Reuters: Business News

Barclays warns to miss profit goal

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:26:02 +0000

LONDON (Reuters) - Barclays is set to miss a key profit target after its investment bank ended 2011 with its worst quarter for three years.

Greeks strike against IMF/EU austerity before crucial vote

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:13:16 +0000

ATHENS (Reuters) - Striking Greek workers denounced a new wave austerity on Friday as a demand too far by the IMF and EU, but Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos told the nation it had to decide within days whether to take the pain and stay in the euro or not.

January producer price inflation eases less than forecast

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:31:11 +0000

LONDON (Reuters) - British factory gate inflation dropped to its lowest in more than a year in January as input costs also rose at a much slower pace, data showed on Friday.

FTSE falls as Greek debt deal wait goes on

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:39:39 +0000

LONDON (Reuters) -The FTSE was slightly lower on Friday, as weak China imports prompted a bout of profit taking in the mining sector and as uncertainty over a bailout for Greece dragged on.

Osborne to drop Merlin lending targets as SME loans lag

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:36:45 +0000

LONDON (Reuters) - The government will not extend a deal with banks requiring them to meet fixed lending targets to businesses, a Treasury source said, scrapping a scheme designed to revive the ailing credit markets that have formed a barrier to economic recovery.

Irish banks' ECB borrowings fall 14 percent in Jan

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:44:57 +0000

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Irish-based banks' reliance on emergency funding fell to the lowest level in almost 18 months at the end of January after borrowings from the European Central Bank shrank by 14 percent on the previous month, data showed on Friday.

Exclusive - Brazil jets deal heats up as Boeing freezes bid

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:46:10 +0000

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Boeing has frozen the price on its bid for a multi-billion-dollar Brazilian air force jet contract, sources close to the deal told Reuters, as the global race to sell military hardware to emerging economic powers becomes more competitive.

China economy shows strain, policy shift eyed

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:37:40 +0000

BEIJING (Reuters) - China betrayed signs of spluttering domestic demand on Friday as imports crumbling to their lowest in more than two years and weaker-than-forecast bank lending signalled to investors that policymakers would soon make a fresh bid to bolster growth.

Exclusive - Eyeing Yahoo deal, Alibaba may take HK unit private

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:45:40 +0000

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese e-commerce group Alibaba plans to take private its Hong Kong-listed unit, two sources familiar with the matter said, as part of a complex deal that would strengthen founder Jack Ma's control and give key stakeholder Yahoo cash and a direct stake in one of Alibaba's operating businesses.

Lloyds beats govt small business lending target

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:58:24 +0000

LONDON (Reuters) - Part-nationalised British bank Lloyds said on Friday it had beaten targets laid down by the government for lending to small businesses, as authorities keep the country's banks under pressure to lend out more to boost the faltering UK economy.