Thursday, April 5, 2007

Fujifilm to enter commercial inkjet printer market

(Reuters) - Fujifilm will buy the printers on an original equipment manufacturing basis from a unit of Mutoh Holdings and Dutch maker Oce NV and market them together with ink from the U.K.-based ink maker Sericol Group Ltd. that it acquired in 2005.

Fujifilm has been investing in new areas such as liquid crystal display-use film, healthcare and office equipment to offset shrinking demand for photographic film.


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Pet food recall expands, some dog biscuits pulled

(Reuters) - Canada-based Menu Foods said its previously announced recall now extended to certain "cuts-and-gravy" style wet pet food manufactured from to November 8 to March 6. The earliest production date had been December 3.

Menu Foods also recalled an additional 20 varieties sold in the United States and Canada, and seven sold in Europe.


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Adidas to consolidate US operations

(Reuters) - The affected employees belong to the company's apparel distribution facilities in Memphis and Hebron, and at footwear distribution facilities in Stoughton and Norwood, the company said in a statement.

Adidas employees currently in Spartanburg will move to the new site a few miles away, it said.


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TREASURIES-Fears over huge US job growth push bonds lower

(Reuters) - NEW YORK, April 5 - U.S. Treasury debt prices sank on Thursday, pushing benchmark yields to fresh six-week highs on worries that huge payrolls growth in March would reduce the chance of an imminent interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve.

Recent data, including a bigger-than-expected jump in jobless claims last week, have suggested that company hirings may be decreasing due to the fallout from the struggling housing and manufacturing sectors. This economic view would boost the case for the Fed to trim rates, which could trigger a rise in bond prices.


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Traders see U.S. March payrolls up 127,000 in auction

(Reuters) - The U.S. Labor Department will issue the March non-farm payroll report on Friday at 8:30 a.m. .

Investors use the auctions to hedge against surprises in the report and traders also use the auctions to speculate on the outcome.


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UPDATE 1-Peru smelter workers call off strike

(Reuters) - Workers at the La Oroya smelter, run by the Peruvian unit of the Missouri-based Doe Run Company, downed their tools on Monday because they were dissatisfied with how the company redistributed a share of profits to employees -- something mining firms must do under Peruvian law.

"We've decided to lift the strike, to go back to work," said union leader Anibal Carhuapoma by telephone.


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Longs Drug Stores says March same-store sales rise

(Reuters) - Same-store pharmacy sales rose 3.8 percent. Same-store sales of general, or "front-end" merchandise, rose 1.9 percent.




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Heart experts say new Merck arthritis risky

(Reuters) - Nissen and Furberg said in interviews they were concerned that patients taking Arcoxia in a large international trial had a higher incidence of edema, elevated blood pressure and congestive heart failure than patients taking the standard treatment diclofenac.

"All versions of Arcoxia should be taken off the market now," said Furberg, who along with Nissen had been outspoken critics of Merck's older arthritis drug Vioxx before it was withdrawn in September 2004 after being linked to heart attacks and strokes in long-term users.


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UPDATE 1-Delia's forecasts wider Q1 loss; shares fall

(Reuters) - The youth apparel company said it will incur one-time expenses of about $1.4 million during the first quarter.

"...if it were not for the one-time items and the calendar timing difference, our loss per share in the first quarter should be less than last year's," Chief Financial Officer Stephen Feldman said in a conference call.


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TREASURIES-Bonds slip on fears over upward US job surprise

(Reuters) - NEW YORK, April 5 - U.S. Treasury debt prices fell on Thursday, as benchmark yields rose to fresh six-week highs on concerns over an upward surprise in job figures for March due on Friday.

Stronger-than-expected non-farm payroll growth could pare chances for a Federal Reserve interest rate cut soon to counter the fallout from the subprime mortgage crisis, analysts said.


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Inverness confirms proposal to buy Biosite for $90/shr in cash

(Reuters) - In a statement, Inverness said it expects the proposed deal would immediately add to its cash-based earnings per share. immediately.




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UPDATE 2-Kerkorian offers $4.5 billion to buy Chrysler

(Reuters) - DETROIT, April 5 - Tracinda Corp., the investment vehicle owned by billionaire Kirk Kerkorian, on Thursday offered to pay $4.5 billion to buy DaimlerChrysler's struggling Chrysler unit.

