Daily Investor Briefing: Wall St. ends higher; S&P's best year...

	Click to View in Browser 12/31/2013 Wall St. ends higher; S&P's best year since '97 NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks closed out their best year in more than 15 on Tuesday, rising modestly on a strong consumer confidence reading that kept 2013's upward bias intact to the end. Apple says never worked with NSA on iPhone hacks SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc has never worked with the U.S. National Security Agency and is unaware of efforts to target its smartphones, the company said in response to reports that the spy agency had developed a system to hack into and monitor iPhones. Cohen's SAC ends life as hedge fund with double-digit returns BOSTON (Reuters) - Billionaire investor Steven A. Cohen's SAC Capital Advisors is ending its life as a hedge fund with a 20.10 percent gain this year, marking one of the industry's best returns even after SAC pleaded guilty to insider trading charges, a source familiar with the numbers said. U.S. consumer mood brightens, but home price gains slow NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. consumers' mood improved as 2013 drew to a close, with many optimistic about their future job prospects, while home prices rose again in October, though the pace of gains slowed. Hewlett-Packard to cut 5,000 more jobs (Reuters) - Hewlett-Packard Co said it would cut 5,000 more jobs, bringing the total number of layoffs to 34,000, or 11 percent of its workforce. Chinese recycling tycoon says he wants to buy 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's largest auto parts company makes last-minute Fisker bid (Reuters) - China's largest auto parts company made a surprise bid for Fisker Automotive just days before the bankrupt maker of the Karma plug-in hybrid sports car was to be sold to a Hong Kong tycoon, according to court documents. Self-driving cars to be 9 percent of global auto sales in 2035: study DETROIT (Reuters) - Sales of vehicles able to drive themselves will account for about 9 percent of global auto sales in about two decades, according to a forecast published on Tuesday by auto industry consultant IHS Automotive. Buyout kings seek U.S. partnerships as deal prices rise NEW YORK (Reuters) - Private equity firms are increasingly seeking to partner with U.S. companies rather than buying them outright, as they struggle to find ways to put their huge piles of money to work at a time when frothy markets have made takeovers expensive. 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. Related Video A sense of touch makes robots more 'human' Bonds may hurt, not kill 2014 stock rally -Dickson Related News Cohen's SAC ends life as hedge fund with double-digit returns U.S. consumer mood brightens, but home price gains slow 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