Industry News

• Business confidence in Australia rose for the second straight month in February March 9, 2010
  Business confidence in Australia rose for the second straight month in February […]
• U.S. Workers More Confident on Having Enough Retirement Savings, EBRI Says March 9, 2010
  By Moira Herbst March 9 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. workers are more confident about having enough savings for retirement even after the percentage of savers declined, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute . The percentage of U.S. workers who said they were “very confident” about having enough money for retirement was 16 percent, up from 13 percent in […]
• Eaton Vance Dumps Dirt Bonds Worth 30 Cents on Dollar as Districts Default March 9, 2010
  By Jerry Hart […]
• Ethanol Poised for Rally as Valero Sees Profits Where Gates Found Losses March 9, 2010
  By Mario Parker March 9 (Bloomberg) -- Ethanol, the commodity that cost Bill Gates more than $44 million the last time prices collapsed, is poised to rally as much as 20 percent as the fastest drop since 2008 spurs demand. Falling corn prices and record ethanol supplies have driven the price down 17 percent in three months to $1.634 a gallon, its worst run s […]
• Pound’s Slide to Help U.K. Outpace Euro Economies, Goldman’s Nielsen Says March 9, 2010
  By Candice Zachariahs and Rocky Swift March 9 (Bloomberg) -- The pound’s drop last week to a 10- month low may help the U.K. economy grow faster than the region sharing the euro, which is hobbled by budget deficits and aging populations, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Concerns U.K. elections this year may give the nation its first minority government […]
• `Cinderella’ Wine Valley Razed by Chile Quake Signals Bankrupt Vineyards March 9, 2010
  By Matt Craze and Rodrigo Orihuela March 9 (Bloomberg) -- Chile’s strongest earthquake in 50 years may bankrupt smaller winemakers after vines collapsed, casks broke apart and millions of liters were spilled, a former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. banker-turned-winemaker said. The O. Fournier winery , located in the south-central Maule Valley region about 100 kil […]
• Exxon Lowers Investment Bar, Buys Projects Previously Deemed Too Piddling March 9, 2010
  By Edward Klump March 9 (Bloomberg) -- Exxon Mobil Corp. , BP Plc and Total SA are investing in assets that previously weren’t worth their time or money after oil-rich nations reduced access to reserves and exploration drilling faltered. Efforts to find new sources of crude and natural gas are failing more often, with San Ramon, California-based Chevron Corp […]
• Biden Pushes Indirect Middle East Peace Process With Peres, Abbas Meetings March 9, 2010
  By Jonathan Ferziger and Gwen Ackerman March 9 (Bloomberg) -- Indirect peace talks can help build trust between Israel and the Palestinians, Vice President Joe Biden said as he began meetings with leaders of both sides after they agreed to a U.S.-led format for negotiations. “I hope the indirect talks will be a vehicle by which we can allay that layer of mis […]
• U.K. Housing Gauge Shows Fewer Price Increases Than Forecast in February March 9, 2010
  By Svenja O’Donnell March 9 (Bloomberg) -- A U.K. house price gauge showed fewer increases in values last month than economists forecast as more people tried to sell their homes, a sign the property market may be running out of steam. The number of real-estate agents and surveyors saying prices rose exceeded those reporting declines by 17 percentage points, […]
• EADS Axes Dividend for First Time After Loss on Airbus Costs; Shares Drop March 9, 2010
  By Andrea Rothman March 9 (Bloomberg) -- European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co. plans to scrap its annual dividend for the first time in its 10-year history after cost overruns on its two largest Airbus SAS plane programs led to a loss. The company posted a net loss of 763 million euros ($1.04 billion), after net income of 1.57 billion euros a year ear […]