Business Today: U.S. jobless claims fall, holiday retail sales rise

	Click to View in Browser 12/26/2013 U.S. jobless claims fall, holiday retail sales rise WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week to the lowest level in nearly a month, a hopeful sign for the labor market, while holiday retail sales rose in November and December. Discounts, promotions spur sales in U.S. holiday season (Reuters) - Sales during the 2013 U.S. holiday season grew from a year earlier as deep discounting and increased promotions encouraged bargain-hungry shoppers to buy more. Small jet makers see big chance as China prepares to open skies BEIJING (Reuters) - Ferraris and Rolls-Royces have become common sights in China's cities as a new class of super-rich indulge a growing appetite for luxury, but tight regulation has meant the private jet, the ultimate status symbol of the global elite, remains rare. Wall St. rises; Dow at record high for 6th day NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks advanced on Thursday, with the Dow ending at a record high for the sixth straight day, although trading was light following the Christmas holiday. After early Boxing Day rush, UK shopper numbers flat on last year LONDON (Reuters) - After an initial rush to British retail stores for the Boxing Day sales on Thursday, only 0.5 percent more shoppers showed up than last year, final figures from retail data company Springboard showed. Food prices; a bricks and mortar problem for Indian economy GURGAON, India (Reuters) - Three months since journeying more than 700 milesfrom his village in central India to take a job in this bustling city near the capital, New Delhi, Charan is already looking forward to a 10 percent pay rise. He isn't an engineer or programmer. He hauls bricks and sand at a local construction site for less than $100 a month. U.S. regulator fines Barclays over decade of records failures (Reuters) - Barclays Plc has been fined $3.75 million by a U.S. regulator over its alleged decade-long failure to properly keep electronic records, emails and instant messages. Surge of holiday packages delays UPS shipments NEW YORK (Reuters) - A high volume of holiday packages overwhelmed shipping and logistics company UPS, the company said on Wednesday, delaying the arrival of Christmas presents around the globe and sending angry consumers to social media to vent. Empire State Building IPO hurt investors, lawsuit claims NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investors in the Empire State Building have filed a lawsuit accusing the real estate magnates who took it public of short-changing them $300 million by refusing to sell the iconic skyscraper at a premium price. Court rejects BP bid to require proof of Gulf oil spill losses (Reuters) - BP Plc has failed to persuade a federal judge to require businesses seeking to recover money over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill to provide proof that their economic losses were caused by the disaster. Related Video Turkish ministers quit Housing market holds up Economic News U.S. jobless claims fall, holiday retail sales rise Discounts, promotions spur sales in U.S. holiday season A daily digest of breaking business news, coverage of the US economy, major corporate news and the financial markets. Register Today   The latest Reuters articles on M&A, IPOs, private equity, hedge funds and regulatory updates delivered to your inbox each day. 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