (Reuters) - Deere & Co on Friday reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit and raised its full-year outlook after cost cuts helped compensate for weakening demand for its farm...
  
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• US stocks mixed ahead of Yellen speech

  22-05-2015 16:43 via news.yahoo.com
  
  New York (AFP) - Wall Street stocks were mixed early Friday ahead of a long holiday weekend as traders awaited a speech by Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen on the US economic outlook.
  
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• Eurozone stocks slip as EU leaders meet

  22-05-2015 16:39 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Eurozone stock markets slid on Friday as investors' attention shifted to an EU summit over relations with the ex-Soviet states and the Greek crisis as well as US inflation data. In foreign exchange trading on Friday, the euro dropped to $1.1035 from $1.1112 late in New York on Thursday, after US core inflation came in higher than expected and thus raised chances of a rise to interest rates. The US Labor Department reported that US consumer prices edged 0.1 percent higher in April as energy
  
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• Stocks dip, bonds fall as CPI keeps Fed on course

  22-05-2015 16:38 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Global equity markets dipped modestly Friday but remained near record highs, while the yield on U.S. government debt rose as a gain in core consumer prices in April should keep the Federal Reserve on course to raise interest rates later this year. Fed Chair Janet Yellen is expected to acknowledge recent sluggishness in the U.S. economy, including a near-stagnant performance in the first few months of the year, in a speech slated for 1:00 p.m. ET (1700 GMT). Yellen also will highlight the economy
  
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• Wall St mixed as CPI data sparks rate hike timing doubts

  22-05-2015 16:18 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Wall Street was mixed in early trading on Friday as investors digested data that showed rising inflation pressure, casting fresh doubt on when the Federal Reserve would ultimately raise interest rates this year. U.S. consumer prices moderated in April, data showed, but the so-called core consumer price index, which strips out food and energy costs, posted its largest gain since January 2013. The data comes a few hours ahead of Fed Chair Janet Yellen's take on the economy that investors will
  
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• Wall Street mixed as CPI data sparks rate hike timing doubts

  22-05-2015 16:15 via news.yahoo.com
  
  U.S. consumer prices moderated in April, data showed, but the so-called core consumer price index, which strips out food and energy costs, posted its largest gain since January 2013. The data comes a few hours ahead of Fed Chair Janet Yellen's take on the economy that investors will peruse for clues on the timing of a rate hike. While the Fed, which has a 2 percent inflation target, is broadly expected to raise interest rates this year, the timing of the hike has kept the market on tenterho
  
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