Daily Investor Briefing: Wall Street starts 2014 with drop as...

	Click to View in Browser 01/2/2014 Wall Street starts 2014 with drop as investors take profits NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on their first day of trading in 2014 as investors booked profits in the wake of the S&P 500's best yearly advance since 1997, with many of last year's strongest performers down on the day. U.S. factory, jobs data show underlying strength in economy WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. factory activity held near a 2-1/2-year high in December and the number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits fell again last week, suggesting the economy was poised for stronger growth in 2014. FireEye buys cyber forensics firm Mandiant for about $1 billion BOSTON (Reuters) - Cybersecurity company FireEye Inc, one of last year's hottest IPOs, has acquired Mandiant Corp, the computer forensics specialist best known for unveiling a secretive Chinese military unit believed to be behind a series of hacking attacks on U.S. companies. Fisker seeks rejection of Chinese suitor it blames for its bankruptcy (Reuters) - Fisker Automotive, the bankrupt maker of a plug-in hybrid sports car, asked a federal judge to approve its proposed sale to a Hong Kong tycoon rather than a Chinese suitor that Fisker alleged was to blame for its failure. Citigroup paid $250 million to resolve U.S. mortgage suit WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc. paid $250 million to taxpayer-owned Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to settle a lawsuit over soured mortgage securities, the regulator of the two housing finance firms said on Thursday. World manufacturing ends 2013 on a strong note NEW YORK/LONDON/BEIJING (Reuters) - Global manufacturing ended 2013 on a strong note, as major exporters like the United States, Japan and Germany all saw demand pick up, although China's performance remained modest, surveys showed on Thursday. Martha Stewart, Macy's settle lawsuit over Penney deal (Reuters) - Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc said it settled a lawsuit with retailer Macy's Inc over a home products deal with department store J.C. Penney Co Inc . Private investors increasingly keen on Ally shares NEW YORK (Reuters) - Demand for Ally Financial's shares has been ramping up, with investors paying increasingly high prices in recent private transactions that signal the U.S. government could be able to sell its remaining stake in the auto lender this year, sources familiar with the situation said. Marchionne's Fiat-Chrysler coup the beginning, not the end PARIS (Reuters) - Fiat's deal to take full control of Chrysler on better-than-expected terms has cemented CEO Sergio Marchionne's dealmaking reputation, but he might run out of road to channel that drive into operational success for the business. Early spotlight on Portugal, France in new credit ratings calendar LONDON (Reuters) - Europe's new calendar for sovereign credit ratings, an EU measure to shine a light on the actions of ratings agencies, will in its busy first few weeks thrust the market spotlight on bailed-out Portugal and recently downgraded France. Related Video Handicapping the 2014 economy John Lewis leads UK high-street battle Related News U.S. factory, jobs data show underlying strength in economy Pimco Total Return has first down year since 1999: Morningstar 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