US Daily View

BP's systemic failures

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 23:00:09 GMT

Ed Crooks, US industry and energy editor, discusses the US inquiry into the Macondo oil rig disaster and what it means for BP, Halliburton and Transocean

Fed loan details show aid to European banks

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 22:36:23 GMT

Gillian Tett, the FT’s US managing editor, and Francesco Guerrera, the FT's US Business Editor, discuss the recently released details of the $3,300bn emergency lending programme carried out by the Federal Reserve during the financial crisis.

AT&T profits jump in 3Q

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 22:11:06 GMT

Increasing demand for Apple’s iPhone fuelled record sales of the popular device at AT&T in the third quarter, helping the telecommunications company nearly quadruple its profits from a year ago.

Wells says practices are sound

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 21:08:36 GMT

Wells Fargo reassured investors that its foreclosure procedures were correct and said it had no plans to suspend them as questions mount over how banks reclaim homes

BofA and Goldman 3Q results

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 19:56:04 GMT

The effort to shore up confidence in response to the US banking industry’s latest crises, involving foreclosure practices nearly overshadowed a set of quarterly results that beat Wall Street expectations

Good news from Citigroup

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 20:31:57 GMT

Citigroup sought to allay investors’ fears over the US mortgage crisis, saying it had not uncovered any irregularities in its foreclosure process and downplaying the potential cost of buying back home loans from government entities.

Murdoch's campaign donations

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 19:14:58 GMT

Rupert Murdoch has fired a shot across the bows of Barack Obama and the Democratic party, saying that News Corp made two $1m donations ahead of next month’s midterm elections in the hope of encouraging change in Washington.

The global light bulb switch

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 21:05:56 GMT

General Electric, the company that was a pioneer of the electric light bulb, has warned that the industry is facing “dramatic change” that threatens the position of long-established market leaders as energy efficiency standards drive the adoption of new technologies

US foreclosure crisis deepens

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 23:11:11 GMT

The US mortgage foreclosure crisis deepened as it emerged that Wells Fargo may have used practices that prompted rivals to halt home repossessions, and JPMorgan Chase said banks might be fined over the issue.

Pfizer to buy King Pharmaceuticals

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 19:10:23 GMT

Pfizer, the world’s largest drug company by revenues, has agreed to buy King Pharmaceuticals, a maker of prescription pain treatments, for $3.6bn in cash as it seeks to diversify its portfolio before it loses patent protection on key drugs.

Microsoft's Windows Phone 7

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 20:17:53 GMT

Microsoft has sought to turn its back on more than decade of faltering performance in the mobile software business, betting heavily that it can use a new focus on design and marketing to recoup lost ground from Apple and Google.

US non-farm payrolls

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 18:31:30 GMT

The US suffered another month of mediocre job growth in September, adding to the pain of Democrats as they campaign for mid-term elections to Congress and increasing the chances that the Federal Reserve will restart quantitative easing

PepsiCo warns about future earnings

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 19:43:51 GMT

PepsiCo warned investors that it was cutting the upper end of its earnings forecast for the year. The company attributed the change to its decision to fund further investments in its long-term growth plan.

GE expands its energy business

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 20:18:15 GMT

General Electric has continued its drive to expand its energy business, agreeing to buy Dresser, a Texas-based maker of gas engines, for $3bn. The deal is the latest in a series of acquisitions in the sector by the US conglomerate whose energy business generated $30.2bn of revenues in 2009.

US retailers get ready for holidays

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 04:06:58 GMT

The National Retail Federation, the largest US retail industry group, has said it expects to see a 2.3 per cent increase in holiday sales this year, with retailers battling to lure shoppers still sharply focused on stretching their dollars

Cloud of uncertainty hangs over AIG

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 20:41:01 GMT

AIG's exit plan has been received enthusiastically, but the question that remains is when the insurer will be able to act like a normal company again, says Francesco Guerrera

AIG discusses Treasury exit plan

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 19:20:39 GMT

AIG is in discussions with the US Treasury Department about restructuring plan that would increase the government's stake in the insurer to about 90 per cent as a step toward an eventual exit.

Southwest buys AirTran

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 19:45:42 GMT

Southwest Airlines has agreed to buy rival AirTran in a deal that values the Florida-based low-cost airline at $3.4bn. The move by Southwest is the first example of consolidation between two large US low-cost airlines and marks a departure from the Dallas-based airline’s usual strategy of organic growth.

Jeff Zucker to leave NBC Universal

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 20:15:55 GMT

Jeff Zucker will make an earlier than expected exit from NBC Universal, stepping down after three turbulent years as chief executive once Comcast completes its $40bn takeover of the broadcaster, cable channel operator and film studio owner

Internet-delivered video

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 22:36:41 GMT

The new options for “over-the-top” internet-delivered video represent a sufficiently heightened risk to traditional pay-TV platforms for Credit Suisse to have downgraded the US entertainment industry last week.

Fed's QE2

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 20:19:01 GMT

The Fed’s move towards more quantitative easing, conveyed in its policy statement issued on Tuesday, follows Japanese intervention to weaken the yen and Swiss National Bank actions aimed at its currency.

