Starbucks to open first outlet in Vietnam in early February

(Reuters) – Starbucks Corp said it will set up its first outlet in Vietnam early next month as the U.S. chain continues to expand in fast-growing Asian markets.Starbucks said it will partner with Hong Kong‘s Maxim’s Group to open its first store in Ho Chi Minh City and reiterated that Asia continues to be a significant growth driver for the company.“Vietnam is one of the most dynamic and exciting...

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Stock index futures surge on fiscal deal

PARIS (Reuters) – Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Wednesday after lawmakers passed a bill preventing huge tax hikes and spending cuts that had threatened to push the economy into recession.Futures for the S&P 500 were up 1.7 percent, Dow Jones futures were up 1.2 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 1.3 percent at 1103 GMT.The House of Representatives voted for a bill...

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US Senate approves key tax deal

1 January 2013 Last updated at 05:47 ETPlease turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. President Obama said a larger deal could be accomplished “in several steps”The US Senate has approved a deal to avert general tax hikes and spending cuts known as the “fiscal cliff”.The bill, which raises taxes for the wealthy, came after lengthy talks between Vice-President Joe Biden and Senate Republicans.The...

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US ‘fiscal cliff’ talks go to wire

31 December 2012 Last updated at 03:27 ETUS Congressional leaders have one more day to stop steep tax rises and spending cuts, known as the “fiscal cliff”, after talks ended with no deal.Senators will continue to seek a compromise deal on Monday to send to the House of Representatives.Failure to reach agreement by 1 January could push the US back into recession.President Barack Obama has blamed Republicans...

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Most ‘spent less on Christmas’

30 December 2012 Last updated at 02:16 ETA majority of consumers spent less on their Christmas shopping this year than they did in 2011, according to a survey by the consumers’ association Which?Nearly half used credit cards, overdrafts and other borrowing to help fund their purchases, the survey of 2,100 people across the UK suggests.Nine out of 10 agreed that they felt under pressure to spend too...

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Obama ‘optimistic’ on cliff deal

28 December 2012 Last updated at 19:11 ETPlease turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. US President Barack Obama: “An agreement is being discussed as we speak”US President Barack Obama says he is “modestly optimistic” that a deal to avoid the “fiscal cliff” is possible, after a last-ditch White House meeting.Mr Obama said Senate leaders were working to craft a bill that could win approval...

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How Often Do We Use Guns in Self-Defense?

“The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”If you had to sum up the National Rifle Association’s response to the Newtown (Conn.) school massacre, and to any proposal for tougher gun-control laws, that one sentence from the NRA’s Dec. 21 press conference pretty much does the trick.The gun owners’ lobby opposes restrictions on civilian acquisition and possession of firearms...

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America, Please End the Small-Minded Policy Blather

The United States is a country that likes to be taken seriously. It’s also a country that just spent upwards of an entire year and $ 5 billion on elections that achieved approximately nothing. While the politics industry was consumed by urgent, domestic concerns—can you believe that Mitt Romney wants an elevator for his cars?—one or two things were happening overseas. You know, meltdown in Europe....

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China consumers driving economic rebound: survey

BEIJING (Reuters) – China‘s consumers are leading an uneven recovery in the world’s second biggest economy that has retailers expecting stronger sales in six months, early results of a national survey showed on Wednesday.The China Beige Book survey of more than 2,000 executives revealed that the retail sector had the strongest revenue growth and business expectations in the fourth quarter of 2012.The...

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The Web v. Your Financial Planner

My wife and I had been putting off getting a financial planner for at least a year. This was in keeping with our—OK, my—habit of delaying efforts on things that had a Limited Immediate Payoff and were generally considered Good for One’s Future. But after a second child and new jobs for both of us, it seemed time for someone to help us figure out what to do with our money.I once worked at a personal-finance...

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How Not to Stash $7 Million in Gold

Walter Samaszko Jr. was not a guy who wanted company. He covered the windows of his house in Carson City, Nev., with cardboard so the neighbors couldn’t see inside. He made the postman stick the mail through the slot in his garage rather than coming to the front door. He was so good at keeping people away that when he died of heart failure at age 69 in June, nobody noticed until his house began to...

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Signs suggest better economy if ‘cliff’ is averted

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fresh signs of a strengthening U.S. economy on Friday suggested that if Congress and the White House can avert the “fiscal cliff,” the economic recovery might finally accelerate in 2013.Consumers spent and earned more in November. And for a second straight month, U.S. companies increased their orders for a category of manufactured goods that reflects investment plans.In light of...

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Hurting Spaniards pin hopes on Christmas lottery

MADRID (AP) — After another brutal year of economic hardship, Spaniards across the country are hoping for relief when the country’s famed Christmas lottery — the world’s richest — pays out €2.5 billion ($ 3.3 billion) in tax-free awards on Saturday.Almost everyone in the country of 46 million people will be glued to live TV to watch school children sing out the winning numbers for the lottery that...

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Call for tougher banking reforms

21 December 2012 Last updated at 05:29 ETGovernment plans to ring-fence the banks – trying to protect retail banking from the riskier investment side – “fall well short of what is required”, a report has warned.The Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards wants the government to “electrify” the fence so banks cannot make holes in it.The government’s bank reforms will go before Parliament early...

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UK retail sales flat in November

20 December 2012 Last updated at 06:06 ETUK retail sales failed to grow in November, adding to fears that consumers are reining in spending ahead of Christmas.Sales volumes were flat in November compared with October, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.They had been expected to bounce back after October’s shock 0.8% fall.The one bright spot was in household goods stores, where sales rose...

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Stock index futures trade flat to higher

LONDON (Reuters) – Stock index futures pointed to a flat-to-higher open on Wall Street on Wednesday, consolidating gains after the S&P 500′s best two-day run in a month.* Futures for the S&P 500 were unchanged, while Dow Jones and Nasdaq 100 contracts rose 0.2 percent and 0.3 percent, respectively, at 0924 GMT.* Japan’s Nikkei <.n225> jumped 2.4 percent to end above 10,000 for the first...

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