Costco October same-store sales beat estimates
(Reuters) – Costco Wholesale Corp reported better-than-expected October same-store sales as customers spent more at its cavernous stores and website, where they can buy everything from carrots to kayaks.
Spain industrial output grows for the first time 30 months in September
MADRID (Reuters) – Spain’s industrial output grew for the first time since February 2011 in September, official data showed on Thursday, supporting preliminary data which has showed the economy emerged from recession in the third quarter.
Munich Re plans 1 billion euro buy-back after profit slump
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – German reinsurer Munich Re unveiled plans to buy back up to 1 billion euros ($1.35 billion) of its own shares in the coming months, hoping to cheer investors after a fall in third-quarter earnings.
Russia to grow by annual average of 2.5 percent until 2030: Economy Minister
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s economy will grow by an annual average of 2.5 percent until 2030, Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev said on Thursday, citing the ministry’s base scenario for long-term economic development.
Aviva new business boosted by France, emerging markets
LONDON (Reuters) – Insurer Aviva PLC said new business rose 14 percent across the group in the first nine months of 2013, buoyed by its core UK life operation and double digit growth in France and emerging markets.
Lenovo profit leaps as it extends shift to smartphones, servers
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s Lenovo Group Ltd , the world’s biggest personal computer maker, said net profit jumped over a third to a quarterly record as it extended its cruise into smartphones and data servers to offset a global decline in PC sales.
Toll Brothers gets more California lots with Shapell buy
(Reuters) – Toll Brothers Inc said it will buy the home building business of privately owned Shapell Industries Inc for about $1.60 billion in cash, in a deal that will give the largest U.S. luxury homebuilder more access to affluent real estate market…
Insight: Lord of the RINs? Vitol’s ethanol credit bonanza
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Swiss trading company Vitol SA is among the biggest beneficiaries of an opaque U.S.-government-mandated trading scheme established to help boost the share of ethanol in the nation’s fuel supply, market sources say.
Exxon faces $2.7 million fine for Arkansas pipeline spill
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Exxon Mobil Pipeline Co faces a fine of nearly $2.7 million for a pipeline spill of thousands of barrels of Canadian crude oil in an Arkansas suburb last spring, the U.S. pipeline safety office said on Wednesday.
Prosecutors seek clues on alleged tax dodgers from two U.S. banks
(Reuters) – U.S. authorities are seeking information from Citigroup Inc’s Citibank NA and Bank of New York Mellon Corp to uncover the identities of U.S. citizens who may have been hiding money in Swiss bank accounts to avoid taxes.