Financial News

U.S. stocks turned higher Monday as a sharp drop in the price of oil and gains for Hewlett-Packard and General Motors Corp. among others put the Dow Jones Industrial Average back on track to end the session at a record high. Wal-Mart Stores, however, was a notable decliner on the blue-chip index after the retail giant offered up a disappointing sales forecast. The Dow Jones Industrial Average  ...

(Updating with further details) LONDON (AFX) - Leading shares ended a volatile session lower as fears the on-line gaming sector could be rocked by a clampdown in the US offset M&A fuelled gains in heavyweight utilities, dealers said. By the close, the FTSE 100 was off 3.00 points at 5,957.8, having hit a morning high of 5,985.5, in contrast with the positive wider market. Volume was a to ...

(Updates with full report) FRANKFURT (AFX) - Share prices closed slightly lower, just under the 6,000 points set last week as volume was significantly muted before tomorrow's national holiday, as automakers dropped into the red with BMW leading decliners. However, MAN topped the index after it reportedly settled a dispute with VW over its bid for Swedish truck maker Scania, dealers said. At the ...

Harrah's Entertainment, the world's biggest casino operator, has received a $15bn (£8bn) takeover offer from two private equity firms. The $81 per share cash bid comes from Apollo Management and Texas Pacific Group, and represents a 20% premium on Harrah's Friday closing price. Las Vegas-based Harrah's said it had formed a special committee of directors to review the proposal. The offer comes after Harrah's has been on a takeover spree of its own. 'Undetermined' Harrah's is currently i ...

U.S. stocks traded mixed Monday as a broker downgrade of Apple Computer weighed on the technology sector, but the Dow Jones Industrial Average moved higher, buoyed by solid gains for Hewlett-Packard, General Motors Corp. and others. Wal-Mart Stores, however, was a notable decliner on the blue-chip index after the retail giant offered up a disappointing sales forecast. The Dow Jones Industrial  ...

NEW YORK (AFX) - Stocks traded narrowly mixed Monday as investors weighed fresh economic data, falling oil prices and merger news to determine whether the stock market's impressive third-quarter performance would continue. Investors looking to economic data to help gauge the health of the economy received mixed messages. The Institute for Supply Management said the manufacturing sector grew a ...

ONLINE gaming firms faced their biggest-ever crisis today after the US Congress unexpectedly passed legislation to ban internet gambling there, threatening jobs and hitting shares by as much as 70 per cent. PartyGaming, operator of leading online poker site PartyPoker.com, and rivals Sportingbet and 888 Plc said they would likely pull out of the US and warned on future profits. PartyGaming's s ...

U.S. stocks traded mixed Monday as investors mulled weaker-than-expected factory data, but also a report pointing to a stabilizing housing market, with Wal-Mart Stores a notable decliner after a disappointing sales forecast. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) rose 3 points to 11,682. The Nasdaq Composite Index (RIXF) dropped 6.5 points to 2,251 while the S&P 500 Index (SPX) was off 0 ...

NEW YORK (AFX) - Stocks traded narrowly mixed Monday as investors weighed fresh economic data and merger news to see if the stock market's strong showing in September will continue in the fourth quarter. The Institute for Supply Management said its September manufacturing poll found activity continues to slow; the findings were slightly below what economists expected. The Commerce Department offe ...

LONDON (AFX) - Leading shares turned lower in midafternoon deals as a volatile start on Wall Street and a slump in the online gaming sector offset M&A fuelled gains in heavyweight utilities, dealers said. At 3.00 pm, the FTSE 100 was off 0.5 points at 5,960.3, having hit a morning high of 5,985.5, while the broader indices were mixed. Volume was moderate with 1.7 bln shares changing hands in ...