News Cycles: Business News

Greek aid pledge helps lift European markets (AP)

AP - European stock markets rose Tuesday after the 16 countries that share the euro agreed to help Greece with loans, if needed, and a German investor sentiment survey fell less than expected.

China without Google: 'a lose-lose scenario' (AP)

AP - China without Google — a prospect that looks increasingly likely — could mean no more maps on mobile phones. A free music service that has helped to fight piracy might be in jeopardy. China's fledgling Web outfits would face less pressure to improve, eroding their ability to one day compete abroad.
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Markets cautious about EU aid pledge to Greece (AP)

AP - European countries' pledge to help Greece with loans received a lukewarm welcome from markets on Tuesday as investors remained worried that the form and timing of the aid remains unclear.

Fed weighs how and when to signal higher rates (AP)

AP - Debate is heating up within the Federal Reserve over how and when to signal that the days of record-low interest rates are numbered.

Landlords must pay taxes for renters to get credit (AP)

AP - Missouri tax officials are warning people who live in rented housing that they do not qualify for a tax break unless their landlords pay property taxes.
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Air Berlin to cut $1.7B in Boeing aircraft orders (AP)

AP - German airline Air Berlin Plc says it will cut back its order of Boeing Co. 787 aircraft to 15 from 25 and reduce its option for additional 787 aircraft to five aircraft from 10.
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FTSE shares close down (AFP)

AFP - FTSE 100 shares slipped back Monday as a wobble in the recovery of the US industrial sector tempered investor confidence.

Pay czar limits exec pay at still-struggling GMAC (AP)

AP - The Obama administration's pay czar is limiting 2010 compensation for top executives at GMAC Inc. because the auto finance giant continues to lose money and can't yet repay its $16.3 billion taxpayer bailout, according to people familiar with the negotiations.
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Deutsche Bank confirms 2009 net income of $6.9B (AP)

AP - Deutsche Bank AG says it made net income of euro5 billion ($6.9 billion) in 2009 and that it expects the banking market to progress slowly toward "a new form of normality" this year and next.
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EU ministers discuss standby plans for Greece (Reuters)

Reuters - EU finance ministers on Tuesday discussed standby plans drawn up by countries using the euro to provide Greece with financial help if it becomes the first state in 11 years of monetary union to seek such aid.

The Recovery Is Gaining Momentum, but Government Is in the Way (The Motley Fool)

The Motley Fool - It's been a long row to hoe since the economy entered the Great Recession. Even though the recovery seems to be under way, there's still a way to go until the economy returns to normal. Take a peek at the latest economic activity: On the plus side, February's retail sales rose by a better-than-expected 0.3%, despite the major snowstorms that blanketed parts of the nation and kept people off the roads. Aeropostale (NYSE: ARO - News), J.Crew (NYSE: JCG - News), and Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN - News) all posted good-looking quarters recently. ...
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Greek power company workers strike (AP)

AP - Greece's state power company workers have begun a 48-hour strike to protest government austerity measures designed to pull the country out of a major financial crisis.

Limited Brands to pay $1 dividend, start buyback (AP)

AP - Retailer Limited Brands Inc., owner of Victoria's Secret, said Monday that its board of directors has declared a special dividend of $1 per share and authorized a share repurchase program of $200 million.
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Homebuilder sentiment index falls in March (AP)

AP - Harsh winter weather and competition from deeply discounted foreclosures are putting a damper on sales prospects for homebuilders.

Oil extends rise on eve of OPEC meeting (AFP)

AFP - World oil prices rebounded slightly on Tuesday, after recent heavy losses, with traders on tenterhooks on the eve of a key production meeting of the OPEC oil cartel in Vienna.

Renault shares up on report Daimler talks widen (AP)

AP - Renault SA shares rose in early trading on the Paris stock exchange Tuesday after a newspaper reported the French car maker could swap stockholdings with Mercedes owner Daimler AG.
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Caution: Stats May Be Slippery (BusinessWeek)

BusinessWeek - Peril permeates a steel mill. Molten metal explodes when exposed to water. Overhead cranes hoist steel coils weighing up to 80,000 pounds. Heavy vehicles roll within feet of high-voltage wires. "We have a work environment that presents every hazard known to man," says Alan H. McCoy, vice-president and spokesman at AK Steel in West Chester, Ohio.
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