Newsletter BOX: Before the Bell: Stock futures dip modestly after six-day rally, Obama speech

09/11/2013

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

Stock futures dip modestly after six-day rally, Obama speech

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock futures edged lower on Wednesday, as the S&P 500 appeared set to pause after six straight days of gains, after President Barack Obama pledged to explore Russia's diplomatic plan to remove chemical weapons from Syria.

Apple opts for profit over market share with not-so-cheap iPhone

(Reuters) - The higher-than-expected price of Apple Inc's new cheaper iPhone eased worries about gross margins, while arousing concerns the company was not being aggressive enough in its fight against Google Inc's market-dominating Android operating system.

EADS seeks disposals more than buys in defense, space review

LONDON (Reuters) - European aerospace group EADS will focus more on selling assets to simplify its business than on acquisitions as it reviews its defense and space activities, the sales chief of its Cassidian defense unit said.

Vodafone still short of acceptances as Kabel deadline looms

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Vodafone has secured close to 20 percent of shares in Kabel Deutschland, meaning it needs another 55 percent to be tendered on Wednesday for its 7.7 billion-euro ($10.2 billion) offer for Germany's largest cable company to succeed.

China Premier Li says economy stable, to push ahead with reform

DALIAN, China (Reuters) - Chinese Premier Li Keqiang pledged on Wednesday to push ahead with reforms, with financial system change at the center of his agenda, noting that the world's second-largest economy was stable but there was a need to guard against risks.

VW moving forward with Southeast Asia car plant plans

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Volkswagen is moving forward with plans to set up production in fast-growing Southeast Asian markets as the German carmaker expands its overseas footprint to boost its global ambitions.

AstraZeneca pays $50 million for rights to Merck cancer drug

(Reuters) - Merck & Co Inc has licensed its experimental cancer drug to AstraZeneca Plc for a $50 million upfront fee in a deal that shows Britain's second-biggest drugmaker continuing to rebuild its pipeline.

Rolls-Royce mulls building its first SUV: CEO

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Rolls-Royce , the maker of the 345,550-euro ($458,400) ultra-luxury Phantom saloon, is considering building its first sport-utility vehicle.

Standard Chartered appoints MENA CEO as head of Islamic arm

DUBAI (Reuters) - Standard Chartered Plc appointed its Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan Chief Executive, Christos Papadopoulos, to head its Islamic banking arm, the emerging markets-focused lender said on Wednesday.

BlackBerry lays off dozens of U.S. sales staff: WSJ

(Reuters) - Struggling smartphone maker BlackBerry Ltd cut several dozen jobs from its U.S. sales team on Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.