German coalition deal helps euro to 4-year high versus yen
LONDON (Reuters) – The euro hit its highest in four years against the yen and a near one-month peak versus the dollar on Wednesday after Germany’s two major parties reached a deal on forming a grand coalition.
Analysis: No checkouts, no chocolate: Online shopping hits impulse buys
LONDON/BERLIN (Reuters) – For consumers, one of the great things about shopping online is bypassing the queue to check out. For producers of the candy, magazines and drinks often sold there, it’s a problem.
French government tells Peugeot to review CEO pension award
PARIS (Reuters) – The French government told PSA Peugeot Citroen on Wednesday to review an “inappropriate” pension award to outgoing chief executive Philippe Varin for which it has set aside 21 million euros ($28.5 million) in provisions.
UBS says French investigators visit headquarters
PARIS (Reuters) – French judicial authorities probing Swiss bank UBS over allegations it illegally sold products designed to avoid French taxes visited the bank’s Paris headquarters on Wednesday, a UBS spokesman said.
Turkcell sues MTN in South Africa for $4.2 billion in Iran damages
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Turkish mobile phone company Turkcell has taken to a South African court its $4.2 billion lawsuit against rival MTN Group, alleging it was the victim of “corruption and bribery” that caused it to lose a contract in Iran.
UK says last minute price hike would have risked Royal Mail sale
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s sale of the Royal Mail postal service, its biggest privatization in decades, would have been put at “considerable risk” if it had tried to raise the price at the last minute, ministers said on Wednesday.
German union threatens further industrial action at EADS
FRANKFURT/MUNICH (Reuters) – Germany’s powerful IG Metall labour union warned that it may call on workers at EADS to take further industrial action to protest the European aerospace company’s planned restructuring.
Madame Nouy set to take on Europe’s banks
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The woman set to police Europe’s banks has spent much of her 40-year career rising through the ranks of French financial supervision, once a bastion of male domination.
Analysis: Surfing central banks in a benign ‘QE trap’
LONDON (Reuters) – The message is sinking in – economies of the rich world face super-easy money far into the future and central banks are now convinced it’s the least of all policy evils.
For U.S. stores it is ugly out there – in more ways than one
CHATHAM, N.J./LOS ANGELES/WHITE PLAINS, NY (Reuters) – The 2013 holiday shopping season may end up being remembered for its ugly sweaters and, for many retailers, even uglier discounts.
