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Thursday, December 21, 2017

U.S. jobless claims increase more than expected

WASHINGTON, Dec 21 (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits increased more than expected last week, but the underlying trend remained consistent with a tightening labor market.

Toys "R" Us plans new playdate with U.S. shoppers

WALLKILL, NEW YORK (Reuters) - Joshua and Amy Hightower drive 40 minutes to a Toys "R" Us Inc store in a blue collar neighborhood in Wallkill, one of the farthest reaches of the New York City suburbs, so their children can try toys at an amusement area dubbed the "play lab."

Futures make little progress even as Congress passes tax bill

(Reuters) - A long-promised bill to slash corporate taxes passed the U.S. Congress but failed to excite Wall Street on Thursday, as investors appeared to lock in gains after a record rally this year in anticipation of the bill.

Swiss find serious shortcomings at JPMorgan in 1MDB case

ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss financial watchdog FINMA said on Thursday the Swiss subsidiary of U.S. bank JPMorgan had committed serious anti-money laundering breaches in relation to Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.

U.S. third quarter economic growth lowered to 3.2 percent

WASHINGTON, Dec 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. economy grew at its fastest pace in more than two years in the third quarter, powered by robust business spending, and is poised for what could be a modest lift next year from sweeping tax cuts passed by Congress this week.

Kobe Steel says senior executives knew about data tampering

TOKYO (Reuters) - Kobe Steel Ltd , at the centre of a data-falsification scandal that has shaken Japan's manufacturing industry, admitted for the first time that executives were aware of the cheating, and reassigned three senior officials.

U.S. tax curbs on debt deduction to sting buyout barons

(Reuters) - As corporate America celebrates one of the biggest-ever cuts to its tax bill, one corner of Wall Street is fretting over the impact the reforms will have on its ability to profitably invest in companies.

BNY Mellon freezes $22 billion in Kazakhstan assets: source

ALMATY (Reuters) - The Bank of New York Mellon has frozen $22 billion in assets held by Kazakhstan's National Fund over a lawsuit launched by Moldovan businessman Anatolie Stati and his companies against the Kazakh government, a source familiar with the case said on Thursday.

Apple wins big with U.S. tax bill but faces snag on foreign patents

(Reuters) - The U.S. Republican tax overhaul passed by Congress this week will allow Apple Inc to bring back its $252.3 billion foreign cash pile without a major tax hit - a long-standing company goal.

Japan Display says report it sought Apple, Huawei funds is 'speculative'

TOKYO (Reuters) - Cash-strapped smartphone screen maker Japan Display Inc dismissed a report on Thursday that it was seeking investment from Apple Inc and Huawei Technologies Co Ltd [HWT.UL] as "speculative" and declined to comment further.