Before the Bell: Stock futures up, Putin comments ease fear of escalation

	Click to View in Browser 03/18/2014 Stock futures up, Putin comments ease fear of escalation NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures rose on Tuesday, rebounding off earlier weakness and indicating Monday's rally would continue after comments from Russian President Vladimir Putin eased concerns that tensions over Ukraine might escalate. Consumer inflation muted despite food price spike WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. consumer prices rose marginally in February, but the lack of inflation pressures will probably not dissuade the Federal Reserve from dialing back its monetary stimulus. U.S. housing starts fall, but permits rebound WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. housing starts fell for a third straight month in February, but a rebound in building permits offered some hope for the housing market as it struggles to emerge from a soft patch. Alibaba to hold U.S. IPO kick off meeting on March 25 HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd will hold the kickoff meeting for its planned U.S. initial public offering on March 25, setting in motion the most high-profile listing since Facebook Inc's offering nearly two years ago, sources familiar with the plans said on Tuesday. Greece, EU/IMF lenders reach initial deal on bailout aid: sources ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece and its international lenders have struck an agreement in principle to unlock the next tranche of rescue loans after six months of negotiations, three sources close to talks said on Tuesday. China FDI data indicates sharp slowdown in February BEIJING (Reuters) - China drew $19.3 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first two months of 2014, up 10.4 percent from a year earlier, the Commerce Ministry said on Tuesday, indicating a sharp slowdown in February due to the Lunar New Year holidays. New York to probe high-frequency trading: Bloomberg (Reuters) - New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is investigating whether U.S. stock exchanges and alternative trading venues provide improper advantages to high-frequency traders, Bloomberg reported, citing a person with direct knowledge of the matter. Barclays cuts share awards to top bosses by 20 percent DUBLIN (Reuters) - Barclays has given its top dozen executives nearly 32 million pounds in share awards, 20 percent lower than a year ago, partly due to a drop in its stock price. GE's credit card business faces two federal investigations (Reuters) - Federal regulators are conducting two investigations into General Electric Co's credit card business for potential violations of consumer finance laws, according to a regulatory filing related to the unit's planned initial public offering. Volkswagen to spend over $1 billion on new van plant in Poland WARSAW (Reuters) - Volkswagen is to spend nearly 3.4 billion zlotys ($1.1 billion) on setting up a new plant in Wrzesnia, Poland, which will produce its Crafter large delivery van, the company said on Tuesday. Related Video Rough Cut: UK PM warns Russia of further punitive measures Breakingviews: Barclays Transform plan needs a revamp Global Investing Alibaba and the battle for financial supremacy: James Saft New York to probe high-frequency trading: Bloomberg 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