Shell says no agreement in U.S. refinery strike talks
HOUSTON (Reuters) – Lead U.S. oil company negotiator Shell Oil Co said face-to-face negotiations on Friday with the United Steelworkers union (USW) failed to yield an agreement to end the 20-day-old U.S. refinery strike.
After tight trading, volatility set to return to stocks
NEW YORK (Reuters) – After a holiday-shortened trading week that pinned stocks in a tight trading range, equities are poised for a bout of renewed volatility as investors watch the economy and the Federal Reserve for signs of policy changes and economi…
West Coast ports talks resume for fourth day with labor secretary
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – The U.S. labor secretary kicked off a fourth straight day of intensifying talks with shipping executives and union leaders for dockworkers on Friday, aiming to settle a contract dispute that has led to months of disruptions at…
McDonald’s pressured to hike pay as Wal-Mart raises, economy improves
(Reuters) – McDonald’s Corp and its franchisees may have few options but to begin raising hourly wages as an improving U.S. economy creates competition for good workers and as mega-employer Wal-Mart Stores Inc sets a higher bar on pay, according to lab…
Dow, S&P 500 close at record highs on Greece debt deal
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Dow and S&P 500 ended at record highs on Friday while the Nasdaq notched an eighth straight day of gains after Greek and euro zone finance ministers reached a deal to extend heavily indebted Greece’s financial rescue by four months.
Exclusive: UAW president calls GM share buyback proposal premature
DETROIT (Reuters) – United Auto Workers President Dennis Williams, whose union indirectly controls the largest single block of General Motors Co shares, told Reuters an investor group’s proposal that GM buy back $8 billion of its stock is premature, and the amount too high for the company’s long-term health.
Apple hiring big brains in car battery space
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – A year and a half ago, Apple Inc had applied for just eight patents related to auto batteries. Recently, it has hired a bevy of engineers, just one of whom had already filed for 17 in his former career, according to a Thomson …
Greece, euro zone agree four-month loan extension, avert crunch
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Euro zone finance ministers agreed in principle on Friday to extend Greece’s financial rescue by four months, averting a potential cash crunch in March that could have forced the country out of the currency area.
Oil ends mixed after mild rig count drop, heating oil spikes
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Crude prices ended mixed on Friday as the number of U.S. rigs drilling for oil fell far less than expected this week, while heating oil jumped 6 percent after severe winter cold crimped output at three refineries.
Takata hit with daily fine on air bag probe as repairs lag
WASHINGTON/DETROIT (Reuters) – U.S. regulators on Friday slapped Takata Corp with a $14,000 per-day fine for failing to fully cooperate with a probe of its faulty air bags and revealed that a fraction of the 17 million cars recalled because of the prob…
