U.S. debt deal hopes lift world shares, dollar fades
LONDON (Reuters) – Firming hopes of a U.S. deal to ensure the country does not default on its debt lifted world shares for a second day on Friday and left the dollar on course for its first weekly rise in five.
Strong Royal Mail market debut fuels debate over price
LONDON (Reuters) – Shares in Britain’s Royal Mail rocketed to a near 40 percent premium above their issue price in Friday’s stock market debut, fuelling a debate about whether they had been priced too low in order to guarantee a successful privatizatio…
Del Monte Pacific buys U.S. canned food business for $1.7 billion
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore-listed Del Monte Pacific Ltd will buy the canned food business of private equity-backed Del Monte Foods Consumer Products Inc for $1.7 billion, gaining a direct presence in the key U.S. market and reuniting a substantial…
Analysis: Lawsuits likely as EPA declares US ethanol blend wall a ‘reality’
NEW YORK (Reuters) – With two words, the U.S. environment regulator may be handing oil refiners the biggest win of a long battle to beat back the seemingly inexorable rise of ethanol fuel.
U.S. soon to overtake Russia as top oil producer
LONDON (Reuters) – The United States will become the world’s largest oil producer next year – overtaking Russia – thanks to its shale oil boom which has transformed the global energy landscape, the West’s energy watchdog said on Friday.
Metals stuck in rut; coffee, cocoa best bet in commodities: Jefferies
(Reuters) – Metal prices will be stuck in a rut into next year due to festering uncertainty over the timing and scale of tapering in the United States, with soft commodities such as coffee offering a better chance of returns, said Jefferies Bache’s pre…
IMF wants central banks to oversee markets with government supervision
BERLIN (Reuters) – Central banks should be independent in setting monetary policy but they should also be tasked with monitoring financial market stability under political supervision, the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) chief economist said.
Starbucks CEO starts petition against government shutdown
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Starbucks Corp plans to circulate petitions to customers across the United States urging lawmakers to reopen the partially closed government and avoid a looming default, the coffee chain’s CEO Howard Schultz said on Thursday.
Afghan President Karzai’s brothers to offer him role if elected
KABUL (Reuters) – As President Hamid Karzai’s brothers began a campaign this week to take power in war-shattered Afghanistan, they left open the prospect that the incumbent will be able to use family ties to remain in government after his second term e…
Fed officials split on policy, united on default danger
ST LOUIS/ BOISE, Idaho (Reuters) – While officials of the Federal Reserve have sparred over whether the U.S. central bank should continue full-bore with its massive bond-buying stimulus, two Fed officials with differing policy views agreed on Thursday …