Reuters - Before the Bell

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Monday, January 1, 2018

Macau casinos post first annual revenue gain in 3 years

Gaming revenue in the Chinese territory of Macau rose for the first time in three years in 2017 as high-end punters' appetite for gambling recovers after a protracted government campaign against shows of wealth among public officials and slowing economic growth.

As U.S. budget fight looms, Republicans flip their fiscal script

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of a conservative Republican faction in the U.S. Congress, who voted this month for a huge expansion of the national debt to pay for tax cuts, called himself a "fiscal conservative" on Sunday and urged budget restraint in 2018.

Japan's Nippon Life eyeing M&A for foreign boutique bond and alternative funds

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Nippon Life Insurance Co [NPNLI.UL], which recently struck a deal to buy about a quarter of U.S. investment firm TCW Group, is scouting for opportunities to buy boutique managers of bonds and alternative assets, its president said.

Mitsubishi says on track to deliver long-delayed jets by 2020

NAGOYA, Japan (Reuters) - Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd is on track to deliver its repeatedly delayed commercial jet by mid-2020, the head of its aircraft unit said, despite a risk of an order cancellation.

UK may use taxes to get tech giants to do more to fight extremism, minister says

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain may impose new taxes on tech giants like Google and Facebook unless they do more to combat online extremism by taking down material aimed at radicalizing people or helping them to prepare attacks, the country's security minister said.

German lawmaker blasts EU for opposing Niki sale to Lufthansa

BERLIN (Reuters) - The German government will probably lose a 150 million-euro government-backed loan to insolvent Air Berlin because the European Union opposed Lufthansa's purchase of Air Berlin's Austrian unit, Niki, a senior member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives said on Sunday.

Siemens to gauge interest of state funds in Healthineers IPO: CEO

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Siemens will test the appetite of sovereign wealth funds ahead of the planned listing of its healthcare unit Healthineers next year, its chief executive told a German weekly, possibly to secure anchor investors for the flotation.

Around 6,000 Swiss VW owners seek damages in emissions scandal

ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss consumer protection organization SKS has filed a claim on behalf of some 6,000 car owners seeking damages from Volkswagen AG and Swiss car dealer AMAG related to the "Dieselgate" emissions scandal.

Uniper CEO criticizes suitor Fortum for lack of clarity

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The chief executive of German energy producer Uniper has criticized Finnish suitor Fortum for a lack of clarity about its intentions in a planned 8 billion euro ($9.6 billion) takeover of the company.

Wall Street eyes 2018 gains with a side of caution

(Reuters) - U.S. stocks are expected to keep rising in 2018 because a massive drop in the corporate tax rate is seen boosting the economy and corporate profits, but strategists say sizable gains could either be short-lived or elusive.