The Other Side of Life 24/7: 11/14/14

Friday, November 14, 2014

Daily Investor Briefing: Wall Street ends flat but indexes up...

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11/14/2014

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

Wall Street ends flat but indexes up for week

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose for a fourth straight week but ended Friday little changed as declines in healthcare and consumer stocks were offset by gains in energy and technology.

Virgin America soars in market debut

(Reuters) - Shares of Virgin America Inc, a low-cost airline partly owned by Richard Branson, soared more than 30 percent in their market debut, underscoring the buoyant mood in an industry that is emerging from a long spell of turbulence.

U.S. data points to strong spending ahead of holiday shopping frenzy

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Most U.S. retailers reported strong sales in October, a sign American consumers were spending with more gusto and could help keep the economy growing at a brisk pace.

Wall Street Week Ahead: Restaurants' uptick offers hope for consumer discretionaries

NEW YORK (Reuters) - An improving U.S. economy has failed to galvanize the consumer discretionary sector so far this year, but a recent rally in restaurant stocks as the holidays approach could herald happier days ahead for other retailers.

Walmart workers plan Black Friday protests over wages

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A group of Walmart employees pushing for higher wages said on Friday they were planning protests at 1,600 Walmart stores nationwide on Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year in the United States.

Baker Hughes says in preliminary merger talks with rival Halliburton

HOUSTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oilfield services provider Baker Hughes Inc said on Thursday it is in preliminary merger talks with its larger rival Halliburton Co, though any potential deal would likely face antitrust concerns.

EU says Starbucks' 'very low' Dutch tax deal may be illegal

BRUSSELS/LONDON (Reuters) - A tax deal the Netherlands cut with Starbucks Corp may be illegal state aid, European Union regulators said on Friday, part of a crackdown on members attracting investment by helping companies to avoid tax.

U.S. court affirms SEC stance on withholding Wall Street arbitration records

(Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission does not have to release records about its supervision of Wall Street's arbitration process to a group of investors' lawyers, a federal appeals court ruled on Friday.

Nokia says vanishing consumer brand may return

LONDON (Reuters) - Don't call it a comeback yet. But Nokia is thinking about how to revive its brand name in consumer markets just months after selling off its former flagship mobile phones business to Microsoft for more than $7 billion.

Google Glass future clouded as some early believers lose faith

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - After two years of popping up at high-profile events sporting Google Glass, the gadget that transforms eyeglasses into spy-movie worthy technology, Google co-founder Sergey Brin sauntered bare-faced into a Silicon Valley red-carpet event on Sunday.