Business Today: Investors laud saved April as earnings unfold

Click to View in Browser 04/26/2012 Investors laud saved April as earnings unfold NEW YORK (Reuters) - Futures edged lower on Thursday a day after investors lauded the biggest gains this year for the Nasdaq and the S&P 500's move back above its 50-day moving average in a rally that has largely reversed a recent pullback in U.S. equities. Jobless claims ease but four-week average rises WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New claims for unemployment benefits fell slightly last week but a trend reading rose to its highest since January, the latest sign of a weaker pace of healing in the still-struggling labor market. Exxon Mobil quarterly profit falls (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp, the world's largest publicly traded oil company, posted a lower first-quarter profit on Thursday. PepsiCo, Coke Enterprises beat Wall Street views (Reuters) - PepsiCo Inc and Coca-Cola Enterprises reported higher-than-expected quarterly profits and stood by their full-year forecasts, helped by price increases on sodas. Chesapeake to halt CEO's well ownership plan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Natural gas producer Chesapeake Energy Corp said on Thursday it would halt a controversial program that gave company founder and chief executive Aubrey McClendon an ownership stake in its wells. Insight: Collusion probe latest Mexico woe for Telefonica MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - When Telefonica arrived in Mexico about a decade ago, the Spanish phone company framed the expansion as a social crusade as much as a business: It would bring wireless service to the country's poor while taking on Carlos Slim, the tycoon who has dominated Mexico's telephone industry for a generation. Dow Chemical profit beats Street, but sales miss (Reuters) - Solid sales of herbicides and other agricultural products helped Dow Chemical Co's first-quarter profit beat Wall Street's expectations, but lower-than-expected revenue pushed shares down more than 3 percent in premarket trading. Euro zone woes keep banks wary after Q1 bounce LONDON/MADRID (Reuters) - Earnings from some of Europe's top banks showed the scars of the euro zone crisis on Thursday, with big losses on Spanish property and fragile economic recovery likely to dampen an early investment banking rebound. HSBC to cut over 2,200 UK jobs, targets managers LONDON (Reuters) - HSBC is cutting more than 2,200 jobs in Britain, targeting senior and middle management roles as part of its drive to slash costs and boost profitability in the face of a changing banking landscape. Chrysler, Hyundai, VW pull into auto sales fast lane LONDON (Reuters) - Automakers Volkswagen , Chrysler and Hyundai pulled away from rivals on Thursday, unveiling strong sales and profits driven by growth in the Americas and Asia. Related Video Breakingviews: News Corp & AstraZeneca leaders under fire Gold standard inevitable, $10k/oz looms, says new book Economic News Fed stands pat but says will act if needed Euro zone woes keep banks wary after Q1 bounce 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