Reuters Stocks & Shares
Don't chase market stampedes as risks run amok
LONDON (Reuters) - If both the perma-bears and perma-bulls are wrong in their immovable convictions about the long-term global investment outlook, then 2012 may require a more agile beast and possibly one with both claws and hooves.
 |  |
Exuberant Indian markets gloss over economic reality
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Surging capital inflows, booming stock markets and a fast-appreciating currency suggest the India story is again shining after a dismal 2011.
| |
Merkozy fights to prevent Merkollande
PARIS (Reuters) - Things must be getting desperate if Angela Merkel is intervening in French politics to try to save Nicolas Sarkozy from defeat.
| |
Japan's stay-at-home firms finally spread their wings
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese companies are again venturing offshore, and this time a new breed of business is striking deals overseas.
| |
Euro zone strugglers lack innovative knack
LONDON (Reuters) - To get an idea of the economic mountain euro zone strugglers Greece and Portugal have to climb, consider this: per million inhabitants, they each filed fewer than eight applications with the European Patent Office in 2010.
| |
A sobering look at Facebook
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - It's the year's hottest initial public offering, but some wealth managers find themselves having a hard time recommending Facebook to their clients.
| |
Bond benchmarks put investors in undue danger
LONDON (Reuters) - Investors are needlessly exposing themselves to huge potential losses by defying two golden rules for making money through bonds - lend more to those who will pay on time in full and less to those already saturated in debt.
| |
Spectre of forced selling haunts rallying Italy debt
LONDON (Reuters) - Italy's bonds have made sizzling returns this year but fears the country will lose its investment-grade status are putting off long-term investors whose support Rome needs to tackle a mountain of refinancing and ease worries about its debt.
| |
UK gas prone to spikes as Qatar dominates supply
LONDON (Reuters) - British gas prices are likely to become more volatile and prone to spikes over the next few years after the UK has moved from self-sufficiency to increasing dependence on imports of liquefied natural gas from Qatar.
| |
Facebook's daunting Asian challenge
(Reuters) - Facebook aims to connect all two billion Internet users. So far it has captured 845 million of them. Of the rest, nearly 60 percent live in Asia and hooking them is going to be a daunting challenge.
| |
Facebook IPO tests easy growth assumptions
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - As Facebook hurtles toward one of the largest initial public offerings in U.S. history, its honeymoon with investors may already be over.
| |
Why ECB liquidity is not reaching Portugal
LONDON (Reuters) - A slump in Portuguese bond prices in the past month shows there are parts of the euro zone government debt market that massive shots of cheap money from the European Central Bank cannot reach.
| |
German solar groups could thrive on subsidy fears
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Fears Germany will cap or cut green energy subsidies is boosting demand for solar panels, and uncertainty about the shape of the measures could give the country's battered solar sector an advantage against Chinese rivals.
| |
Patent plaintiffs target Facebook as IPO approaches
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - As it prepares for one of the biggest IPOs ever, Facebook is coming under the same fierce attacks being waged against other big technology companies: patent lawsuits.
| |
Q+A: Can buyers of seized Sudanese crude get into legal trouble?
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Buyers of South Sudanese oil seized by Sudan may escape legal trouble although Khartoum may get dragged into a prolonged arbitration battle for selling crude at steep discounts, lawyers said on Tuesday.
| |
Analysis: Fed-watching gives Asian central banks cause to pause
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Asia's central bankers have yet another reason to hesitate now that the U.S. Federal Reserve looks likely to keep interest rates low for longer.
| |
More than ever, businesses must think 'what if'
DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - A tumultuous 12 months that saw revolutions in the Middle East, a worsening debt crisis in Europe and a tsunami in Japan has set the tone for corporate activity in 2012.
| |
Long-term investors go bargain-hunting in Europe
DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Long-term investors with deep pockets are scanning Europe for lucrative investment opportunities even though a lasting solution for the euro zone crisis is not yet in sight.
