The outlook for EMEA electric and gas utilities is stable, as sector-wide rating changes are unlikely, even though operating conditions remain tough and will require many companies to continue to moderate expenditure to adjust to still low demand, Moody's Investors Service said in a new report. "Despite the ongoing difficult operating conditions for many companies,
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Asian stocks edged up to a 14-month high, while the U.S. dollar steadied on Tuesday, with some investors taking bets that third-quarter U.S. corporate earnings, expected to shrink for the ninth quarter, will be good enough to keep a rally going. Oil prices slipped below $73 a barrel after settling at a seven-week high on
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Russia and China looked to steady their close but increasingly imbalanced relationship on Tuesday when visiting Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ushered through trade deals said to be worth $3.5 billion. Putin's talks in Beijing with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao are also likely to cover the international hotspots on which both governments share many views,
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Stock futures pointed to a higher open on Monday as a softer dollar helped boost commodity prices and, potentially, earnings of export oriented U.S. companies. In a possible sign of healthier capital markets, private equity firm Blackstone Group (BX.N) is planning to list up to eight of its portfolio companies, according to a source who
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Cyprus’ trade balance dropped in August 2009, mainly due to the reduction of imports by 56 million euro, in comparison with the previous month. During the first eight months of 2009, the trade balance reached 3.08 billion euro, compared to 4.16 billion during the first eight months of 2008. Total imports/arrivals dropped to 435.22 million
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On the surface, a glimmer of confidence is returning to the battered U.S. housing market, after more than three years of gut-wrenching defaults, price slumps and foreclosures. But investors and homeowners in California, the most populous U.S. state and a benchmark for housing across the country, are bracing for another fall as emergency government support
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President Barack Obama's top economic adviser said on Monday the United States is on the path toward economic recovery, conditions in financial markets are steadier and there have been initial signs of stabilization in the housing market. "Thanks largely to the Recovery Act, alongside an aggressive financial stabilization plan and a program to keep responsible
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Equity markets forged higher on Monday with Wall Street looking set for gains as investors bet on a positive corporate earnings season in both the United States and Europe. The dollar was weaker against major currencies, although it did gain against the yen. Gold also rose as the dollar fell, but remained off its record
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The world's book trade meets in Frankfurt next week on the brink of a long-feared transformation of the industry for which few are well prepared. Electronic reading devices like Amazon's Kindle are set to enter the mass market, starting with a surge in sales this Christmas holiday season, helped by lower prices, rising consumer confidence
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Stock futures climbed on Monday as a softer dollar helped boost commodity prices and, potentially, earnings of export oriented U.S. companies. In a sign of potentially healthier capital markets, private equity firm Blackstone Group (BX.N) is planning to list up to eight of its portfolio companies, according to a source who received a letter the
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