Career News 24/7: Before the Bell: Futures edge up; Wall Street set for best year since 1997

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Before the Bell: Futures edge up; Wall Street set for best year since 1997

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12/31/2013

Reuters Election 2012 Daily round-up of the day's top news from the campaign trail, the White House and all the politics in between

Futures edge up; Wall Street set for best year since 1997

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures inched higher on Tuesday before housing and consumer confidence data, with the S&P 500 on track for its best year since 1997 and the Dow set to record its best performance since 1996.

China says to rein in local debt, push financial reform

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's top planning agency pledged on Tuesday to curb local government debt while the central bank said it will keep monetary policy stable in 2014 as it pushes financial reforms.

Apollo's failed deal for Cooper sows doubt on future Indian M&A

MUMBAI (Reuters) - The ambition from Indian mid-sized companies for large debt-fuelled acquisitions abroad was dealt a major setback after the unraveling of a $2.5 billion bid by India's Apollo Tyres Ltd to buy Cooper Tire & Rubber Co .

Analysis: Transparency the crux in China's struggle to deal with rising debt

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's quest to solve its $3 trillion-and-growing public debt problem by starting a domestic municipal bond market hinges on the one thing its officials are most afraid of: transparency.

World shares enjoy vintage year, seen gaining more in 2014

LONDON (Reuters) - World stocks were ending 2013 close to six-year peaks on Tuesday and benchmark bond yields were poised for their first annual rise since 2009 as investors anticipated a further pick-up in global growth.

Chinese recycling tycoon says he wants to buy the New York Times

BEIJING (Reuters) - An eccentric Chinese recycling magnate said on Tuesday he was preparing to open negotiations to buy the New York Times Co..

China halts imports of Pfizer drug on paperwork glitch

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China suspended imports of U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc's AIDS-related drug Diflucan on Tuesday, citing a problem with late paperwork, the country's food and drug watchdog said in a statement on its website.

Exclusive: China may raise Iran oil imports with new contract: sources

BEIJING (Reuters) - China may buy more Iranian oil next year as a state trader is negotiating a new light crude contract that could raise imports from Tehran to levels not seen since tough Western sanctions were imposed in 2012, running the risk of upsetting Washington.

Berkshire Hathaway to buy Phillips 66 unit for around $1.4 billion

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc struck a deal to buy a Phillips 66 business that makes chemicals to improve the flow potential of pipelines for around $1.4 billion of stock.

Fed's Fisher says his FOMC vote will reflect concerns on bond buying

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Richard Fisher said his votes on the central bank's policy panel in 2014 will reflect his concern that the Fed's bond-buying risks stoking inflation and exposing the institution politically.