The Other Side of Life 24/7: Daily Investor Briefing: Fed debates merits of earlier rate...

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Daily Investor Briefing: Fed debates merits of earlier rate...

Click to View in Browser

08/20/2014

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

Fed debates merits of earlier rate hike given U.S. jobs gains

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Reserve hinted on Wednesday that a surprisingly strong jobs market recovery could lead it to raise interest rates earlier than it had been anticipating.

BofA in $16.5 billion deal with U.S. over mortgage bonds: source

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp is expected to pay more than $16.5 billion to end investigations into mortgage securities that the bank and its units sold in the run-up to the financial crisis, in a deal that could be announced as early as Thursday, a person familiar with the matter said.

Dow, S&P 500 end higher after Fed minutes

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Dow and the S&P 500 rose for a third straight session on Wednesday, with the S&P ending a hair under a record reached in late July as minutes from the Federal Reserve's July meeting showed the central bank remains accommodative.

Argentina bonds, peso reel on country's debt swap plan

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina's new plan to skirt U.S. courts and resume payment on defaulted bonds aims to protect creditors who participated in two debt restructurings, the economy minister said on Wednesday as the local peso currency weakened to a new historic low.

Hewlett-Packard posts surprise revenue gain

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Hewlett-Packard Co posted a surprise increase in quarterly revenue after revenue from its personal computer division climbed 12 percent, but flat to declining revenue in its other units underscored the company's uphill battle to revive growth.

Exclusive: Ford plans new hybrid series to compete with Toyota Prius - sources

DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co plans to introduce a new hybrid gasoline-electric car in late 2018 to compete against the best-selling Toyota Prius, two sources with knowledge of the company's plans told Reuters on Wednesday.

Russia shuts four McDonald's restaurants amid Ukraine tensions

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia ordered the temporary closure of four McDonald's restaurants in Moscow on Wednesday, a decision it said was over sanitary violations but which comes against a backdrop of worsening U.S.-Russian ties over Ukraine.

Berkshire Hathaway agrees to settle U.S. charges on stock deal

(Reuters) - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc agreed to pay an $896,000 fine to settle U.S. government accusations that it violated antitrust rules by failing to report a transaction that boosted its stake in building products company USG Corp.

Car rental firm Hertz is latest victim of auto recalls

(Reuters) - While an improving U.S. economy has helped rev up demand for car rentals, the rental companies have found themselves short of vehicles due to the slew of recalls by car manufacturers this year.

FSOC takes next step in MetLife systemic review

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Financial Stability Oversight Council has closed the evidentiary record to determine whether insurer Metlife Inc is systemically important, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters.