News Archive - 15 December 2015

>"The oil export ban is lifted," Ribble said.Ribble, a Wisconsin Republican, also said the spending bill will include tax credits for wind and solar power but they are temporary and expire in several years."The tax credits on wind and solar go down each year until they expire," Ribble...

>UNITED NATIONS Iran violated a U.N. Security Council resolution in October by test-firing a missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead, a team of sanctions monitors said, leading to calls in the U.S. Congress on Tuesday for more sanctions on Tehran.The White House said it would not...

>VIENNA The U.N. nuclear watchdog's 35-nation board decided on Tuesday to close its investigation into whether Iran once had a nuclear weapons program, opting to support Tehran's deal with major powers rather than dwell on its past activities.In a symbolic victory for Iran, the International Atomic Energy Agency's...

>TOKYO The Bank of Japan is polling firms nationwide on their plans to raise wages, with results due out before a key rate review late next month, sources said, underscoring the bank's nervousness over whether firms will do their bit to energize growth by increasing pay.As speculation of additional...

>SINGAPORE Sentiment at some of Asia's biggest firms deteriorated again in the fourth quarter, falling to a four-year low under the weight of concerns about slowing growth in China, the region's biggest economy, a Thomson Reuters/INSEAD survey showed.The Thomson Reuters/INSEAD Asian Business Sentiment Index .TRIABS RACSI, representing the six-month...

>Payment processors globally are looking to expand via acquisitions and alliances as more and more payments are made electronically, including through cards and mobile wallets.Global Payments said Heartland's strength was in direct sales and technology-led distribution, which would boost its U.S. direct small and medium-sized enterprise distribution and...

>MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton on Tuesday took a swipe at her Republican rivals' proposals for defeating Islamic State, saying "bluster and bigotry are not credentials for becoming commander in chief."During a campaign stop in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the former secretary of state also addressed the issue of...

>MOSCOW Russia and the United States see enough common ground on Syria for world powers to meet on the troubled country's peace process in New York on Friday, but views on the future of President Bashar-al Assad still diverge.Secretary of State John Kerry went into meetings with Russian President...

>West Texas Intermediate CLc1 fell 50 cents to $36.85 a barrel by 0048 GMT (7.48 p.m. EDT) after rising more than $1 on Tuesday. It fell to $34.53 on Monday, the lowest since it financial crisis bottom of $32.40, before ending the day higher.Brent...

>SYDNEY The dollar was broadly firmer early on Wednesday, having bounced on the back of higher Treasury yields as the market counts down the hours to a likely hike in U.S. interest rates. The Federal Reserve is widely expected to deliver its first rate increase in nearly a decade...

>TOKYO Asian stocks gained early on Wednesday, with sentiment lifting as Wall Street rose before a likely hike in U.S. interest rates, while the dollar held to large gains made as Treasury yields picked up.MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS rose 0.7 percent.Australian...

>The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI rose 156.67 points, or 0.9 percent, to 17,525.17, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 21.45 points, or 1.06 percent, to 2,043.39 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 43.13 points, or 0.87 percent, to 4,995.36. (Reporting By...

>It has already whittled down 11 offers to half a dozen and expects to make a final selection "within hours", he told a news briefing, adding that this could mean 24, 48, 72 or 96 hours.The sale is part of a plan by Airbus to dispose of assets with...

>The government has been trying to get social platforms to crack down on the rise in anti-foreigner comments in German on the web as the country struggles to cope with an influx of more than 1 million refugees this year.The new agreement makes it easier for users and anti-racism...

>NEW YORK From "Hey Rude," a play on The Beatles classic devoted to Donald Trump, to "You Gotta Fight Far to the Right," a dig at the presidential nomination process inspired by the Beastie Boys' "You Gotta Fight For Your Right," Twitter lit up on Tuesday with playful twists on...

>WASHINGTON U.S. prosecutors are preparing to unveil drug trafficking charges against the head of Venezuela's National Guard, according to people familiar with the case, as the United States investigates the suspected involvement of senior Venezuelan officials in the cocaine trade.Nestor Reverol, the former head of Venezuela's anti-narcotics agency...

