Business Today: Dow rises, S&P, Nasdaq cut losses as hope trumps data

	Click to View in Browser 09/20/2012 Dow rises, S&P, Nasdaq cut losses as hope trumps data NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Dow industrials ended slightly higher on Thursday while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq cut most of the day's losses in a sign that investor sentiment remains generally positive despite several weak manufacturing surveys from around the world. Oracle hardware sales plunge 24 percent BOSTON (Reuters) - Oracle Corp reported that quarterly hardware sales tumbled 24 percent from a year earlier as the technology giant continued its struggle to turn around the computer division it acquired with its purchase of Sun Microsystems. BofA speeds up plans to cut 16,000 jobs: WSJ (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp is speeding up planned job cuts as revenue continues to decline amid new regulations and a tepid economy, the Wall Street Journal reported. Leading economic indicator dips in August WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A gauge of future U.S. economic activity slipped in August, the Conference Board said on Thursday, pointing to sluggish economic growth in the months ahead. UBS ignored rules for profit, says "rogue trader" lawyer LONDON (Reuters) - Managers at Swiss bank UBS turned a blind eye when traders exceeded their agreed limits as long as the bank was making money from their deals, a lawyer for accused "rogue trader" Kweku Adoboli told a London court on Thursday. "Boring" banks make tepid debuts despite soft pricing (Reuters) - Two small U.S. banks went public on Thursday to muted reviews despite selling shares for less than planned, as investors remain cautious about a sector that still has many problems in the wake of the financial crisis. Hyundai sets Santa Fe annual U.S. sales target above 100,000 MILFORD, Michigan (Reuters) - Hyundai Motor Co has set an annual U.S. sales target for its newly remodeled Santa Fe crossover utility vehicle of more than 100,000, an executive with the South Korean automaker said on Thursday. Halliburton names Jeff Miller as COO (Reuters) - Halliburton Co , the world's second-largest oilfield services company, on Thursday named Jeff Miller to the new position of chief operating officer. BP says oil well drilling in U.S. Gulf nears pre-Macondo levels RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Oil well drilling is approaching levels last seen in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico before the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster and spill in the Macondo field, BP Plc's Vice President for Global Deepwater Response Richard Morrison said on the sidelines of the Rio Oil & Gas Conference on Thursday. Factory, jobless claims reports signal weakness WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Manufacturing closed out its weakest quarter in three years this month and the number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits held near two-month highs last week, suggesting the economic recovery is failing to gain traction. Related Video LIGHTNING ROUND: Crude will header lower again - trader Saft Says: Expect QE3 to disappoint this time around Economic News Factory, jobless claims reports signal weakness Leading economic indicator dips in August 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