Ford profit
The Ford Motor Co. F-150 pickup truck is displayed during the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Monday, Jan. 13, 2014. Ford, rolling out a new aluminum version of its F-150 pickup, said fourth-quarter profit fell 98 percent as it restricted production of its top-selling truck and was battered by losses in Europe and South America.
(Andrew Harrer, Bloomberg News)
Stock Market Headlines:
Stock futures are holding steady, but today's direction will likely depend on how well a slew of corporate earnings are received. Dow futures are ahead 74 points, while Nasdaq futures are advancing 8.25 points and S&P 500 futures are up 7.25 points. (CNN Money)
Asian stocks declined the most in three weeks after the Federal Reserve cited global risks to the U.S. economy and as oil slumped below $45 per barrel. (Bloomberg News)
Gold prices fell in Asia today after the Federal Reserve signaled it remained on track to raise interest rates this year, though the timing remains uncertain. (Investing.com)
U.S. Business Headlines:
Ford, rolling out a new aluminum version of its F-150 pickup, said fourth-quarter profit fell 98 percent as it restricted production of its top-selling truck and was battered by losses in Europe and South America. (Bloomberg News)
McDonald's, struggling amid declining sales and menu changes, said Don Thompson will step down as president and chief executive, effective March 1. (Wall Street Journal)
Time Warner Cable reported an increase in subscribers as the pay-TV provider continued to await the completion of its acquisition by Comcast. (MarketWatch)
Colgate-Palmolive, the world's largest toothpaste maker by market share, reported a 3.2 percent fall in quarterly revenue due a stronger dollar. (Reuters)
Viacom today reported fiscal first-quarter net income of $500 million, meeting Wall Street expectations. (Associated Press)
Technology Headlines:
The iPhone 6 has sold so well that Apple tied with Samsung for the top position in the smartphone market in the fourth quarter, closing the gap with its South Korean competitor. (IDG News Service)
Alibaba Group's quarterly revenue fell short of analysts' expectations, showing signs of a slowdown in the Chinese e-commerce company's growth during the hard-fought holiday shopping season. (Reuters)
Finland's Nokia reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter net profit and fattened its dividend but some investors took fright at a fall in revenue from the licensing of its large catalog of patents. (MarketWatch)
Microsoft finally unveiled its Office software for Android tablets today after a three-month trial period. (The Telegraph)
World Business Headlines:
In a sign of the impact on the oil sector of the slump in energy prices, Royal Dutch Shell said today it plans to cut spending by $15 billion over the next three years amid a drop in earnings. (Associated Press)
Deutsche Bank rebounded to make a surprise fourth-quarter profit of $498 million as it saw lower charges for settling accusations of wrongdoing. (Associated Press)
British-based Diageo, the maker of Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky and Captain Morgan rum, said sales improved in its second quarter but were down for the first half as a whole, hit by slower demand in markets such as the U.S. and China, which remained a drag on profit. (Alliance News)
Potash Corp of Saskatchewan , the world's biggest fertilizer company by market capitalization, reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit, helped by strong potash sales and lower costs. (Reuters)