Business Today: Earnings lift Wall Street but tech, banks weigh

Click to View in Browser 04/20/2012 Earnings lift Wall Street but tech, banks weigh NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks mostly rose on Friday, led by solid earnings from McDonald's, General Electric and Microsoft, but declines in banks and technology shares pulled indexes from their day's highs. Disney film studio chief Ross steps down LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rich Ross stepped down as chairman of Walt Disney Co's movie studio after a less than three-year run that included the release of "John Carter," one of the biggest flops in recent Hollywood history. G20 pledges more than $430 billion for IMF WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Group of 20 nations on Friday pledged more than $430 billion to better than double the International Monetary Fund's lending capacity and protect the global economy from the euro zone's debt crisis. GE profit, revenue top Wall Street forecasts (Reuters) - General Electric Co topped Wall Street's profit and revenue forecasts for the first quarter, helped by strong demand for energy equipment and railroad locomotives. Citigroup CEO and directors sued over executive pay (Reuters) - Days after being rebuked by shareholders, Citigroup Inc Chief Executive Vikram Pandit and the bank's directors have been sued by a shareholder accusing them of awarding outsized pay to top executives. Danone raises bid for Pfizer baby food unit: report PARIS (Reuters) - French food group Danone has raised its offer for Pfizer's infant nutrition business to close to $11 billion in an attempt to outbid rival Nestle , according to news website WanSquare. AMR unions want to take a chance on US Air merger (Reuters) - Labor groups at bankrupt American Airlines said on Friday they support a potential merger with rival US Airways Group Inc in a deal they say would save more jobs than a plan by parent AMR Corp to reorganize as a stand-alone carrier. Rogue trader Kerviel accuses SocGen of deceit PARIS (Reuters) - Ex-Societe Generale trader Jerome Kerviel, who is appealing a three-year prison sentence for his role in France's biggest-ever rogue trading scandal, is suing his former employer for allegedly obtaining a verdict under false pretences, his lawyer said on Friday. Pressure on Chesapeake mounts, shares down HOUSTON (Reuters) - Chesapeake Energy Corp CEO Aubrey McClendon has been sued by a shareholder over potential conflicts of interest on the same day that a Wall Street analyst urged leadership changes at the company. MBIA, BofA to face off in May on insurer's restructuring NEW YORK (Reuters) - MBIA Inc's 2009 restructuring will be on trial next month, when Bank of America Corp and two other lenders try to show that New York state insurance department acted unreasonably in approving it. Related Video Breakingviews: Shareholders act out There is no "civil war" within Fed, say Reuters Fedsters Economic News Global growth seen subdued, still heavily reliant on Asia G20 pledges more than $430 billion for IMF 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