en-us Reuters) - Stocks fell on Thursday as the dollar's rebound spurred a safe-haven trade, cutting demand for riskier assets, while a soft profit outlook from economic bellwether FedEx sank transportation shares.Financial services stocks took a beating after influential banking analyst Meredith Whitney cut her earnings estimates...]]> Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:45:10 -0800 C FDX GS MS NKE ORCL RIMM C,FDX,GS,MS,NKE,ORCL,RIMM Reuters) - Discover Financial Services DFS, the sixth-largest U.S. credit card issuer, posted lower-than-expected quarterly earnings as bad loans grew and the value of transactions with its cards declined, sending its shares down more than 8 percent.The company, which received a $1.2 billion government bailout, said...]]> Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:15:29 -0800 BAC COF C DFS JPM MA V BAC,COF,C,DFS,JPM,MA,V Reuters) - Citigroup Inc C shares fell to their lowest level in four months on Thursday, a day after the bank's $20 billion stock and bond offering drew a cool reception on Wall Street and prompted the U.S. Treasury to delay plans to start selling off...]]> Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:00:38 -0800 BAC C WFC BAC,C,WFC Reuters UK) - Jitters in the financial sector prompted by tough new proposed regulations sent banks sliding on Thursday while commodity stocks also retreated on weaker raw material prices, pulling the FTSE 100 down 1.9 percent by close.The FTSE 100 closed down 102.65 points at 5,217.61,...]]> Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:30:30 -0800 AZN KAZ GSK RDSA STAN AZN,KAZ,GSK,RDSA,STAN Reuters UK) - A flurry of retail and consumer goods companies lifted profit forecasts on Thursday but remained wary about prospects for 2010 as official data and an industry survey pointed to an uneven recovery in spending.Builders' and home improvements supplier Travis Perkins, car dealer Inchcape, TV...]]> Thu, 17 Dec 2009 06:00:32 -0800 Reuters UK) - Struggling retailer JJB Sports JJB posted a 29 percent drop in recent underlying sales and said it remained cautious about Christmas trading as, while stock levels were improved, they remained below normal.JJB, which saw suppliers hold back stock as it battled to avoid administration earlier this...]]> Thu, 17 Dec 2009 05:04:37 -0800 Reuters UK) - The top share index was higher on Wednesday morning, helped by a rebound from the banking sector, in thin trade as investors awaited news from the latest U.S. Federal Reserve policy meeting.At 9:20 a.m. British time, the FTSE 100 was up 36.40 points...]]> Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:12:04 -0800 AZN BLT GSK RDSA AZN,BLT,GSK,RDSA Reuters UK) - Higher-than-expected November U.S. inflation fuelled demand for the dollar on Tuesday. but weighed on stocks and bonds as investors feared the Federal Reserve may need to raise rates faster than anticipated.Oil futures prices rose almost 2 percent to settle above $70 a barrel...]]> Thu, 17 Dec 2009 03:56:45 -0800 GE GE Reuters UK) - The top share index fell by 0.2 percent early on Tuesday with banks down as slight investor caution returned after three days of gains, with UK and U.S. data awaited.A decision by Abu Dhabi on Monday to provide Dubai with $10 billion (6.2 billion...]]> Thu, 17 Dec 2009 03:49:30 -0800 RDSA STAN RDSA,STAN Reuters UK) - The dollar steadied on Tuesday while Asian stocks wavered as investors turned cautious ahead of a meeting of the U.S. Federal Reserve although Abu Dhabi's decision to throw a lifeline to Dubai continued to bolster risk appetite.Markets expect the Fed to pledge to...]]> Thu, 17 Dec 2009 03:35:45 -0800 XOM XOM Reuters UK) - JP Morgan Securities raised its price target on Apple Inc by 4.5 percent, citing better-than-expected growth momentum for Mac, iPhone and iPod.The upside potential is expected to remain in Mac and iPhone moving through 2010, analyst Mark Moskowitz, who reiterated his "overweight" rating on the stock, said.Investor...]]> Thu, 17 Dec 2009 03:10:41 -0800 AAPL JPM AAPL,JPM Reuters UK) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc GS plans to pay top managers their 2009 bonuses in stock, rather than cash, as it seeks to deflect outrage over a near-record pay haul months after it repaid billions of dollars in taxpayer aid.The decision to pay top...]]> Thu, 17 Dec 2009 02:19:32 -0800 BAC C GS BAC,C,GS Reuters UK) - Goldman Sachs Group GS plans to pay top managers their 2009 bonuses in stock, rather than cash, as it seeks to deflect outrage over a near-record pay haul months after it repaid billions of dollars in taxpayer aid.The decision to pay top managers...]]> Thu, 17 Dec 2009 02:16:36 -0800 BAC C GS BAC,C,GS Reuters UK) - Goldman Sachs Group GS plans to pay top managers their 2009 bonuses in stock, rather than cash, as it seeks to deflect outrage over a near-record pay haul months after it repaid billions of dollars in taxpayer aid.The decision to pay top managers...]]> Thu, 17 Dec 2009 02:16:00 -0800 BAC C GS BAC,C,GS Reuters UK) - World equities were generally weaker on Thursday, adding to five sessions of losses, although Europe rebounded after recent hits over some of the region's more vulnerable economies.Globally, investors have been closing books ahead of year-end in a climate of concern about...]]> Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:55:15 -0800 Reuters UK) - The U.S. dollar's three day rally stalled on Wednesday, encouraging foreign investors to buy some Wall Street stocks late in the day, but a series of negative sovereign credit rating actions across Europe and the Middle East dampened demand for high-yielding assets.Commodity prices...]]> Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:35:30 -0800 C C Reuters UK) - Risk aversion swelled on Tuesday driving global stocks down as worries over Dubai's debt problems hit bank shares and the dollar rose against the euro after Fitch Ratings agency downgraded Greece's credit.Investors retreated from riskier emerging markets and higher yielding currencies, as officials...]]> Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:08:19 -0800 MCO MCO Reuters UK) - The top share index fell 0.5 percent on Monday, as concerns over a potential windfall tax dragged the banks lower, while miners and energy stocks dropped with commodities prices as the U.S. dollar strengthened.At 11:55 a.m., the FTSE 100 was down 25.36 points...]]> Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:26:01 -0800 AZN CNE GSK SKS STAN VOD AZN,CNE,GSK,SKS,STAN,VOD Reuters) - Stocks finished flat to slightly higher on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve reiterated its intention to keep interest rates low for the foreseeable future to ensure a sustainable economic recovery.Wall Street trimmed gains after the Fed voted unanimously to keep benchmark borrowing costs in...]]> Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:00:49 -0800 C HON HOV INTC JPM KBH C,HON,HOV,INTC,JPM,KBH Reuters) - Shifting views on interest rates in 2010 whipsawed markets on Wednesday, with the Australian dollar tumbling as investors scaled back their bets on aggressive rate hikes, while U.S. Treasuries rose before the last Federal Reserve meeting this year.Asian stocks mainly slid on profit taking,...]]> Wed, 16 Dec 2009 23:53:44 -0800