The move would return Kerkorian, 89, to some very familiar territory, as he was Chrysler's largest individual shareholder before it was sold to Germany's Daimler-Benz for almost $40 billion in stock in 1998.


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Barclays CEO, Dutch central bank chief discuss ABN

(Reuters) - By Harro ten Wolde

AMSTERDAM, April 5 - Dutch central bank governor Nout Wellink said on Thursday that he spoke several times with Barclays Chief Executive John Varley on the British bank's merger talks with Dutch bank ABN AMRO .


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UPDATE 2-Havas 2006 profits fall, eyes higher '07 margin

(Reuters) - PARIS, April 5 - Havas , the world's sixth-largest advertising group, posted lower profits for 2006 on Thursday, hit by the cost of hiring new staff and modest revenue growth, but predicted profitability would improve this year.

Chief Executive Fernando Rodes said Havas targeted first-quarter underlying revenue growth of 2.8 to 2.9 percent and would lift its 2007 operating margin to above 10 percent from 9.5 percent last year.


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Qualcomm seeks arbitration to resolve license dispute with Nokia

(Reuters) - Nokia's claim that it has been paying cumulative royalties of no more than 3 percent on WCDMA products sold through 2007 is "intentionally deceptive and misleading", the company said, adding Nokia has been paying a royalty on WCDMA handsets in excess of 3 percent to Qualcomm alone.




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KKR confirms dropped out of Sainsbury bidding

(Reuters) - The Times newspaper's Web site reported Sainsbury, Britain's third largest supermarket group, was reviewing a takeover bid by the remaining trio of private equity firms led by CVC Capital of around 9.5 billion pounds .

Sainsbury had no plans to issue a statement on Thursday, a person familiar with the matter said. Sainsbury's spokeswoman and the private equity consortium declined to comment.


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Edge Petroleum eyes big 2007 revenue growth

(Reuters) - "We believe we can build a $2 billion to $3 billion market capitalization company based on this strategy over the next two to three years," Long said in his presentation to analysts.

Asked about the 2007 financial outlook, Long told Reuters: "There will be substantial revenue growth in 2007 over 2006."


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UPDATE 1-Finning plans two-for-one share split

(Reuters) - Finning, which has operations in Canada, Britain and South America, said it will seek investor approval for the move at its annual shareholder meeting, scheduled for May 9. It added that if it's approved, it will be the fifth two-for-one stock split in the company's history.

"The decision to recommend a stock split reflects the profitable growth that Finning has experienced as well as the bright outlook for the future," Chief Executive Doug Whitehead said in a statement.


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UPDATE 2-Ford CEO Mulally gets $28.18 mln '06 compensation

(Reuters) - DETROIT, April 5 - Ford Motor Co. , which posted a loss of $12.7 billion last year, said on Thursday that Chief Executive Alan Mulally received $28.18 million in compensation in 2006, including an $18.5 million bonus.

Mulally, a former Boeing Co. executive, replaced Ford family scion Bill Ford Jr. as chief executive last September.


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WRAPUP 1-US jobless claims mount but labor market still fit

(Reuters) - Initial filings for state unemployment insurance aid for the week ended March 31 increased to a seasonally adjusted 321,000 from an upwardly revised 310,000 the prior week, the Labor Department said.

Reaction from the foreign exchange, stock and bond markets was muted and analysts said the release did not challenge views that the labor market was still in good shape, notwithstanding weakness among U.S. manufacturers and in housing.


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UPDATE 4-AT&T open to Italian partners in torn T.Italia

(Reuters) - MILAN, April 5 - AT&T is open to Italian partners in Telecom Italia , where it is discussing a stake in the controlling shareholder, the U.S. phone giant's corporate development head told a newspaper.

"We are absolutely ready to take into consideration the interests of Italian industrial and financial partners," Rick Moore, managing director for corporate development at AT&T, told Corriere della Sera newspaper in an interview published on Thursday.


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Volatility a key driver of quality assets -Merrill

(Reuters) - In a note to clients, Merrill Lynch's chief U.S. strategist, Richard Bernstein, said higher-quality stocks and bonds, typically those of larger-capitalization companies, will outperform lower-quality equities, or those of small-cap firms, because they've typically outperformed as the Wall Street's fear gauge, the VIX, has risen.

"We continue to believe that volatility will be a more significant driver of quality performance than will be the slope of the curve," Bernstein said.


