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| Stocks flat as economic concerns offset deals - 15, May 2008 |
By Kristina CookeNEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks were little changed on Thursday, as optimism about potential deals were overshadowed by some weak economic data and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's call for some banks to raise more capital.Bernanke told a conference on bank structure and competition in Chicago that financial market turmoil underscores the need for "generous" capital cushions.Economic data painted a picture of a weak economy. A report showing softer-than-expected U.S. industrial output for April, followed a weak manufacturing report from the New York Federal Reserve. Meanwhile, jobless claims rose slightly more than expected in the latest week.In deal news, CBS Corp (CBS.N) said it would buy CNET Networks (CNET.O)and billionaire investor Carl Icahn said he will run a dissident board slate for Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O) in a bid to force the Internet company to sell itself to Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O)."Generally things are better than the bad we expected," said Linda Duessel, market strategist at Federated Investors in Pittsburgh."We've had a big storm and now it's only raining slightly, but Bernanke is saying that it's not plain sailing for the financial sector yet. The fact we've started to see M&A beginning to pick up again a little is a start."The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI fell 17.84 points, or 0.14 percent, to 12,880.54. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index .SPX was down 0.55 point, or 0.04 percent, at 1,408.11. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 1.51 points, or 0.06 percent, at 2,498.21.Energy companies were among the biggest stocks boosting the S&P 500 as the price of oil rose above $126 a barrel. UBS bank sharply raised its projection for oil prices and said inflation risks from rising crude costs would put a global economic recovery in 2009-2010 at risk. An index of oil shares .OIX rose 1.5 percent.
(c) 2008 Reuters
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AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France (Reuters) - A current slump in the global automotive sector could give fresh impetus to plans for consolidation within the industry, the head of French carmaker Renault said on Saturday.
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LONDON (Reuters) - Oil dropped below $144 a barrel on Friday, but was still within sight of record highs reached in the previous session when traders bought into the market ahead of a holiday weekend in the United States.
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BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission opened an in-depth investigation on Friday into BHP Billiton's $170 billion unsolicited bid for rival miner Rio Tinto , with prices of iron ore already soaring.
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SAO PAULO (Reuters) - World stocks edged lower on Friday, getting no relief from a decline in crude prices as concerns of further banking write-downs weighed on financial shares.
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PARIS (Reuters) - France's Banking Commission on Friday fined Societe Generale 4 million euros ($6.3 million) for serious breaches in internal controls revealed by the French bank's 4.9 billion euro rogue trading loss.
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LONDON (Reuters) - Oil dropped below $145 a barrel on Friday, but was still within sight of record highs reached in the previous session when traders bought into the market ahead of a holiday weekend in the United States.
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VIENNA (Reuters) - A Vienna court sentenced nine people to prison on Friday for their roles in causing losses at Austrian bank BAWAG P.S.K. of as much as 1.7 billion euros ($2.7 billion) through risky investments.
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SYDNEY/HONG KONG (Reuters) - BHP Billiton Ltd/Plc has matched takeover target Rio Tinto Ltd/Plc with a near doubling in contract iron ore prices, ending months of talks and speculation it may get more.
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BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The dollar's fall is a source of global concern and the European Union wants a better balance between the U.S. unit and other major currencies, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said on Friday.
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LONDON (Reuters) - World stocks slipped back towards this week's five-month low on Friday as steadying oil prices failed to erase concerns about slowing economic growth and rising inflation, and as banking stocks came under renewed pressure.
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