Employment growth at the largest U.S. companies has lagged far behind increases in revenue and operating profit since the start of the century, as firms reaped the benefits of globalization, technology, and other ways to operate more productively, according to a Reuters analysis of corporate data.
Industry
Wal-Mart revenue rises but U.S. same-store sales flat
Wal-Mart Stores Inc reported a 2.8 percent rise in quarterly sales, helped by higher sales at its smaller-format stores, but U.S. same-store sales failed to show growth again.
Euro zone economy grinds to halt even before Russia sanctions bite
The euro zone economy ground to a halt in the second quarter of the year, drained of vigour by contraction in Germany and stagnancy in France.
Putin's Ukraine gamble hastens exodus of Russian money and talent
The Kremlin's worst clash with the West since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union has accelerated the outflow of two of Russia's most prized assets: money and brains.
Brokerages face exodus as advisers get better deal in indie firms
The four biggest U.S. brokerage firms are facing an exodus of employees who are finding they can make more money and save on taxes by taking their clients and starting an independent firm before they retire.
Latest News
World shares and the dollar tumbled on Friday and oil and gold jumped after U.S. President Barack Obama authorised targeted air strikes in Iraq, stoking fears of another drawn-out conflict in the region.
China's buoyant exports pushed its trade surplus to a record in July, fuelling optimism global demand will help counter pressure on the domestic economy from a weakening property sector.
China's recent probes into Microsoft Corp and car companies including Audi and Chrysler have rekindled concerns that Beijing may be using an anti-monopoly law to support domestic firms at the expense of foreign companies.
Samsung and Apple have been battling it out in the smartphone arena for at least three years. The big question is: Who will conquer the world and get dominion in the consumer electronic business?
European stocks fell on Wednesday while nervous investors took refuge in high-rated bonds as Russia amassed troops on its border with Ukraine, raising concerns among western powers that it could invade.
In recent years, there has been much discussion in the business and legal communities about Non-Practicing Entities, a.k.a. patent trolls, and the ills and costs they can often impose on companies large and small.
President Barack Obama will announce on Tuesday that U.S. businesses have committed to investing $14 billion in construction, clean energy, banking, and information technology projects across Africa, a White House official said.
Wall Street banks have found a U.S. review of their junk-rated loans to have yielded similar results to last year, easing some concern among bankers about a crackdown on one of their most lucrative businesses.
Russia's threatened ban on U.S. poultry imports, the latest move in a sanctions skirmish over Moscow's support of rebels in Ukraine, has agriculture companies alert to the risks of a conflict that's already roiled trading of crops ranging from soy, beef and fruit to California pistachios.