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U.S. manufacturing group sees GDP growth slowing

(Reuters) - "Most indications point to a soft landing for the global economy," said Cliff Waldman, an economist at the Arlington, Virginia-based group. "The U.S. economy is far more uncertain."

He noted that capital spending by U.S. corporations had slowed through last year.


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Rockwell Automation says CFO resigns

(Reuters) - J.P. Morgan analyst Stephen Tusa downgraded Rockwell to "neutral" from "overweight."

"A lack of detail is troubling," Tusa wrote in a note to clients. "There is little information about the specific reasons for the change, and raises questions about the strategic direction of the company."


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CPSC says Gemmy recalls Easter baskets due to choking hazard

(Reuters) - Gemmy makes seasonal decor and animated gift items. The recalled product is a pink and purple plush Easter basket, decorated with silver beads and ribbons. "Disney Princesses" is written on top of the basket, the statement said.




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Goodyear outlook now positive, was stable-Fitch

(Reuters) - A positive outlook means that Fitch is likely to upgrade Goodyear's ratings in the next one to two years.

"An eventual upgrade of ratings would be dependent on the amount of debt paid down, improvement in demand for replacement tires in North America, and ability to realize anticipated improvements in its cost structure," Fitch said in a release.


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UPDATE 2-Barclays CEO, Dutch central bank chief talk about ABN

(Reuters) - By Harro ten Wolde

AMSTERDAM, April 5 - Dutch central bank governor Nout Wellink said on Thursday that he spoke several times with Barclays Chief Executive John Varley on the British bank's merger talks with Dutch bank ABN AMRO .


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

CVC group tables bid for Sainsbury -Times

(Reuters) - LONDON, April 5 - A group of private equity firms led by CVC Capital has tabled an indicative offer of about 9.5 billion pounds for UK supermarket chain J. Sainsbury , the online edition of the Times newspaper reported on Thursday.

The Web site headline "CVC tables preliminary offer for J. Sainsbury" intially linked to a story saying that the bid was expected to be filed today with the headline "J. Sainsbury bid closer as KKR pulls out".


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Brazil March car sales up but flex-fuel share dips

(Reuters) - Production rose 21.1 percent to 246,500 units in March from February and 7.4 percent from a year earlier.

Exports, including agricultural machinery, were $1.05 billion in March, a rise of 12.8 percent from February and 2.4 percent from March 2006.


Read more at Reuters.com Economic News

CVC group tables bid for Sainsbury: paper

(Reuters) - It later updated the story to say the private equity group had approached Sainsbury with an indicative offer, but did not say how much it had offered for each Sainsbury share.

A spokesman for the consortium declined to comment.


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Alliance shareholders OK CanWest, Goldman offer

(Reuters) - "That was squeaker," joked Michael MacMillan, executive chairman of Alliance Atlantis.




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ABN AMRO closes Pakistan bank acquisition

(Reuters) - On March 5, ABN announced that it would buy Prime Bank for 13.8 billion Pakistan rupees .




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Canadian dollar hits 3-1/2 month high on data

(Reuters) - The strong data prompted increased speculation that the Bank of Canada's next rate move will be an increase.




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Cutera cuts first-quarter profit view; shares sink

(Reuters) - April 5 - Shares of Cutera Inc. lost about a third of their value Thursday, after the company lowered its first-quarter profit view, hurt by lower-than-expected productivity levels of its recent sales expansion.

Shares of the company were trading down $12.17 at $26.22 in morning trade on the Nasdaq. The shares had fallen to as low as $26.00 in early trade.


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US STOCKS-Wall St dips at open before holiday, data

(Reuters) - The Dow Jones industrial average was down 18.12 points, or 0.14 percent, at 12,514.20. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 1.23 points, or 0.09 percent, at 1,438.14. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 1.04 points, or 0.04 percent, at 2,457.65.




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Beckman affirms commitment to acquire Biosite

(Reuters) - In response to a competing offer from Inverness Medical Innovations Inc. for Biosite, Beckman Coulter President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Garrett said his company could complete the deal in 30 days.

He also called Beckman's offer "superior to the unsolicited, highly speculative and conditional letter that Biosite has received from Inverness Medical."


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Nickel hits $50,000 on stocks, demand

(Reuters) - The metal , mined by Xstrata CVRD and Norilsk , is one of the strongest performers in the commodity markets.

