Newsletter BOX: Before the Bell: Jobless claims data points to pickup in job gains in August

08/29/2013

Reuters Election 2012 Daily round-up of the day's top news from the campaign trail, the White House and all the politics in between

Jobless claims data points to pickup in job gains in August

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell as expected last week, suggesting a strengthening in job gains in August after a slight pullback the prior month.

U.S. GDP accelerates sharply in second quarter

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economy accelerated more quickly than expected in the second quarter thanks to a surge in exports, bolstering the case for the Federal Reserve to wind down a major economic stimulus program.

Futures tick higher as Syria reassessed, caution lingers

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures edged up on Thursday on growing signs a timeline for launching a Western military strike on Syria could be delayed, though caution lingered across markets.

Vodafone in talks with Verizon to sell out of U.S. venture

LONDON (Reuters) - Vodafone Group PLC said it was in talks with Verizon Communications Inc to sell its prized stake in Verizon Wireless, the number one U.S. mobile carrier, in what would be the third-biggest deal of all time.

U.S. foreclosures fall in July from year ago: CoreLogic

NEW YORK (Reuters) - There were fewer U.S. foreclosures in July than a year ago, while properties in the foreclosure pipeline also fell as the housing market continued to improve, according to data from CoreLogic released on Thursday.

Zurich chairman Ackermann resigns over CFO suicide

ZURICH (Reuters) - Josef Ackermann, the former Deutsche Bank boss , resigned on Thursday as chairman of Zurich Insurance over the apparent suicide of the Swiss insurer's chief financial officer.

Euro zone, IMF to press Greece for foreign agency to sell assets

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Greece's international lenders will press Athens next month to transfer state-owned real estate to a holding company managed by the euro zone to spur flagging privatization efforts, officials said on Thursday.

Exclusive: India might buy gold from citizens to ease rupee crisis

MUMBAI (Reuters) - India is considering a radical plan to direct commercial banks to buy gold from ordinary citizens and divert it to precious metal refiners in an attempt to curb imports and take some heat off the plunging currency.

India finance minister asks banks to ensure credit flow to industry

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Thursday asked state-run banks to ensure flow of credit to every sector of industry, indicating the need for funding projects amid an economic slowdown.

EU's Rehn sees European recovery strengthening in 2014

ALPBACH, Austria (Reuters) - The fragile European economic recovery seen in the second quarter should continue into next year and become more solid, the European Commission's top economics official told Reuters on Thursday.