North America

Banks brace for Fed capital buffers inspection

The largest U.S. banks and their foreign rivals are facing a tough two-step check-up of their financial health by the Federal Reserve, forcing the firms to get a far better grip on how they measure risk.


German industrial orders plunge, darkening first-quarter growth outlook

German industrial orders fell far more than forecast in January, posting their largest drop since August, data showed on Thursday, casting a shadow over what had previously looked like a strong start to 2015 for Europe's largest economy.

Brent above $61 as Iran news offsets U.S. stockpiles

Brent crude future prices rose above $61 a barrel on Thursday, as investors brushed aside bearish U.S. inventories data to focus on the lack of a deal in talks over Iran's nuclear program.

Citigroup's past losses may have helped it win Costco business

Citigroup Inc had at least one advantage in its successful bid for the exclusive right to issue credit cards for Costco Wholesale Corp, rivals and tax specialists say: it lost so much money during the financial crisis that it has billions of dollars of tax credits.


Latest News

The Federal Reserve should wait until next year before raising interest rates or risk undermining the very recovery it has helped engineer, a top U.S. central banker said on Wednesday.
A gauge of growth in the U.S. services sector was modestly stronger than expected in February, helped as an index on employment rebounded from recent weakness.
U.S. stocks closed down on Wednesday for the second day in a row as investors stepped back after a recent rally ahead of jobs data due later in the week.
International Business Machines Corp said on Wednesday it had acquired AlchemyAPI, a fast-growing startup selling software that collects and analyzes unstructured text and data in ways big enterprises, website publishers and advertisers find useful.
Applications for U.S. home mortgages edged up last week as interest rates dipped, an industry group said on Wednesday. The Mortgage Bankers Association said its seasonally adjusted index of mortgage application activity, which includes both refinancing and home purchase demand, rose 0.1 percent in the week ended Feb. 27.
Apple Inc (AAPL.O) is discussing a settlement in a lawsuit brought by electric car battery maker A123 Systems, which accused the iPhone maker of poaching top engineers to build a large-scale battery division.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's top enforcement chief warned on Tuesday that too many pharmaceutical companies are failing to accurately portray their dealings with federal drug regulators - a problem that could get them in trouble.
Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and Google Inc (GOOGL.O) said on Tuesday that they have developed fixes to mitigate the newly uncovered 'Freak' security flaw affecting mobile devices and Mac computers.
U.S. chief executive officers are modestly more upbeat about the economy and almost half plan to increase capital spending over the next six months, a quarterly business group survey said on Tuesday.
Pimco's top investment officer said on Tuesday that "late decision makers" are largely behind a rush of withdrawals from its flagship bond fund some five months after the departure of longtime manager Bill Gross, but the outflows should taper off before long.
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