BIZPLANSAMPLES.COM BUSINESS FORMS AND PRIVATE PLACEMENT MEMORANDUM TEMPLATES

Japanese stocks open lower, with banks weak

scgadmin — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 07:04:12 +0000

LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) — Japanese stocks traded lower early Thursday, with banks retreating in line with their U.S. peers after a raft of weak euro-zone data. The Nikkei Stock Average lost 0.2% to 9,535.12, while the Topix moved 0.3% lower. A surprise contractionin European business activity help push shares of globally exposed banks downward, with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. dropping 1.7%, Mizuho Financial Group Inc. gving up 1.2%, and Shinsei Bank Ltd. off by 1%. Stock in Mazda Motor Corp. plunged 8.2% as the car maker confirmed plans to issue new shares.

Latin American Markets: Mexican stocks avert losses after downbeat data

scgadmin — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 07:04:09 +0000

Mexican stocks narrowly escape losses, while Brazilian equities drop and Argentina shares climb as trading resumes after a two-session break for Carnival.

BHP to suspend Tasmania manganese-alloy facility

scgadmin — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 07:04:06 +0000

– Tasmania manganese alloy production facility to be temporarily suspended — BHP plans to review the future of the business over three months — Use of contract partners will be reduced (Adds detail on suspension in 1st, 3rd-5th paragraphs, background in 2nd and from 6th paragraphs.) BHP Billiton Ltd.

Deutsche Telekom sees profit down further in 2012

scgadmin — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 07:04:03 +0000

BONN, Germany (MarketWatch) — Deutsche Telekom AG (DTE.XE) said Thursday it expects operating profit to drop further this year after reporting more customer losses in the U.S. and as the tough economy in many parts of Europe continues to hurt the German telecom giant’s business.

Virgin Australia doubles profit amid Qantas strike

scgadmin — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 07:03:57 +0000

–Net profit jumps to A$51.8 million –Underlying profit beats expectations, shares jump 8.2% –CEO says new strategy reaping benefits, more to come (Recasts lead paragraph to include new strategy, adds comments from CEO interview throughout) Virgin Australia Ltd. VAH.AU Thursday said it more than doubled first-half profit as the launch of a business class offering helped poach customers from larger rival Qantas Airways Ltd.

Gannett seeks to charge more for content

scgadmin — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:05:12 +0000

–Gannett expects annual revenue growth of up to 4% over next four years –Plans to raise newspaper prices, charge customers for online access –Raises quarterly dividend to 20 cents from 8 cents (Adds detail on USA Today in third paragraph and other details at bottom.) Gannett Co. GCI seeks to increase annual revenue by up to 4% over the next four years in part by charging customers to access stories online and raising newspaper prices, part of the company’s new plan to revitalize its ailing publishing operations.

New J&J CEO lauded as smart and tested

scgadmin — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:05:09 +0000

Johnson & Johnson’s (JNJ) incoming CEO is viewed as having the experience and skills to lead the company out of a difficult period, but he’s unlikely to change J&J’s basic strategy of fielding a diverse lineup of health-care businesses.

Chile’s LAN cuts rates on South American routes

scgadmin — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:05:06 +0000

Chile’s LAN Airlines (LFL, LAN.SN) cut fares on its Chile-South America routes by as much as 40%, the company said Wednesday. For years, LAN has used what is known as the low-cost carrier model on its domestic flights, which has greatly reduced fares on its Chile flights and increased traffic. The airline, in a bid to make air travel a more-common method of travel and to gain a bigger foothold in the region, disclosed permanently reduced rates on routes to Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador and Peru.

Currencies: Dollar rises, hits seven-month high vs. yen

scgadmin — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:05:03 +0000

The U.S. dollar gains most notably on Japan’s yen and the British pound, leaving analysts pointing to a confluence of factors weighing on Japan’s currency, though sterling’s losses may be limited.

Personal Finance Daily: Who are you voting for? Don’t tell co-workers

scgadmin — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:05:00 +0000

Whatever your political views, you might want to hold your peace at work. Read that story, plus get the latest real-estate news, including a Q&A for mortgage borrowers on the foreclosure settlement and data reports that seem to point to a housing-market recovery, all in today’s Personal Finance Daily.