| |
Hedging against disaster even as markets grow calm
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Don't be deceived by the U.S. stock market's rousing start this year or the new-found stability of the euro.
| |
Weaker euro helps Spain and Italy, not Germany
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Germany is the champion of exporters, but it may not be getting as much of a boost from a newly weaker euro as advertised -- indeed, there is evidence that the bigger beneficiaries could be the troubled economies on the euro zone periphery.
| |
Asia may not be such easy pickings for Apple
BANGALORE/HONG KONG (Reuters) - Investors in Apple Inc have a one-word answer for those who wonder whether this corporate juggernaut can maintain its phenomenal momentum in the years ahead: Asia.
| |
More, not less, oil this year despite Iran ban
LONDON (Reuters) - The world is likely to have more oil, not less, this summer even as Europe imposes sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme.
| |
Italy: a buy for the brave
DAVOS (Reuters) - Italy could turn out to be the investment bet of the decade if European Union leaders manage to contain the euro zone crisis.
| |
Egypt faces hurdles in securing IMF aid
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt faces a struggle to secure a $3.2 billion IMF aid package that economists say is crucial to averting a balance of payments crisis and which, even if it is obtained, could prove to be too little, too late.
| |
Analysis: Zynga needs mobile to move away from Facebook
NEW YORK (Reuters) - David Ko, Zynga's chief mobile officer, has one of the most important and pressure-filled at the online gaming company -- he's charged with figuring out ways to get people to play Zynga's games on tablets and smartphones.
| |
Reuters Business News
Greek deal prospects rise, euro ministers to meet
ATHENS/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Prospects of a deal on a second international bailout for Greece rose on Wednesday when euro zone finance ministers were summoned to talks in Brussels while Greek political leaders met to approve a tough reform and austerity programme.
| |
FTSE ends lower on Greek risk
LONDON (Reuters) - The blue chips closed a touch lower on Wednesday as investors awaited more clarity on a Greek debt deal.
| |
Misys CEO departure cuts chance of rival deal
LONDON (Reuters) - Chief Executive Mike Lawrie's decision to leave Misys at the end of March has reduced the chance of a rival bid derailing the software maker's takeover of Swiss rival Temenos , a deal seen by some analysts as a quick - but poor - fix to tackle weak demand.
| |
Glencore-Xstrata deal unsettles Swiss left wing
ZURICH (Reuters) - Financial haven Switzerland risks a fresh hit to its reputation from the proposed mega-merger between opaque commodities giants Glencore and Xstrata, left wing groups warned.
| |
Greek debt not sustainable with 70 percent haircut - S&P
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Greece will likely not achieve sustainable debt levels with a 70 percent reduction in the value of bonds held by its private creditors, Standard & Poor's warned on Wednesday, putting pressure on the official sector also to take losses.
| |
LME says self-clearing arm set for 2014 launch
LONDON (Reuters) - The London Metal Exchange (LME) is on track to launch its own clearing arm by the first quarter of 2014 and will look into financing the project without drawing on members' money, an official at the exchange said on Wednesday.
| |
Airbus A380 wing checks extended to entire fleet
KUALA LUMPUR/PARIS (Reuters) - European air safety officials extended checks for Airbus A380 wing cracks to the entire superjumbo fleet on Wednesday and said the widespread defects could pose a safety risk if left unremedied.
| |
Barclays former Russian unit switched to original name
MOSCOW (Reuters) - The former Russian retail business of British bank Barclays , which was sold to local banker Igor Kim last year, has switched to its original name of Expobank, the lender said in a statement on Wednesday.
| |
Inmarsat has not received bid approaches - source
LONDON/BANGALORE (Reuters) - British satellite operator Inmarsat has not received any takeover approaches, a source close to the company said on Wednesday, after speculation had driven the shares up as much as 10 percent.
| |
Hungary faces $3.6 billion airport bill over Malev - government
BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary could face a compensation bill for up to 800 billion forints (2.30 billion pounds) from Germany's Hochtief , operator of Budapest's international airport, following the collapse of flag carrier Malev .
