Reuters Money: Consumer spending jumps but income growth tepid

Click to View in Browser 03/30/2012 Consumer spending jumps but income growth tepid WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Consumer spending increased by the most in seven months in February as households shook off a rise in gasoline prices, suggesting the economy may not have slowed as much this quarter as economists had thought. Best Buy sales, restructuring disappoint (Reuters) - Best Buy Co reported weaker-than-expected quarterly sales and said it would close 50 large U.S. stores and lay off another 400 employees, disappointing investors looking for even deeper cuts to turn around the world's largest consumer electronics chain. How to ace an elaborate job interview (Reuters) - When Will Flaherty, 23, applied for a job as director of communications for SeatGeek, an aggregator of sporting-event and concert-ticket websites, he had to jump through several challenging hoops - even before he landed an interview. Bernanke: Economy to return to trend growth WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Thursday that he expects the U.S. economy to return to a long-term growth rate around three percent over time. Refinancings drive first quarter leveraged lending, M&A absent NEW YORK, March 30 (RLPC) - Volatility subsided in the first quarter of 2012 following the shorter, steeper cycles observed last year. As a result, 1Q12 high yield volumes were robust, but they were driven by refinancings rather than new money transactions, according to Thomson Reuters LPC data. Public pension finances rebound slightly: Census WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The finances of public pensions rebounded in the final quarter of 2011 from the quarter before, but the cash and security holdings were still below end-of-2010 levels, according to U.S. Census data released on Thursday. Big money funds' fees outpace investor returns BOSTON (Reuters) - The biggest U.S. money market funds have done a better job of preserving their management fees than many realize, a development that may surprise investors whose dividends have plummeted 96 percent from peak levels five years ago. Merrill, Morgan Stanley seen losing grip on rich (Reuters) - The biggest U.S. brokerages have set their sights set on attracting the wealthiest Americans, but a new study concludes a growing number of multi-millionaire households are taking their money elsewhere. Lawmakers to CFTC: keep swap dealer rule narrow WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two lawmakers warned regulators on Thursday not to cast too wide a net over companies that trade swaps as the agency works to finalize rules defining who is designated as a swap dealer. FINRA investigating exchange-traded notes: spokesperson (Reuters) - The U.S. regulator that oversees the sale of investment products to investors is investigating how companies are marketing exchange-traded notes, a niche category that gained some notoriety when one ETN experienced a huge loss this year. Related Video Consumers seek frugal upgrades to their homes The great mortgage debate Business News Wall Street opens higher after 3-day drop Consumer spending jumps but income growth tepid The latest Reuters articles on M&A, IPOs, private equity, hedge funds and regulatory updates delivered to your inbox each day. Register Today   A daily digest of breaking business news, coverage of the US economy, major corporate news and the financial markets. Register Today   » MORE NEWSLETTERS - 3 Times Square New York, NY 10036 USA © Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters Ensure delivery of Reuters Newsmails, add mail@nl.reuters.com to your address book. Details Subscribe to other Reuters newsletters. Unsubscribe from this newsletter. Follow us on Twitter Friend us on Facebook Forward to a friend