Yahoo! News: Health News

---

• U.S. consumers boost growth despite business caution
• Wall Street steady as data offsets earnings
• Consumer sentiment at highest in five years in October
• Apple's weak margin outlook surprises analysts
• Amazon reports first quarterly net loss in years
• Tax gains lift Merck but sales disappoint
• SocGen receives Libor probe demand: source
• Insight: How the Petronas deal fell victim to Canada's China fears
• My actions were not fraudulent, says UBS "rogue trader"
• Anglo CEO Cynthia Carroll quits as share price lags
• US economic growth up to still-modest 2 pct. rate
• Oil falls as massive storm aims for East Coast
• Samsung logs record high profit in 3Q
• Weak earnings reports weigh on the stock market
• Where do I click, again? A guide to Windows 8
• Study: Flood of money leaving China
• Citigroup is fined $2 million over Facebook IPO
• Amid bumper crop, families could get PB&J break
• Goodyear Tire 3Q net income falls 32 percent
• Comcast 3Q profit, sales top Street on upbeat subs
• News Summary: Merck 3Q net up 2 pct, beats views
• US growth figures give only temporary market boost
• Apple stock falls under $600 after holiday warning
• Ivory Coast cocoa quality improves due to reform: board
• Citi fined $2 million by Massachusetts over Facebook IPO
• Exclusive: Shell seeks Iran sanctions workaround via Cargill grain barter
• Italy court convicts Berlusconi of tax evasion
• Weak earnings reports weigh on the stock market
• Trader denies $2.3 bn fraud, says UBS was family
• Canada's Co-operatives Refineries completes $2.7-billion expansion in Regina
• IMF says Spain's banks making good progress
• US economic growth up to still-modest 2 pct. rate
• Oil falls as massive storm aims for East Coast
• U.S. consumers boost growth despite business caution
• Marathon Petroleum unit rises after IPO
• Merck 3Q profit up 2 pct despite sales decline
• Buying guide: How to get, or avoid, Windows 8
• Tax gains lift Merck but sales disappoint
• Wall Street steady as data offsets earnings
• Annual growth of US economy starting in 2000

U.S. consumers boost growth despite business caution Posted: 26 Oct 2012 08:38 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. economic growth picked up in the third quarter as a late burst in consumer spending and a surprise turnaround in government outlays offset the first cutback in business investment in more than a year. The stronger pace of expansion, however, fell short of what is needed to make much of a dent in unemployment, and offers little cheer for the White House ahead of the closely contested November 6 presidential election. Gross domestic product expanded at a 2 percent annual rate, the Commerce Department said on Friday, accelerating from the second quarter's 1. ...

Wall Street steady as data offsets earnings Posted: 26 Oct 2012 08:11 AM PDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks were little changed on Friday, after data showed the economy grew at a faster pace than expected, overshadowing recent concerns about a disappointing earnings season so far. Investor sentiment got a boost after the Commerce Department said U.S. gross domestic product expanded at a 2.0 percent annual rate. That follows 1.3 percent growth in the second quarter, and was just a tick above the 1.9 percent estimate of analysts polled by Reuters. Still, the positive data may not be enough to stem a recent slide in the market, which has seen the S&P drop 3. ...

Consumer sentiment at highest in five years in October Posted: 26 Oct 2012 06:56 AM PDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - Consumer sentiment rose to its highest level in five years in October as Americans were more upbeat about prospects for the economy and their own finances, a survey released on Friday showed. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's final reading on the overall index on consumer sentiment rose to 82.6 from 78.3 in September. It was at its highest level since September 2007 on a final reading basis. Still, that was slightly below the preliminary reading of 83.1 and shy of economists' expectations for 83. There are also clouds on the horizon. ...

Apple's weak margin outlook surprises analysts Posted: 26 Oct 2012 04:15 AM PDT (Reuters) - At least three brokerages cut their price targets on Apple Inc by up to $50 a share after the iPhone maker surprised analysts by forecasting lower gross margins for the current quarter. Apple shares edged lower 0.1 percent to $608.85 in premarket trading. For the December quarter, Apple forecast revenue of $52 billion, below estimates of $55 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. It expects margins of 36 percent, far lower than analysts' expectations of 43 percent. ...

