EDINBURGH, Scotland, May 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — (more…)
EDINBURGH, Scotland, May 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — (more…)
TOKYO (AP) — Japan‘s central bank says the world’s third-biggest economy is “picking up” as demand recovers in other countries and remains resilient at home, though the trade deficit widened in April, for the tenth straight month. (more…)
By Ian Chua
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Asian stocks rose on Wednesday following a positive lead from Wall Street with Japan‘s Nikkei reaching a 5-1/2 year high, while the yen took a defensive stance ahead of the outcome of the Bank of Japan‘s (BOJ) policy meeting. (more…)
By Paul Carrel and Jonathan Spicer
FRANKFURT/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Two senior Federal Reserve officials on Tuesday played down chances that the U.S. central bank would signal a readiness to taper bond buying at its meeting next month, dampening speculation the Fed might soon dial back its ultra-easy policy. (more…)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Americans got better about paying their credit card debt on time in the first three months of the year, a period when many borrowers use income tax returns to tackle their holiday season debt.
The rate of credit card payments at least 90 days overdue fell to 0.69 percent in the first quarter from 0.85 percent a year earlier — drop of nearly 19 percent, credit reporting agency TransUnion said Tuesday. (more…)
By Luke Baker
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European officials gave a lukewarm response to French President Francois Hollande‘s sweeping proposals for deeper euro zone integration on Friday, noting that many of his ideas were already in circulation.
In a 2-1/2-hour news conference at the Elysee Palace on Thursday, Hollande set out plans for an “economic government” for the 17 euro zone countries, including its own budget and a full-time president. (more…)
By Sarah N. Lynch
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A senator who has criticized Wall Street is asking federal regulators and law enforcement officials whether they have the economic analysis to back up their routine practice of letting big banks settle cases without admitting guilt instead of taking them to trial. (more…)
U.S. hedge fund calls for Sony Entertainment spin-off
TOKYO (Reuters) – Billionaire hedge fund investor Daniel Loeb on Tuesday called on Sony Corp to spin off its lucrative entertainment arm, setting the stage for a clash between his activist Wall Street fund and management at the Japanese electronics maker. Loeb said his Third Point hedge fund had accumulated a little more than 6 percent of Sony’s shares – a stake worth $1.1 billion – making it the largest stakeholder in the inventor of the Walkman portable music player and Trinitron TV. (more…)
BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel said European countries must agree on how to generate sorely needed economic growth, and stressed it was important that France pursue reforms to become more competitive. (more…)