ThinkstockOne of the bigger acquisitions of the year is getting a negative review from a major shareholder. Smithfield Foods Inc. (NYSE: SFD) has agreed to be acquired by China’s Shuanghui International Holdings Ltd. for…
U.S. equity markets opened lower this morning, kicking off a gradual decline that lasted all day. Profit-taking and a lower-than-expected reading on consumer sentiment in the U.S. get the blame. In Europe, CPI readings…
ThinkstockA seven-year convertible bond issued to Japan’s SoftBank at the time of its initial bid for Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) has tossed another hurdle in front of satellite provider Dish Network Corp. (NASDAQ:…
Courtesy Herbalife Ltd.U.S. Representative Linda Sanchez has sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requesting that the agency begin an investigation into allegations that Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE: HLF) is a pyramid scheme.…
ThinkstockSince announcing Monday that it would offer an additional 8.5 million shares in a secondary stock sale, shares of First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) have dropped from about $56 to around $46, the price…
thinkstockPower equipment product maker Generac Holdings Inc. (NYSE: GNRC) has priced a secondary stock sale of 6.5 million shares at $34.95 per share. The sale includes only shares held by CCMP Capital, and none…
ThinkstockSmithfield Foods Inc. (NYSE: SFD) reported fourth quarter and fiscal year 2013 results before markets opened this morning. The food processing firm reported diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.21 on revenues of $3.3…
ThinkstockThe government of China failed to sell more than a third of new debt it had on the auction block this morning, the first such failure to reach its target in nearly two years.…
ThinkstockAnalysts at HSBC have lowered their 2013 average platinum price forecast to $1,710 an ounce, a drop of 7.6% from a previous estimate of around $1,840. Earlier this year, demand for platinum from automakers…
ThinkstockA crude oil pipeline owned by Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) ruptured on March 29 in Mayflower, Ark., just outside Little Rock, as much as 19,000 barrels of heavy crude spilled into the streets…
ThinkstockGermany’s Siemens A.G. (NYSE: SI) and Finland’s Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) formed a 50-50 network equipment company with the catchy name of Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) in 2007. Siemens is now looking for a…
courtesy of Google Inc.The total amount spent on digital advertising in 2012 was just more than $104 billion. That total is expected to grow to $116.8 billion in 2013, and Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG)…
U.S. equity markets opened lower this morning, but gathered steam following encouraging reports on new claims for jobless benefits (down) and retail sales (up). There was little economic data from either Europe or Asia…
thinkstockToday’s announcement that Gannett Company Inc. (NYSE: GCI) would pay $1.5 billion in cash and assume more than $700 million debt to acquire Belo Corp. (NYSE: BLC) comes about two months after Sinclair Broadcast…
ThinkstockIn its weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey, home lending giant Freddie Mac reported that mortgage rates for fixed-rate loans have risen for the sixth consecutive week. The mortgage lender continues to believe that although…
ThinkstockThe U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous 9-0 ruling today denying patent protection from human genes isolated from the body. In its ruling, the court also ruled that synthetic molecules called complementary DNA (cDNA)…
thinkstockThe U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) today reported the U.S. natural gas stocks increased by 95 billion cubic feet last week, within the range for an expected build of between 94 billion and 98…
ThinkstockOne of the world’s largest consumer products companies raised $1 billion in an initial public offering (IPO) this morning. Coty Inc. (NYSE: COTY) sold 57.1 million shares of class A stock at $17.50, the…
ThinkstockOver the past five years, shares of Safeway Inc. (NYSE: SWY) have traded in a range of around $15 to $30 a share. The low point came last summer and the high point came…
ThinkstockMedia firm Gannett Company Inc. (NYSE: GCI) this morning signed a definitive merger agreement with TV station owner Belo Corp. (NYSE: BLC) to acquire all the outstanding shares of Belo for $13.75 per share…