Daily Investor Briefing: Wall St. ends mostly flat in thin...

	Click to View in Browser 12/30/2013 Wall St. ends mostly flat in thin trading NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks ended mostly flat on Monday following a strong rally over the past two-weeks, with weaker-than-forecast housing data and light trading volume keeping upward momentum in check. Reduced Fed support reflected in January bond-buying plan NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve plans to purchase about $40 billion in longer-dated federal government debt in 18 operations next month, the New York Fed said on Monday, reflecting the U.S. central bank's decision to trim its support for the economy. Wells Fargo agrees to $541 million loan settlement (Reuters) - Wells Fargo & Co will pay a net $541 million to Fannie Mae to settle claims over defective home loans, completing the government-controlled mortgage company's efforts to have banks buy back troubled loans made before the financial crisis. Special Report: Lost hooves, dead cattle before Merck halted Zilmax sales WALLA WALLA COUNTY, WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. beef industry's dependence on the muscle-building drug Zilmax began unraveling here, on a sweltering summer day, in the dusty cattle pens outside a Tyson Foods Inc slaughterhouse in southeastern Washington state. NYC sues FedEx for illegally shipping cigarettes to homes NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City has sued FedEx Corp, accusing the package delivery company of illegally delivering millions of contraband cigarettes to people's homes, violating a 2006 settlement. Cooper Tire terminates $2.5 billion sale to India's Apollo MUMBAI (Reuters) - U.S.-based Cooper Tire & Rubber Co said it was terminating a proposed $2.5 billion sale to Apollo Tyres Ltd , with both sides threatening legal action over a deal plagued by obstacles from the start. U.S. pending home sales end slide, hint at stabilization WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Contracts to purchase previously owned U.S. homes edged up in November, marking the first increase in six months and providing a hopeful sign the sector has begun to stabilize after its momentum was sapped by rising mortgage rates. U.S. cracks open skies to testing, use of aerial drones NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. aviation regulator took a step toward opening the skies to aerial drones on Monday, authorizing six sites where unmanned aircraft can be tested for a variety of uses. Orange to take legal action after report of spying via its cable PARIS (Reuters) - Orange is preparing its legal response to a report alleging the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) accessed customers' data transmitted by a submarine cable partly used by the French telecoms operator. Swatch fire seen affecting other watchmakers ZURICH (Reuters) - A fire that destroyed a workshop at a Swatch Group factory will affect other watchmakers it supplies more than the Swiss firm itself, as a break in production is likely to cut the availability of parts to an industry already facing bottlenecks. Related Video Stocks end 2013 with a bang Cracks show at world's oldest bank Related News Financial resolutions for a prosperous 2014 Gottex readies fund to let Main Street invest like Wall Street 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