Reuters - Before the Bell

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Friday, May 12, 2017

Weak oil price creates gas opportunities, says SNC-Lavalin division head

LONDON (Reuters) - Canadian engineer SNC-Lavalin sees opportunities from weak oil prices as investment shifts to liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants and other gas projects where the company has built expertise, the firm's oil and gas division head said.

Top-10 Glaxo investor Woodford sells out, criticises board

LONDON (Reuters) - British fund manager Neil Woodford said on Friday he had sold out of pharma company GlaxoSmithKline after a "frustrating" stint as an investor spanning more than 15 years.

Oil prices firm, on track for biggest gain in five weeks

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices on Friday were on track for their biggest weekly gain in five weeks, helped by expectations of an extension of OPEC-led output cuts and buoyed by falling U.S. crude inventories.

World stocks retreat from record highs as valuations give cause for a pause

LONDON (Reuters) - Global stocks paused near record highs as worries over China's banking system provided an excuse for investors to lock in some profits. The dollar was set for its best week of the year on bets the Federal Reserve will raise U.S. interest rates in June.

Dollar heads for strongest week this year on Fed hike bets

LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar traded near a three-week high on Friday, on track for its strongest week this year, after strong data bolstered expectations that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates again in June.

U.S., China agree to first trade steps under 100-day plan

WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) - The United States and China have agreed to take action by mid-July to increase access for U.S. financial firms and expand trade in beef and chicken among other steps as part of Washington's drive to cut its trade deficit with Beijing.

Even with trade pact, U.S. payment networks uncertain on China operations

HONG KONG (Reuters) - The prospects for global payment network operators including Visa Inc and MasterCard Inc at last entering the Chinese market remain uncertain, even after the United States and China moved toward starting a licensing process for them.

U.S. judge calls for criminal probe into trade secrets theft raised in Uber case

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Thursday called for an investigation into allegations of trade secret theft that were raised in a court battle between Silicon Valley giants Uber [UBER.UL] and Alphabet over their rival self-driving car programs.

Fiat Chrysler recalls 1.25 million trucks for software error

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV said Friday it would recall more than 1.25 million pickup trucks worldwide to address a software error linked to reports of one crash death and two injuries.

Futures slip with focus on retail sector

(Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures were lower on Friday ahead of a barrage of economic data, including a report on retail sales that is closely watched by investors to gauge the strength of the economy.