Athens pledge, cautious Fed soothes Europe’s investors
LONDON (Reuters) – The euro nudged towards its best week in 18 months while yields on low-rated bonds fell as investors welcomed the Fed’s cautious approach to raising interest rates and a reform pledge from Athens that could avert a cash crunch.
Brent oil falls towards $54 on OPEC output, Iran
LONDON (Reuters) – Brent crude oil fell towards $54 a barrel on Friday and was on track for its third straight weekly loss, hurt by oversupply worries after Kuwait said OPEC had no choice but to maintain output levels.
Ukraine’s Naftogaz transfers $15 million in gas prepayment to Gazprom
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Ukraine’s state gas company Naftogaz said on Friday that it had paid $15 million to Russia’s Gazprom for March gas supplies, Naftogaz said on Friday.
Ex-Soviet states battle challenge of low oil prices
ASTANA (Reuters) – The three main members of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union face a big economic challenge from the fall in global oil prices, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said on Friday.
TSB agrees to 1.7 billion pounds takeover by Spain’s Sabadell
LONDON/MADRID (Reuters) – British bank TSB has agreed to a 1.7 billion pounds takeover by Spanish lender Banco Sabadell in one of the biggest cross-border banking deals since the financial crisis of 2007-9.
Lufthansa pilots start third straight day of walkouts
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Lufthansa pilots began a third straight day of walkouts on Friday, grounding 700 flights as they try to put pressure on management in a protracted row over early retirement benefits and cost cuts.
Exclusive: Japan tax agency, Hong Kong join FBI in reviewing Universal casino payments – sources
TOKYO/BILOXI, Mississippi (Reuters) – Japan’s tax authorities have begun a review of how slot machine maker and casino developer Universal Entertainment accounted for $40 million in payments made in 2010 to an associate of the Philippines’ top gambling…
Sharp says not considering LCD spin-off as banks seek overhaul
TOKYO (Reuters) – Loss-making Japanese electronics firm Sharp Corp said it’s not considering spinning off its liquid crystal display business as part of a bailout plan under discussion with lenders seeking restructuring moves in return for extending su…
Standard General’s bid is RadioShack’s sole hope of survival: WSJ
(Reuters) – Standard General LP’s reduced buyout offer of $145.5 million is RadioShack Corp’s only hope of surviving bankruptcy and staving off liquidation, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing the hedge fund’s lawyers.
Japan says difficult to reach Japan-U.S. trade deal without TPA
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Economy Minister Akira Amari said on Friday it would be difficult to reach an agreement in two-way trade talks between Japan and the United States unless U.S. lawmakers fast-tracked trade promotion legislation.