Amazon reports first quarterly net loss in years Posted: 26 Oct 2012 05:38 AM PDT SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc reported its first quarterly net loss in more than five years on Thursday as the world's largest Internet retailer spent heavily and suffered from an economic slowdown in Europe. Amazon shares slipped slightly to $220.75 in after-hours trading after the results. The company said its third-quarter net loss was $274 million, or 60 cents a share, versus net income of $63 million, or 14 cents a share, in the third quarter of 2011. Part of the loss related to an impairment charge from Amazon's investment in daily deal company LivingSocial. ...

Tax gains lift Merck but sales disappoint Posted: 26 Oct 2012 08:18 AM PDT (Reuters) - Merck & Co Inc posted a higher-than-expected quarterly profit as one-time tax gains helped offset plunging sales of its former flagship product, Singulair, an asthma drug that began facing cheaper generics in August. But overall third-quarter sales came in slightly below Wall Street expectations on Friday, as Singulair's decline outpaced already-grim predictions for it. "There was nothing excellent about the quarter, but nothing scary about it either," said Michael Liss, portfolio manager of American Century Investments, whose mutual funds own Merck shares. ...

SocGen receives Libor probe demand: source Posted: 26 Oct 2012 04:11 AM PDT PARIS (Reuters) - Societe Generale, France's second-biggest listed bank, has received a new request for information from U.S. authorities investigating the Libor rate-fixing scandal, a banking source told Reuters on Friday. SocGen has already said publicly it is cooperating with probes into whether banks manipulated the Libor rate - the benchmark for $300 trillion of contracts and loans across the world - and is conducting its own internal inquiry. "The request is not a subpoena to appear in a court but a request for more information from U.S. regulators," the source said. ...

Insight: How the Petronas deal fell victim to Canada's China fears Posted: 25 Oct 2012 11:34 PM PDT OTTAWA/CALGARY (Reuters) - Malaysian state-owned oil company Petronas was so confident last Friday that its purchase of Progress Energy Resources Corp would be approved by Canada that company officials had drafted a press release to announce the news. At midnight Kuala Lumpur time, they were flabbergasted to learn that Ottawa wanted more time to make a decision. Canada's 11th-hour veto of the $5.2 billion deal was the result of miscalculations and miscommunications, Reuters has learned through interviews with a dozen people briefed on the October 19 events. ...

My actions were not fraudulent, says UBS "rogue trader" Posted: 26 Oct 2012 06:49 AM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - Former UBS trader Kweku Adoboli wept on Friday as he told a jury that his "off-book trades" were done for the benefit of a bank that meant everything to him. Addressing the court for the first time since his trial started six weeks ago, Adoboli said he believed his behavior was not fraudulent and he had worked incredibly hard for years to generate profits. ...

Anglo CEO Cynthia Carroll quits as share price lags Posted: 26 Oct 2012 07:51 AM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - Anglo American's Chief Executive Cynthia Carroll has quit after more than five years in the job, under pressure from investors over the mining group's lagging share price and continued dependence on strike-hit South Africa. A geologist by training, New Jersey-born Carroll ruffled feathers when she moved from the aluminum industry to become the first non-South African, the first woman and the first outsider to take the top job at Anglo in 2007. ...

US economic growth up to still-modest 2 pct. rate Posted: 26 Oct 2012 08:47 AM PDT The U.S. economy grew at a slightly faster 2 percent annual rate from July through September, buoyed by more spending by consumers and the federal government.

Oil falls as massive storm aims for East Coast Posted: 26 Oct 2012 08:45 AM PDT The price of oil is down slightly as the market eyes a massive storm heading for the East Coast with the potential to force refinery closures and delays in import deliveries.

Samsung logs record high profit in 3Q Posted: 26 Oct 2012 08:02 AM PDT Strong sales of Galaxy phones propelled Samsung's quarterly profit to a record high, but its shares dropped Friday on the prospect its growth will slow in an increasingly crowded smartphone market.

Weak earnings reports weigh on the stock market Posted: 26 Oct 2012 08:57 AM PDT Stocks are falling in midday trading on Wall Street after investors looked over weak corporate earnings and weak economic growth.

Where do I click, again? A guide to Windows 8 Posted: 26 Oct 2012 07:54 AM PDT With the launch of Windows 8, buyers are about to discover a computing experience unlike anything they've seen before. Here's a guide to getting past some of the hurdles.

