Business Today: Futures little changed with Fed minutes on tap

		Click to View in Browser 08/20/2014 Futures little changed with Fed minutes on tap NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock futures were little changed on Wednesday after the S&P 500 notched two straight days of gains and ahead of the release of minutes from the most recent meeting of the Federal Reserve. Target cuts full-year profit forecast (Reuters) - Target Corp reported a 62 percent drop in second-quarter profit and cut its full-year earnings forecast as it resorts to price cuts to attract cash-strapped consumers and win over shoppers unnerved by a massive holiday-season data breach. Infineon nears $2 billion U.S. semiconductor deal : Bloomberg FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany's Infineon is nearing a deal to buy a U.S.-based semiconductor company for about $2 billion, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. U.S. mortgage applications rise in latest week : MBA NEW YORK (Reuters) - Applications for U.S. home mortgages rose last week as demand for refinancing increased, an industry group said on Wednesday. Canada's Couche-Tard makes short-list in $16 billion Sinopec unit sale: sources HONG KONG/BEIJING (Reuters) - Canadian retailer Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc and China's Tencent Holdings Ltd are among suitors short-listed to buy a $16 billion minority stake in China's Sinopec Sales, the world's largest fuel retail network, people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Citigroup seeks to exit Japanese retail banking : source TOKYO (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc is preparing to sell its Japanese retail banking operations, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday, as it waves the white flag on a venture plagued by regulatory troubles and anemic lending. Home improvement chain Lowe's Cos cuts sales forecast (Reuters) - Lowe's Cos Inc , the No. 2 home improvement products retailer, reduced its sales forecast for the year as it could not make up for the sales missed during the prolonged North American winter. Staples says weakness in core office supplies hurting sales (Reuters) - Staples Inc warned that its sales could fall in the current quarter as it sells fewer computers and core office supplies such as ink and toner in North America amid stiff competition from online retailers and big-box chains. Alaska oil tax supporters fending off repeal efforts JUNEAU Alaska (Reuters) - Alaska voters looked on track to narrowly uphold a new law that cuts taxes on oil production and is worth up to $1 billion a year to companies such as ConocoPhillips , BP Plc and Exxon Mobil Corp . StanChart penalty a blow for Hong Kong as city looks to clean up image HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong's de facto central bank moved to defend itself on Wednesday after a New York regulator penalized Standard Chartered Plc for what it described as anti-money laundering failings in its United Arabs Emirates and Hong Kong businesses. Related Video Wienerberger sees robust U.S. market in H2 - CEO Breakingviews: StanChart's new blunder Economic News Russian downturn hits Europe's beer makers France's Hollande announces tax, construction reforms 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