Business - Page 20

Investor's Business Daily - The Business Roundtable, which includes the heads of some of the biggest U.S. companies, said its economic outlook index rose to 84.9, up from 81.9 in Q4 '06. In the Feb. 8-22 survey, 73% of CEOs polled expect sales to rise over the next 6 months vs. 69% in Q4. Capital spending plans also improved. But the net share of big firms planning to hire fell to 12% from 14%. More Info...  

Investor's Business Daily - Fund managers have to pick stocks, but fund firms have to pick the stock pickers. More Info...  

Business

Reuters - Stocks slipped on Wednesday following a negative assessment of the housing market from a large home builder and a Federal Reserve report indicated some U.S. regions were seeing slowing economic growth.

Reuters - U.S. growth slowed in some parts of the country last month and private employers hired fewer people than expected, according to reports on Wednesday that chime with other weak signals from the economy.

AP - The nation's retailers, once hopeful for a strong spring selling season, are being forced to ratchet down their expectations after sales stalled amid the chill of February.

Reuters - A popular investment strategy where investors borrow cheaply in yen to buy higher-yielding assets elsewhere can only continue for so long, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said on Wednesday.

FT.com - Wall Street stocks were becalmed at midday on Wednesday as cautious investors paused for breath after a tumultuous week. More Info...  

AP - The economy is still caught between slowing growth and stubborn inflation pressures, new government reports showed Tuesday.

Investor's Business Daily - Mutual funds have been a strong force in the investment world, with their assets mushrooming from $135 billion at the end of 1980 to $10 trillion at year-end 2006. More Info...  

AP - Best Buy is under investigation by Connecticut's attorney general after consumers complained they were denied deals found at the electronic retailer's Web site by store employees who pulled up a lookalike site that listed higher prices on some merchandise.

Reuters - Cosmetics maker Estee Lauder Cos. Inc. forecast up to 12 percent annual earnings growth over the next three years as it cuts costs and expands overseas and announced a $750 million share buyback on Tuesday.

Business

Reuters - Stocks rallied on Tuesday, snapping a three-day losing streak as opportunities to buy cheaper shares in beaten-down sectors like financial services enticed some investors back into the market after nearly a week of steep declines.

Reuters - U.S. factory orders suffered the steepest drop in six years last month and an index of homes sales fell, according to data on Tuesday highlighting weak spots in the economy that could derail its recovery.

Reuters - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said on Tuesday that it is offering free shipping on thousands of items purchased on its Web site for pick-up in more than 750 of its U.S. stores.

FT.com - Takeover stories started to re-emerge as the FTSE 100 posted its first meaningful rise since the turmoil in global markets started last week. More Info...  

Reuters - Bausch & Lomb said on Tuesday it has started a limited recall of its ReNu MultiPlus contact lens solution, just 10 months after its global recall of another popular contact lens solution linked to a serious eye infection.

Reuters - Google Inc. is spinning off mounds of cash from operations, but Chief Executive Eric Schmidt appeared to rule out seeking big mergers or making other dramatic changes in how the company uses cash.

Reuters - Citigroup is set to launch a tender offer for scandal-hit Nikko Cordial Corp. (8603.T), and the Japanese brokerage is considering the bid favorably, a Nikko Cordial spokesman said on Tuesday. More Info...  

Investor's Business Daily - Europe's largest bank by market value said its profit rose 5% in '06 to $15.8 bil, while operating income jumped 14% to $70 mil, despite losses in its mortgage operation. HSBC projected it'll take 2-3 years to emerge from problems caused by home-loan defaults. Still, HSBC's CEO rejected claims the bank made unnecessarily risky U.S. loans. "This is not trailer park lending," Michael Geoghegan said. "This is Main Street America." Shares slid 0.4% to 85.91. More Info...  

AP - The nation's service sector expanded at a slower-than-expected rate in February amid a slowdown in new orders that economists think may help cool inflation. More Info...