The Other Side of Life 24/7: Daily Investor Briefing: S&P 500 up for sixth week; fear index...

Friday, August 17, 2012

Daily Investor Briefing: S&P 500 up for sixth week; fear index...

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08/17/2012

Reuters Election 2012 Daily round-up of the day's top news from the campaign trail, the White House and all the politics in between

S&P 500 up for sixth week; fear index hits five year low

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The S&P 500 held near a four-year high on Friday, and the market's key gauge of anxiety sank to its lowest since 2007, suggesting a belief that the problems stressing investors might be closer to a resolution.

Consumer sentiment at three-month high in early August

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. consumer sentiment improved in early August to the highest in three months as sales at retailers and low mortgage rates spurred Americans to boost their buying plans, a survey showed on Friday.

U.S. tightens reins on Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury on Friday revamped the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to curb chances the giant mortgage finance firms could emerge from government control as the powerful, profit-driven corporations they once were.

American Airlines renews push to void pilot contracts

(Reuters) - The parent of American Airlines on Friday renewed its push to void its collective bargaining agreement with its pilots' union, two days after a federal bankruptcy judge rejected an earlier effort.

Apple fires closing shots in Samsung trial

SAN JOSE, California (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics tried to impose an "unfair and unreasonable" royalty rate on Apple Inc for the use of its wireless patents in the iPhone, which would have stymied Apple's commercial prospects, a former Texas Instruments lawyer said on Friday.

Facebook shares drop 4 percent, hit another low

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc shares sank as much 4.3 percent on Friday to set a new low, a day after early investors got the green light to sell for the first time.

N.Y. Times CEO stands to make $6 million next year

(Reuters) - Mark Thompson, the newly appointed chief executive of New York Times Co, stands to make $6 million next year, roughly six times more than he did at the BBC.

Baseball star Eddie Murray settles SEC insider trading charges

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday announced insider trading charges against retired baseball player Eddie Murray and two others for buying shares of the California medical device company Advanced Medical Optics ahead of a public takeover bid by Abbott Laboratories.

Analysis: Natgas writedowns signal bank squeeze on spending

(Reuters) - Huge writedowns on natural gas fields point to cuts to come in oil and gas producers' reserves from untapped fields at the end of this year, which will constrain their ability to borrow and may herald more asset sales.

World No.1 copper mine Escondida H1 output up 18 percent

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Output from the world's largest copper mine, Chile's Escondida, jumped 18 percent in the first half of the year compared with the same period of 2011, to 533,242 tonnes on higher ore grades, mine activity and cathode output, the mine said on Friday.