| |
Thomas Cook says holds market share vs rival TUI
LONDON (Reuters) - Struggling holiday firm Thomas Cook said it was holding on to market share in Britain, dismissing claims by TUI Travel that it had benefited from negative publicity around its arch rival's financial difficulties.
| |
KBC, Santander near Polish Kredyt Bank deal - sources
WARSAW (Reuters) - Belgian bancassurance group KBC is close to finalising long-running discussions to sell Polish lender Kredyt Bank to Spain's Banco Santander just after completing the sale of its Polish insurance unit, sources said.
| |
Misys CEO departure cuts chance of rival deal
LONDON (Reuters) - Misys' chief executive Mike Lawrie's move to a new job has reduced the chance of a rival bid derailing the software maker's takeover of Swiss rival Temenos , a deal seen by some analysts as a quick - but poor - fix to tackle weak demand.
| |
Reckitt looks for emerging growth as Europe stalls
LONDON (Reuters) - British consumer goods group Reckitt Benckiser is to launch a major sales push into fast-growing emerging markets with a focus on health and hygiene brands like Nurofen and Dettol to offset sluggish European and North American markets.
| |
Sanofi profit faces 15% hit from cheap drug copies
PARIS (Reuters) - French drugmaker Sanofi said on Wednesday that its earnings could drop by up to 15 percent this year as top-selling drugs previously protected by patents are hit by competition from cheap copies.
| |
BOJ inclined to stay put, but may debate action post - Fed
TOKYO (Reuters) - Pressure is mounting on the Bank of Japan to respond with action to the Fed's historic step of setting an inflation target and its extended commitment to near-zero rates, though for now bankers in Tokyo still seem inclined to keep their powder dry.
| |
IMF sees "conservative" Qatar budget next FY
DUBAI (Reuters) - Qatar is expected to set a "conservative" government budget in the next fiscal year beginning in April, and has not indicated that it plans any further rise in social spending, an International Monetary Fund official said.
| |
UK banks to see weak loan growth in 2012 - Citigroup
(Reuters) - UK banks could see weak loan growth in 2012 as households and corporates cut debt levels amid a tough economic environment and regulators press them to raise capital ratios, Citigroup said.
| |
Insight - The dark side of Germany's jobs miracle
By Sarah Marsh and Holger Hansen STRALSUND, Germany (Reuters) - Anja has been scrubbing floors and washing dishes for two euros an hour over the past six years. She is bewildered when she sees newspapers hailing Germany's "job miracle."
| |
Roche digs in for long fight for Illumina
ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss drugmaker Roche is digging in for a long fight after gene sequencing company Illumina rejected its $5.7 billion (3.5 billion pounds) hostile takeover bid as inadequate and said it would be more successful on its own.
| |
Exclusive - Trafigura deals in disputed Sudanese oil
GENEVA (Reuters) - Swiss-based commodities trader Trafigura has bought oil which the South Sudanese government claims was seized by Sudan, its northern neighbour and former civil war foe, industry sources told Reuters, and is now in a legal dispute over ownership.
| |
Nokia says to cut 4,000 more jobs
HELSINKI (Reuters) - Struggling Finnish phone maker Nokia plans to cut 4,000 more jobs at its plants in Finland, Hungary and Mexico as it seeks to cut costs by moving smartphone assembly work to Asia.
| |
Monti says reforms to shield Italy from Greek risk - TV
MILAN (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti is confident reforms undertaken by his country over the last few months will help soften any blow from an unruly default by euro zone partner Greece.
| |
British Airways, JAL plan joint business
LONDON (Reuters) - British Airways and Japan Airlines (JAL) have agreed a revenue-sharing deal for flights between Europe and Japan, potentially giving their oneworld alliance more competitive muscle.
| |
Virgin Media Q4 gets TiVo, broadband boost
LONDON (Reuters) - British cable operator Virgin Media beat expectations for its fourth quarter, after customers snapped up the combination of its new TV service and fast broadband offerings.
| |
