Reuters - Business Today

Click to View in Browser

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Wall Street set to open flat; geopolitics, earnings in focus

(Reuters) - U.S. stocks looked set to dip at the open on Wednesday as investors braced for the upcoming corporate earnings season amid mounting geopolitical risks.

Trump's message to bankers: Wall Street reform rules may be eliminated

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump told a group of chief executives on Tuesday that his administration was revamping the Wall Street reform law known as Dodd-Frank and might eliminate the rules and replace them with "something else."

Exclusive: Inside edge - Trump advisor Icahn's big bet against biofuels credits

(Reuters) - Billionaire investor Carl Icahn's oil refining company, CVR Energy, made a massive bet in 2016 that prices for U.S. government biofuels credits would fall - just before Icahn started advising President Donald Trump on regulations driving that market.

United Airlines faces mounting pressure over hospitalized passenger

(Reuters) - United Airlines and its chief executive faced mounting pressure on Tuesday from a worldwide backlash over its treatment of a passenger who was dragged from his seat on a plane on Sunday to make room for four employees on the overbooked flight.

Airbnb signs dozens more tax agreements in the U.S., France

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Airbnb has reached new deals with dozens of jurisdictions in the United States and France to collect and pay taxes, doubling down on its effort to improve its image with local policymakers even as it face regulatory challenges around the world.

Wal-Mart offers discounts for online orders picked up in store

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc will offer 'pickup discounts' to U.S. shoppers on items they order online and pick up in-store, as it revamps its e-commerce offerings at a faster pace to close the gap with larger rival Amazon.com Inc.

World trade seen growing 2.4 percent in 2017, uncertainty weighs: WTO

GENEVA (Reuters) - World trade is on track to expand by 2.4 percent this year, though there is "deep uncertainty" about economic and policy developments, particularly in the United States, the World Trade Organization (WTO) said on Wednesday.

Post-Brexit customs checks a 'catastrophe' for UK shipping: trade body

LONDON (Reuters) - The introduction of physical customs checks following Brexit would be a catastrophe for British ports and shipping and would likely reduce the volume of trade, the head of the sector's UK industry body said on Wednesday.

Rebel shareholders seek dismissal of AkzoNobel chairman in PPG takeover fight

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Rebel shareholders in Dutch paint maker Akzo Nobel want to oust the company chairman after Akzo refused to engage in takeover talks with U.S. rival PPG Industries .

Western Digital says Toshiba breaching contract, wants exclusive chip talks

TOKYO (Reuters) - Western Digital Corp has warned Japan's Toshiba Corp that splitting off its chip unit prior to a planned sale of the business violates their joint chip venture contract and that it wanted to enter into exclusive talks.