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.
United States
Soft U.S. data hints at near-term hiccup in economic growth
The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment aid last week rose to its highest level since May, but economists dismissed the increase as weather-related and said the jobs market remained solid.
U.S. factory orders fall for sixth straight month
New orders for U.S. factory goods unexpectedly fell in January, posting their sixth straight monthly decline, a sign of weakness in the manufacturing sector.
Wall Street closes up slightly ahead of jobs report
U.S. stocks closed modestly higher in light trading on Thursday as investors held back on big bets ahead of Friday's jobs report, which is expected to be a big factor in influencing the timing of a Federal Reserve interest rate hike.
Oil falls in volatile trade on supply worries, dollar and Iran
Oil closed lower on Thursday in volatile trade, as a soaring dollar and the U.S. pursuit of an Iranian nuclear deal offset earlier gains from supply concerns in Libya and Iraq.
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AbbVie Inc (ABBV.N) is to buy Pharmacyclics Inc (PCYC.O) for about $21 billion, giving it access to what is expected to be one of the world's top-selling cancer drugs and expanding its reach in the profitable oncology field.
China's defense budget this year will rise about 10 percent compared with 2014, a top government official said on Wednesday, outpacing the slowing economy as the country ramps up investment in high-tech equipment such as submarines and stealth jets.
HBO is in talks with Apple Inc to be its launch partner for the highly anticipated HBO Now video streaming service, according to a report in Wednesday's International Business Times.
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.