>Overall, the Office of Financial Research found "threats to U.S. financial stability remain moderate — that is, in a medium range." Particular threats have grown in the last year, though, and a shock to U.S. corporate or emerging market credit quality could harm the stability the country...

>WASHINGTON Eight years after a devastating recession opened an era of loose U.S. monetary policy, the Federal Reserve on Tuesday began a two-day meeting at which it is expected to turn in the other direction and raise rates in an increasingly normal economy.The decision will be released on...

>NEW YORK The tax-free treatment of the spin-offs Dow Chemical Co and DuPont plan to carry out after they merge their businesses is a prime driver of the deal, potentially saving tens of billions of dollars, industry experts said. The $120 billion merger, announced last week, comes less than a...

>WASHINGTON When U.S. presidential candidate Ted Cruz withdrew from a fundraiser in Texas, his wife Heidi stepped in to charm donors. A major backer uses her whenever she needs to close a deal. Another is planning a women's only event featuring Mrs. Cruz.Heidi Cruz, a Harvard Business School...

>LONDON Britain's top court will decide on Wednesday whether to back U.S. Republican presidential front runner Donald Trump's bid to stop wind farms being built near his luxury Scottish golf resort amid a growing spat with politicians in his mother's homeland.The decision comes after a week in which...

>Qualcomm Inc has decided not to split into separate chipmaking and technology licensing businesses, concluding a six-month strategic review instigated by hedge fund Jana Partners.San Diego-based Qualcomm, the biggest maker of chips used in mobile phones, said on Tuesday its current structure offered unique strategic benefits that cannot be...

>WASHINGTON U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said Republicans would unveil a deal for a $1.15 trillion spending bill on Tuesday but would need to pass another short-term funding extension to allow for a vote on the measure on Thursday.Ryan, speaking to a breakfast sponsored by Politico, said...

>U.S. stock indexes were sharply higher in early morning trading on Tuesday as crude oil prices recovered from near 11-year lows and ahead of a widely expected increase in interest rates later in the week.The U.S. Federal Reserve begins a two-day policy meeting later in the day...

>WASHINGTON Underlying inflation pressures rose in November, which could give the Federal Reserve more confidence to raise interest rates on Wednesday, even as renewed weakness in gasoline prices kept overall U.S. consumer prices in check. The Labor Department said on Tuesday its so-called core Consumer Price Index, which excludes...

>TOKYO Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc (SMFG) (8316.T) agreed to buy General Electric's (GE.N) Japanese leasing business for $4.8 billion, the two companies said on Tuesday.The deal is part of GE's plan to sell off the about $200 billion worth of assets of its finance arm,...

>PARIS/LONDON Sanofi (SASY.PA) and Boehringer Ingelheim are in exclusive talks over a $20 billion swap of the French pharmaceuticals company's animal health business for the family-owned German group's consumer health operation.The deal would consist of an exchange of Sanofi's Merial animal health arm, with an enterprise value of...

>LAS VEGAS Republican front-runner Donald Trump and surging challenger Ted Cruz will lead the party's presidential contenders in a debate on Tuesday, their first encounter since deadly attacks in Paris and San Bernardino propelled national security to the top of the U.S. campaign agenda.With seven weeks to go...

>INCIRLIK, Turkey U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter urged Turkey on Tuesday to do more to help destroy Islamic State militants as he kicked off a tour of the Middle East that aims to drum up regional support for the military campaign.Speaking during a visit to the Incirlik air base in southern...

>In a statement published on Tuesday, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) said an investigation had revealed that the bank had breached the watchdog's rules relating to short-selling, client facilitation and principal trading.The bank also breached the regulator's rules on dark-pool trading, making it the latest bank in the...

>WASHINGTON Janet Yellen is guiding the Federal Reserve towards its first rate rise in a decade armed with traditional economic models that some economists worry could fail her in a world of massive money printing and near zero rates.The 69-year-old economist argues the time is coming for a rate-lift-off...