Study: Flood of money leaving China Posted: 26 Oct 2012 07:55 AM PDT Chinese investors evaded government controls to move more than $600 billion out of the country last year and the outflow is increasing, fueling economic and political risks as communist leaders prepare for a handover of power, a Washington-based monitoring group says.

Citigroup is fined $2 million over Facebook IPO Posted: 26 Oct 2012 08:01 AM PDT The top securities regulator in Massachusetts has fined Citigroup $2 million for failing to supervise analysts who improperly disclosed confidential information about Facebook's initial public offering.

Amid bumper crop, families could get PB&J break Posted: 26 Oct 2012 07:59 AM PDT Choosy moms and dads may be packing more PB&J in lunches this winter, when the cost of a jar of Jif or Skippy is expected to fall even as other grocery prices rise.

Goodyear Tire 3Q net income falls 32 percent Posted: 26 Oct 2012 06:31 AM PDT Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. said Friday that its third-quarter net income fell by nearly one-third as lower tire sales in Europe offset cost savings and higher North American profits.

Comcast 3Q profit, sales top Street on upbeat subs Posted: 26 Oct 2012 07:28 AM PDT Comcast Corp., the nation's largest provider of cable TV and Internet services, more than doubled its net income in the third quarter, chiefly due to the sale of wireless spectrum and its stake in the A&E TV channel.

News Summary: Merck 3Q net up 2 pct, beats views Posted: 26 Oct 2012 09:19 AM PDT REASSURING RESULTS: Drugmaker Merck posted a 2 percent increase in third-quarter profit, at $1.7 billion. That's despite new generic competition slashing sales for top seller Singulair for asthma and allergies. It had generated $5.5 billion a year.

US growth figures give only temporary market boost Posted: 26 Oct 2012 09:17 AM PDT Strong U.S. economic growth figures shored up financial markets only temporarily on Friday, with Wall Street trading lower and European indexes posting small gains.

Apple stock falls under $600 after holiday warning Posted: 26 Oct 2012 09:07 AM PDT Investors are sending Apple's stock below $600 for the first time in three months, after the consumer electronics behemoth reported earnings for its latest quarter that missed expectations and warned that profits in the holiday quarter would fall from last year.

Ivory Coast cocoa quality improves due to reform: board Posted: 26 Oct 2012 09:11 AM PDT DALOA, Ivory Coast (Reuters) - Cocoa bean quality has improved during Ivory Coast's recently opened 2012/13 cocoa season due to stricter standards introduced under a reform of the sector, the head of the top grower's marketing board said on Friday. Under the reform measures put in place at the start of the season on October 3, the Coffee and Cocoa Council fixed the maximum allowable mould level at 4 percent and the maximum moisture level at 8 percent at the point of export. Maximum mould and moisture levels were 8 and 12 percent respectively in the 2011/12 season. ...

Citi fined $2 million by Massachusetts over Facebook IPO Posted: 26 Oct 2012 09:08 AM PDT BOSTON (Reuters) - Massachusetts fined Citigroup $2 million to settle charges that two bank analysts improperly released confidential information about Facebook's financials before the technology company went public. Citi said its top Internet analyst, Mark Mahaney, who was involved in the Facebook matter, is no longer at the company. It also terminated a junior analyst he supervised. ...

Exclusive: Shell seeks Iran sanctions workaround via Cargill grain barter Posted: 26 Oct 2012 09:01 AM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - Oil major Royal Dutch/Shell is seeking to work around international sanctions by repaying a $1.4 billion oil debt to Iran with a grain barter deal via U.S. agribusiness giant Cargill , industry sources said. Shell wants to repay a debt that is growing larger because of unpaid interest, having failed to settle its accounts with the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) ahead of a European Union embargo on oil imports that started on July 1. It is hoping to get clearance from U.S. ...

Italy court convicts Berlusconi of tax evasion Posted: 26 Oct 2012 08:59 AM PDT A court in Milan Friday convicted former Premier Silvio Berlusconi of tax fraud and sentenced the media mogul to four years in prison, his first prison sentence in years of criminal probes.

Weak earnings reports weigh on the stock market Posted: 26 Oct 2012 08:57 AM PDT Stocks are falling in midday trading on Wall Street after investors looked over weak corporate earnings and weak economic growth.