Fed hints on buying more bonds

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 20:06:20 GMT

The Federal Reserve took no action at its September meeting but sent a signal that it may soon restart large purchases of Treasury bonds by changing its policy statement

Warren to set up the Consumer Bureau

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 20:53:28 GMT

Barack Obama appointed Elizabeth Warren, a Harvard law professor, to set up its Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in a move that will delight the Democratic base and cause ructions in the Senate

FedEx results disappoint investors

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 22:07:33 GMT

Dan McCrum discusses how FedEx's quarterly results upset investors after the package shipping company failed to match their loftier expectations

Wall Street sigh of relief over Basel

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 18:59:16 GMT

Two years after the Lehman crash, the FT's John Gapper and Francesco Guerrera discuss if new capital requirements under Basel III will change business on Wall Street for US banks.

Lehman's wind down

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 20:28:16 GMT

Telis Demos, US reporter, on the escalating costs of dismantling Lehman Brothers' global operations

Tablets cannibalise laptop market

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 20:13:48 GMT

Dan McCrum, US Lex columnist, discusses how Apple's iPad and similar tablet computers are eating into laptop sales and changing the dynamics of the PC market

Fighting Wall Street fraud

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 22:33:57 GMT

Jean Eaglesham, New York regulatory correspondent, discusses the US attorney's move to add civil enforcement actions to complement criminal prosecutions

US labour outlook

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:40:10 GMT

Alan Rappeport discusses the August unemployment report and its economic and political implications for the Obama administration

Burger King flips again

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:20:14 GMT

Dan McCrum, US Lex columnist, discusses Burger King's deal to be taken private for the second time in its history, this time by 3G Capital, a little-known US investment group backed by Brazilian entrepreneurs

Fuld fights back

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:52:01 GMT

Francesco Guerrera discusses the former Lehman chief's feisty performance in front of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission

Beck launches conservative news site

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:03:51 GMT

Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, media editor, discusses the launch of Glenn Beck's website and where it fits in the conservative news landscape

CEO pay exposure

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:50:42 GMT

Jean Eaglesham discusses the challenges US companies face in complying with new pay disclosure rules under the Dodd-Frank financial reforms

Flagging fortunes

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:49:35 GMT

Alan Rappeport discusses Fed chairman Ben Bernanke's speech in Jackson Hole and the Fed's unconventional stimulus measures for the flagging US economy

The SEC's internal revolution

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:22:57 GMT

Jean Eaglesham discusses the overhaul at the Securities and Exchange Commission and the wide-ranging implications for both Wall Street and US businesses

Crunch time for Apple's 99 cents TV

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:16:26 GMT

iPad and iPhone maker Apple is close to securing deals with News Corp's Fox and Disney's ABC networks to sell digital television content for less than $1

US housing data stoke double-dip fears

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:27:00 GMT

Figures compound belief that US recovery is losing momentum

HP's counterbid for 3Par

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 21:42:40 GMT

Competition between the two PC makers remains intense as both move further beyond their traditional strengths

Intel adds McAfee to cyber war cabinet

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 21:44:33 GMT

Intel, the world's largest manufacturer of computer chips, has laid out plans to acquire McAfee, the US security software company, in a bid to boost its war-chest in the fight against cybercrime.

Basel banking reforms

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 20:56:34 GMT

Brooke Masters, the FT's chief regulation correspondent, talks to Shannon Bond about the practical impact of new rules proposed by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and where the process goes from here

Potash plays hard to get

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 20:39:34 GMT

BHP Billiton has offered $39bn for PotashCorp, the world's biggest fertiliser company. Spencer Jakab analyses the mining sector's biggest bid since BHP's aborted Rio Tinto takeover.

Hulu explores potential IPO

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 15:26:12 GMT

Hulu, the US online provider of television programmes, is preparing to file for an initial public offering, valuing the video company at around $2bn.

Blackstone eyes Dynegy for $4.7bn

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 18:48:57 GMT

The private equity group has said it plans to buy the independent power producer, taking a bet that gas prices will soon rise.

US markets stuck in negative territory

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 18:19:02 GMT

Disappointing unemployment data and company results keep the US markets depressed.

Fortress takes American General at auction

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 16:16:46 GMT

Fortress Investment Group has bought American General, AIG's consumer finance unit, on the bet that upcoming regulation on bank lending will clear the way for new operators. Henny Sender, the FT's International Financial Correspondent, discusses Fortress's counterintuitive approach.

Skype files for IPO

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 19:52:47 GMT

Skype has filed for an IPO just nine months after a group of investors bought it from Ebay. The company says it plans to raise up to $100m, but the final figure could be much higher.

Mounting US job losses paint grim picture

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 19:41:45 GMT

Stacy-Marie Ishmael and Alan Rappeport discuss the reaction to the official US employment figures released today and what they mean for the wider economy.

BlackBerry's privacy conundrum

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:09:00 GMT

Paul Taylor, the FT's US Telecommunications Editor, explains why RIM, the makers of the BlackBerry mobile device, finds itself stuck between a rock and a hard place with the United Arab Emirates' demand for access to encrypted email data carried on its networks.

P&G sets sights on 6bn customers

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 16:20:52 GMT

Procter & Gamble, the world’s largest consumer goods company, said on Tuesday it expected to see organic sales growth of 3 to 5 per cent in its new fiscal year, as it continues a drive to reach 1bn new consumers over the next five years

Bernanke warns on state and local budgets

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 17:18:02 GMT

James Politi, US economics and trade correspondent, talks to Alan Rappeport about the Federal Reserve chairman's speech on the pace of US recovery