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Novartis Slashes Jobs in Latest Industry Cutback

Switzerland's Novartis AG will slash 2.5 percent of its global workforce, aiming for annual savings of $1.6 billion in 2010, becoming the latest major drugmaker to undertake a deep restructuring. Novartis said on Thursday it would take a charge of $450 million in the fourth quarter for the measures, which aim to combat price pressures on drugs, higher research costs, tighter regulations and more generic competition.

FX Summary - Dec 12

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The major currency pairs moved sharply in early Wednesday trading following the announcement of a concerted central bank move, consisting of the Fed, BoE, ECB, SNB and BoC, to alleviate global liquidity concerns and inject much-needed cash into the credit-tight financial markets.
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Sensex, Nifty close at life-time highs

The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) benchmark 30-share sensitivity index, the Sensex crossed the psychological 20,000-mark for the second time on Tuesday, Dec. 11 and closed at a record high, riding on a flurry of buying by investors who were expecting a rate cut by the US Federal Reserve.
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Without writers, TV loads up on reality, reruns

U.S. television viewers looking to settle back into such favorite series as Desperate Housewives, CSI and The Office will be in for a rude awakening after the Christmas and New Year's holidays.
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U.N.'s Ban urges 2009 deadline for climate deal

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the world on Wednesday to agree to work out a new climate treaty by 2009 but said it might be too ambitious to set goals for greenhouse gas cuts in Bali.
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Dollar disappointed by small Fed cut

The dollar fell versus the euro on Wednesday after the previous day's quarter-point rate cut from the Federal Reserve disappointed investors hoping for more aggressive action to help the economy and credit markets.
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Modest Fed cut weighs on stocks, dollar

Asian and European stocks tracked Wall Street lower and the dollar slipped on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve's interest rate cut disappointed investors hoping for more aggressive action.
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Greenspan: subprime accident waiting to happen

The U.S. subprime mortgage crisis was an accident waiting to happen as a period of unprecedented global growth seduced investors into underpricing risk, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan argued in an article published by The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.
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Investors dump stocks after Fed's modest rate cut

U.S. stocks sank on Tuesday after the Federal Reserve trimmed interest rates rather than slashing them, letting down investors who fear the economy might slip into recession unless the central bank becomes more aggressive.
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Wells Fargo chief sees momentum for deals

Wells Fargo & Co Chairman Dick Kovacevich is not against the No. 5 U.S. bank making a major acquisition, but he said on Tuesday the prospect of that happening is unlikely even as large rivals become vulnerable due to shaky subprime lending.
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Yen Rises Against Dollar, Euro on Fed Cut

The Yen rose against the dollar and euro on Tuesday after the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point, less than some had expected.
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U.S. Stocks Slide as Fed Trims Rates

U.S. stocks dipped during Tuesday afternoon trading following the Federal Reserve's decision to cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter-point to 4.25 percent.
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Gold Up Ahead of Fed Interest Cut Announcement

Gold prices rose on Tuesday as investors anticipate a third cut in U.S. interest cuts for the year at the Federal Reserve's meeting taking place today which will likely send the dollar lower and boost appeal in precious metals.
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Ask.com Launches Search Privacy Tool

Ask.com, the search engine site, announced on Tuesday a new feature that allows users to completely erase their search queries in an attempt to increase personal privacy while surfing the Internet.
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H&R Block stock down after loss wider than expected

H&R Block Inc, slammed over the past year by exposure to risky mortgages, on Tuesday reported a bigger-than-expected quarterly loss after shutting down its Option One Mortgage subprime lender, sending its shares down nearly 7 percent.
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Sony says U.S. electronics unaffected by economy

Sony Corp's consumer electronics business in the U.S. market has not been affected by the shaky economy and is on track to hit a 5 percent operating margin for the year ending March 31, Chief Executive Howard Stringer said.
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Exile group says Iran still pursuing nuclear arms

An Iranian exile group accused Tehran on Tuesday of pursuing efforts to develop nuclear weapons, dismissing as incomplete a U.S. intelligence report that Iran's nuclear arms program was frozen in 2003.
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As Credit crisis Festers, Fed Set to Cut Rates

The U.S. Federal Reserve is widely expected to cut interest rates on Tuesday by at least a quarter-percentage point to fortify the economy against a credit crunch and housing slump that some economists fear could bring a recession. Economic signs show the economy has not gone into a precipitous slide. Deteriorating financial markets, however, led the Fed to say it saw risks rising.
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AT&T to buy core routers from Cisco

Top U.S. phone company AT&T Inc said on Monday it was buying core routers from Cisco Systems Inc to upgrade its Internet backbone network, a major win for Cisco amid competition from rival network equipment maker Juniper Networks Inc.
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China raises foreign investment cap to $30 billion

The ceiling on foreign investment in Chinese securities will be raised to $30 billion from $10 billion, Beijing's foreign exchange regulator said on Sunday ahead of cabinet-level talks with the United States.

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