Business Today: Futures inch up ahead of data on consumers, prices

Click to View in Browser 03/16/2012 Futures inch up ahead of data on consumers, prices NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock index futures edged higher on Friday ahead of data on consumer sentiment and after the benchmark S&P 500 index closed above 1,400 for the first time since the 2008 financial crisis. Gasoline pushes up consumer prices in February WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Consumer prices rose by the most in 10 months in February as the cost of gasoline spiked, a government report showed on Friday, but there was little sign that underlying inflation pressures were building up. Euro zone may up bailout fund capacity to near 700 billion euros: officials BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The euro zone may raise the combined lending power of its bailout funds to close to 700 billion euros from 500 billion in a trade-off between German opposition to committing more money and calming markets, euro zone officials said. UPS intends to make offer for TNT Express AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - United Parcel Service said it was in constructive talks to buy Dutch rival TNT Express and reiterated its intention to make an offer, having last month proposed a 9 euros per share deal worth 4.9 billion euros ($6.4 billion). Groupon UK to change practices after criticism LONDON (Reuters) - The British arm of Groupon Inc pledged on Friday to change the way it promotes offers after the country's trading watchdog said it had found breaches of consumer protection rules at the daily-deal company. PayPal to tap domestic e-payments market in China, India HONG KONG (Reuters) - EBay Inc's unit PayPal is expanding its domestic electronics payments presence in Asia with plans to tap China and India, the region's biggest consumer markets, a senior executive said on Friday. Universal seen not making initial EMI deal concessions BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Vivendi's Universal Music is not expected to offer concessions to EU antitrust regulators assessing its bid for EMI's recorded music unit, a person familiar with the matter said, a move that would trigger a lengthy investigation of the deal. Iceland to repay early a fifth of IMF, Nordic loans STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The Icelandic government said on Thursday it would repay early a fifth of the billions of dollars of loans it received from the International Monetary fund and its Nordic neighbors in the wake of the collapse of its banking sector in 2008. RUSAL picks new chairman after oligarch quits MOSCOW (Reuters) - The board of RUSAL Plc , the world's largest aluminum company, has elected Barry Cheung of the Hong Kong Mercantile Exchange as its new chairman after billionaire Viktor Vekselberg quit this week, the company said on Friday. Australian iron ore ports shut as cyclone threatens coast SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's main iron ore terminals, which are among the largest in the world, were closed on Friday as a cyclone in the Indian Ocean swept toward the Pilbara iron ore mining belt coast. Related Video Citi needs a CEO who understands credit, Whalen says Breakingviews: Lloyds bonus rules smack of double standards Economic News Geithner: Economy mending, oil prices a challenge Jobless claims fall, manufacturing holds up A daily digest of breaking business news, coverage of the US economy, major corporate news and the financial markets. Register Today   The latest Reuters articles on M&A, IPOs, private equity, hedge funds and regulatory updates delivered to your inbox each day. Register Today   » MORE NEWSLETTERS - 3 Times Square New York, NY 10036 USA © Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters Ensure delivery of Reuters Newsmails, add mail@nl.reuters.com to your address book. Details Subscribe to other Reuters newsletters. Unsubscribe from this newsletter. Follow us on Twitter Friend us on Facebook Forward to a friend