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Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Daily Investor Briefing: Wall Street ends slightly lower ahead...

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12/17/2013

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

Wall Street ends slightly lower ahead of Fed decision

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks closed slightly lower on Tuesday, with investors reluctant to make big bets before the results of a Federal Reserve policy-setting meeting, which could help answer when the central bank will begin trimming its stimulus.

Inflation tame, but Fed may still trim bond buying

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Consumer prices were flat in November, but the lack of inflation pressures in the economy will probably not stop the Federal Reserve from scaling back its bond-buying program soon.

S&P says U.S. credit ratings unaffected by bipartisan budget act

(Reuters) - Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said on Tuesday that the credit ratings on the United States are unaffected by the bipartisan budget deal that passed the House last week and is now awaiting a final vote in the Senate.

AT&T to sell Connecticut wireline assets to Frontier for $2 billion

(Reuters) - AT&T Inc, the biggest U.S. phone company, said on Tuesday that it would sell its wireline operations in Connecticut to regional telephone operator Frontier Communications for $2 billion in cash, to help fund network upgrades.

3M sets year's biggest U.S. buyback plan, raises dividend

(Reuters) - 3M Co, whose products range from Post-It notes to films used in flat-panel TVs, said it could buy back up to $22 billion of shares in the five years through 2017, joining a list of companies announcing big capital returns to shareholders.

Microsoft expects CEO appointment early 2014

SEATTLE (Reuters) - The board member leading Microsoft Corp's search for a new chief executive said on Tuesday he expects an appointment to be made early next year, the first time the board has been so specific on timing.

Analysis: Aerospace M&A likely to get boost from U.S. budget deal

WASHINGTON/LONDON (Reuters) - A U.S. budget agreement making its way through Congress could set off the most robust series of mergers and acquisitions in the aerospace and defense sectors in years, industry leaders and experts say.

Ex-SAC manager Martoma fails to end part of insider case

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal judge on Tuesday rejected former SAC Capital Advisors LP portfolio manager Mathew Martoma's request to dismiss some insider trading charges because they were based on transactions not covered under U.S. securities laws.

BP files fraud suit to cut oil spill seafood fund payout

HOUSTON (Reuters) - BP Plc filed a fraud lawsuit in U.S. court on Tuesday to halt some of the $2.3 billion it set aside to compensate commercial fishermen for losses claimed after the British oil company's 2010 offshore oil spill, the biggest in U.S. history.

Insider trading case of SAC's Steinberg reaches jury

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The fate of SAC Capital Advisors portfolio manager Michael Steinberg was in the hands of a jury on Tuesday, after more than four weeks of trial on charges he traded on inside information.