It has gained almost 50 percent since the start of 2007 and is more than twice as expensive as it was this time a year ago. In that period, stocks in LME-monitored warehouses have fallen to below 5,000 tonnes from almost 30,000.


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Traders see US March payrolls up 121,600 in auction

(Reuters) - The U.S. Labor Department will issue the March non-farm payroll report on Friday at 8:30 a.m. .

Investors use the auctions to hedge against surprises in the report, and traders also use the auctions to speculate on the outcome.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

A. Schulman second-quarter profit falls

(Reuters) - Sales in the quarter rose to $412.8 million from $371.2 million last year.




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Webster Financial to close remaining PMC ops; take charge in Q1

(Reuters) - In addition, the company will record other severance-related charges of $2.2 million from an ongoing restructuring in its insurance operations and other lines of business, Webster Financial said in a statement.




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Germany's Software AG to buy webMethods for $546 mln

(Reuters) - Software AG said in a statement the acquisition will strengthen its position in the service-oriented architecture and business process management market. "Combining our product portfolio and sales team with those of webMethods', gives us a major foothold in the critical North American market," said Karl-Heinz Streibich, chief executive officer of Software AG.

Software AG expects the deal, which is expected to close during the second quarter of 2007, to add strongly to its operating earnings from 2008 onwards.


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UPDATE 1-Constellation Brands 4th-qtr profit rises

(Reuters) - The owner of Robert Mondavi, Vendage and Ravenswood wines posted net income of $70.2 million, or 29 cents per Class A share, for the fiscal fourth quarter ended Feb. 28, compared with $58.2 million, or 24 cents per share, in the year-earlier period.

Constellation reported profit of 27 cents per Class B share.


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Constellation Brands profit rises

(Reuters) - Constellation reported profit of 27 cents per Class B share.




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UPDATE 2-AT&T open to Italian partners in torn Telecom

(Reuters) - MILAN, April 5 - AT&T says it is open to Italian partners in Telecom Italia as it aims to buy a controlling interest in Italy's biggest telecoms operator, where investors are at loggerheads over the sacking of its chairman.

The head of corporate development for AT&T -- which is in talks along with Mexico's America Movil about buying Telecom's holding company -- told a newspaper he could only comment further when proposals arrived.


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Dollar rangebound before payrolls, BoE grabs limelight

(Reuters) - Sterling players were sidelined ahead of a Bank of England rate decision. Speculation over the BoE's verdict at 1100 GMT has helped sterling firm this week as a sizeable minority bet on a rate hike from the current 5.25 percent.

The dollar, in contrast, came under pressure on Wednesday after data showed growth in the U.S. service sector slowed to a four-year low in March, reinforcing the view that U.S. interest rates could be cut later this year.


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MOVES-Credit Suisse, Pension Insurance Corp hires

(Reuters) - CREDIT SUISSE Credit Suisse has hired six investment professionals in Asia Pacific from Ritchie Capital Management LLC, a once high-flying hedge fund manager that fell on hard times.

The team will be headed by Harjit Bhatia, who joins as managing partner and head of Credit Suisse Private Equity Asia. He was most recently chairman and chief executive officer, Asia Pacific of Ritchie Capital Management Ltd.


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Dress Barn March same-store sales rise 12 percent

(Reuters) - April 5 - Women's clothing retailer Dress Barn Inc. on Thursday said sales at stores open at least a year rose 12 percent in March.

For the five-weeks ended March 31, the company said net sales rose 16 percent to $145.4 million. This compares with net sales of $125.3 million reported for the five weeks ended April 1, 2006.


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Take-Two says it is under U.S. SEC investigation

(Reuters) - Investors owning 46 percent of Take-Two, home to the blockbuster "Grand Theft Auto" game series, replaced the company's board and ousted its chief executive at its annual meeting last month.




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ECI Telecom, Koor to post gains from Veraz IPO

(Reuters) - TEL AVIV, April 5 - Israeli telecom equipment maker ECI Telecom Ltd. said on Thursday it expects to post a capital gain of $35 million to $48 million from the initial public offering of Veraz Networks .

The final amounts will be determined based on the possible exercise of the over-allotment option by the underwriters, as well as finalisation of certain tax estimates. The gains will be recorded in the first, second and third quarters of 2007.


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KKR withdraws from group eyeing Sainsbury -sources

(Reuters) - The consortium and KKR declined to comment.




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