Trader denies $2.3 bn fraud, says UBS was family Posted: 26 Oct 2012 08:58 AM PDT A former UBS trader accused of losing $2.3 billion through reckless deals and deceit broke down in tears in court Friday as he insisted he had acted purely to help save the bank he considered his family.

Canada's Co-operatives Refineries completes $2.7-billion expansion in Regina Posted: 26 Oct 2012 08:55 AM PDT CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Consumers' Co-operatives Refineries Ltd has completed a C$2.7 billion ($2.72 billion) expansion at its Regina, Saskatchewan, refinery, boosting output at the facility by 30,000 barrels per day to 130,000 bpd. The cooperative said in a statement production has begun in the new units, following four years of construction. The expansion will primarily supply the Co-op's 235 retail outlets in Western Canada. (Reporting by Scott Haggett; Editing by Bernadette Baum)

IMF says Spain's banks making good progress Posted: 26 Oct 2012 08:52 AM PDT The International Monetary Fund says Spain's banking sector has made good and timely progress in meeting the terms of its bailout.

US economic growth up to still-modest 2 pct. rate Posted: 26 Oct 2012 08:47 AM PDT The U.S. economy grew at a slightly faster 2 percent annual rate from July through September, buoyed by more spending by consumers and the federal government.

Oil falls as massive storm aims for East Coast Posted: 26 Oct 2012 08:45 AM PDT The price of oil is down slightly as the market eyes a massive storm heading for the East Coast with the potential to force refinery closures and delays in import deliveries.

U.S. consumers boost growth despite business caution Posted: 26 Oct 2012 08:38 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. economic growth picked up in the third quarter as a late burst in consumer spending and a surprise turnaround in government outlays offset the first cutback in business investment in more than a year. The stronger pace of expansion, however, fell short of what is needed to make much of a dent in unemployment, and offers little cheer for the White House ahead of the closely contested November 6 presidential election. Gross domestic product expanded at a 2 percent annual rate, the Commerce Department said on Friday, accelerating from the second quarter's 1. ...

Marathon Petroleum unit rises after IPO Posted: 26 Oct 2012 08:37 AM PDT A pipeline subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum Corp. is rising in its stock market debut after raising $380.6 million in an initial public offering of its units.

Merck 3Q profit up 2 pct despite sales decline Posted: 26 Oct 2012 08:30 AM PDT Drugmaker Merck & Co. said Friday that third-quarter profit rose 2 percent as lower spending and taxes, plus sales growth for several key medicines, offset new generic competition slashing sales for its top-selling drug, Singulair.

Buying guide: How to get, or avoid, Windows 8 Posted: 26 Oct 2012 08:27 AM PDT On Friday, Microsoft Corp. released a new version of its Windows operating system, one designed to bring the desktop and laptop experience to tablet computers. There are several ways to get it — or avoid it.

Tax gains lift Merck but sales disappoint Posted: 26 Oct 2012 08:18 AM PDT (Reuters) - Merck & Co Inc posted a higher-than-expected quarterly profit as one-time tax gains helped offset plunging sales of its former flagship product, Singulair, an asthma drug that began facing cheaper generics in August. But overall third-quarter sales came in slightly below Wall Street expectations on Friday, as Singulair's decline outpaced already-grim predictions for it. "There was nothing excellent about the quarter, but nothing scary about it either," said Michael Liss, portfolio manager of American Century Investments, whose mutual funds own Merck shares. ...

Wall Street steady as data offsets earnings Posted: 26 Oct 2012 08:11 AM PDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks were little changed on Friday, after data showed the economy grew at a faster pace than expected, overshadowing recent concerns about a disappointing earnings season so far. Investor sentiment got a boost after the Commerce Department said U.S. gross domestic product expanded at a 2.0 percent annual rate. That follows 1.3 percent growth in the second quarter, and was just a tick above the 1.9 percent estimate of analysts polled by Reuters. Still, the positive data may not be enough to stem a recent slide in the market, which has seen the S&P drop 3. ...

Annual growth of US economy starting in 2000 Posted: 26 Oct 2012 08:04 AM PDT Here is the growth in U.S. gross domestic product, the economy's total output of goods and services, for 2000 through 2011. A minus number indicates the economy shrank that year.

You are subscribed to email updates from Business News Headlines - Yahoo! News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610