Daily Investor Briefing: Dow closes at highest since May 2008...

02/28/2012 Dow closes at highest since May 2008 NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Dow closed above 13,000 for the first time since 2008 on Tuesday and the S&P 500 also hit a milestone, as buoyant U.S. consumer confidence data and a sharp drop in oil prices nudged the nearly five-month rally forward. Factory, confidence data cloud view on recovery WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A strengthening jobs market helped lift U.S. consumer confidence to a one-year high this month, but a surprisingly large plunge in orders for some factory goods cast a cloud over signs of increased economic momentum. LightSquared CEO resigns, Falcone joins board (Reuters) - LightSquared, the telecom startup backed by Philip Falcone, said that Sanjiv Ahuja resigned as chief executive and that Falcone was named to the board. Honda slips; Mazda, Chrysler gain in key quality report DETROIT (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co lost its top spot in an influential annual automotive report on quality, while Mazda and Chrysler showed the biggest gains. PIMCO's Gross shifts to defensive investment model NEW YORK (Reuters) - It's time for defense, says Bill Gross, manager of the world's largest bond fund. Dutch parliament backs Greek bailout, reluctantly AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch parliament, which has been heavily critical of euro zone bailouts, gave grudging backing to Greece's second rescue package on Tuesday saying it was needed to stabilize the currency bloc. CME Group reveals subpoenas in MF Global probe CHICAGO (Reuters) - CME Group Inc received two subpoenas, including one for a criminal probe, in the immediate aftermath of the collapse of futures broker MF Global Holdings Ltd, the giant exchange operator said on Tuesday. Microsoft joins Google+ dispute in EU: sources BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Microsoft and several other companies have complained to EU antitrust regulators about Google's social networking tool, two people familiar with the matter said, but they declined to provide the names of the other firms involved. JPMorgan targets $24 billion in annual profits (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co is using size to its advantage, leveraging the various components of its business to help increase annual earnings more than 25 percent over time, Chief Financial Officer Doug Braunstein said on Tuesday. Moody's must face whistleblower analyst's claim (Reuters) - The parent of Moody's Investors Service was ordered to defend against a lawsuit by a former analyst who claimed it retaliated improperly against him after he called into question its credit ratings for debt securities that later proved toxic. Related Video Samsung projecting rapid smartphone growth Morning Briefing: Weak U.S. econ data; Gekko helps FBI Related News Green energy puts green in homeowner wallets US regulators propose rules to protect against identity theft 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