Business - Page 10

FT.com - Wall Street stocks were mixed at mid-morning on Thursday, with investors in a cautious mood ahead of monthly employment data due on Friday when the market will be closed in observance of Easter. More Info...  

Business

Reuters - Vodafone says Indian law bars it from owning all of the 67 percent of Hutchison Essar it plans to buy in a controversial $11.1 bln deal, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

AP - The global economy is forging ahead despite slower growth from its No. 1 player, the United States, the International Monetary Fund concluded Wednesday. More Info...  

AP - Everyone knew Circuit City was having a bad fourth quarter. Which made Best Buy's good one a little bit of a surprise. The results reported by the nation's two largest electronics chains on Wednesday showed Best Buy increasing its lead over its smaller rival, with profit up 18 percent, while Circuit City lost money.

Reuters - The largest U.S. banks sold expensive subprime loans more frequently to minorities than whites, according to a study released Wednesday by a community activist group.

Reuters - Growth in the dominant U.S. service sector fell to a four-year low last month while the job market showed only modest improvement, according to reports on Wednesday that reinforced views of a weakening economy.

Reuters - DaimlerChrysler (DCXGn.DE) acknowledged for the first time on Wednesday it was talking with prospective buyers of its loss-making Chrysler Group unit, but would not commit itself to selling the U.S. business.

Reuters - Best Buy Co. said on Wednesday that strong flat-panel TV sales helped quarterly profit top expectations, while smaller rival Circuit City Stores Inc. posted a loss after taking charges to close stores.

FT.com - A fresh bout of takeover speculation broke out on Wednesday amid rumours of possible bids for Home Retail Group and SSL. More Info...  

Reuters - Two Los Angeles billionaires could launch a counterbid for Tribune Co. after the publisher and broadcaster spurned their earlier offer in favor of a rival bid from Chicago real estate entrepreneur Sam Zell, a source familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

Reuters - Marshall & Ilsley Corp. , Wisconsin's largest bank, announced a plan on Tuesday to separate its Metavante Corp. payment processing unit in a deal valuing Metavante at about $4.25 billion, including debt. More Info...  

Investor's Business Daily - Comparable-store sales rose 0.3% in the week ended March 31 from the prior week, according to the Int'l Council of Shopping Centers and UBS. Comps grew 4.9% vs. a year earlier. ICSC estimates March same-store sales rose 4%-5% as shoppers bought Easter-related items, inflating monthly sales at the expense of April. More Info...  

Business

Reuters - General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. posted lower March U.S. sales on Tuesday, dragged down by weak truck demand and expected cuts to car rental companies, while Asian rivals led by Toyota Motor Corp. continued to make inroads in the market.

AP - Mutual fund investors looking for money-back guarantees on Wall Street have often been told to keep walking. More Info...  

Reuters - Manulife Financial Corp. , Canada's biggest life insurer, could be gearing up to make a multibillion-dollar acquisition in the United States, a Canadian insurance analyst said on Tuesday.

Reuters - Pending sales of existing U.S. homes rose above analysts' expectations in February, data from a real estate trade group showed on Tuesday, a signal that the housing sector may be stabilizing.

FT.com - Wall Street stocks were set for a solid start on Tuesday, as oil prices slid amid hopes that a diplomatic solution would resolve tension between Iran and the UK. More Info...  

Reuters - Australia's Wesfarmers Ltd. said on Tuesday it planned a A$19.7 billion ($16.1 billion) takeover for underperforming retailer Coles Group Ltd. , in what would be Australia's biggest ever takeover.

Reuters - RadioShack Corp. was sued on Monday by the Texas Attorney General's office, which charged that the electronics retailer exposed consumers to potential identity theft by dumping data such as addresses and credit-card numbers in a trash bin behind one of its stores. More Info...  

Reuters - A money manager told jurors on Monday that executives at Conrad Black's newspaper publishing company used "very clever but not illegal" ways to funnel money to a Canadian holding company closely controlled by Black.