Business Today: Stock futures edge lower after jobless claims data

Click to View in Browser 05/17/2012 Stock futures edge lower after jobless claims data NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock index futures were lower on Thursday after claims for jobless benefits were above forecasts in the latest week and as European markets sold off on concern about the potential for a bank run in Spain. Jobless claims hold steady at 370,000 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New claims for unemployment benefits were unchanged last week, according to government data on Thursday that will do little to ease concerns about a recent slowdown in jobs growth. Analysis: Facebook can't take Asian growth for granted SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Even as Facebook fever grips investors ahead of the social networking giant's potential $100 billion-plus initial public offering, its breakneck growth in Asia may be slowing as it moves beyond desktop users to those who access the Internet largely or solely from a mobile phone. Europe's banks on the brink LONDON, May 17 (IFR) - The euro zone crisis was in full swing when Jean-Claude Trichet took the podium in Berlin last October 6 for his final press conference as president of the European Central Bank. Having helped create one of the longest periods of price stability in the history of central banking, Trichet was closing out his eight-year reign under siege. Berkshire Hathaway to buy Media General newspapers for $142 million (Reuters) - Berkshire Hathaway Inc will buy all newspapers owned by Media General Inc, with the exception of Tampa group, for $142 million in cash, the companies said. JPMorgan's future losses at the mercy of an obscure index (Reuters) - It's the biggest parlor game on Wall Street: Estimating how large JPMorgan Chase & Co's trading loss will be from a hedging strategy that went wrong. Wal-Mart posts strong profit as U.S. sales jump (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit on Thursday, including a 2.6 percent rise in sales at its Walmart U.S. division's stores open at least a year, as warm weather and an earlier Easter enticed shoppers to spend. Enbridge plans huge Canada, US pipeline expansion CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Enbridge Inc kicked off one of the most sweeping expansions in its history on Wednesday, a C$3.2 billion ($3.2 billion)series of projects across its pipeline system aimed at moving western Canadian crude to Eastern refineries and preventing bottlenecks in the U.S. Midwest. Sears plans to spin off big piece of Canada stake (Reuters) - Sears Holdings Corp said on Thursday it plans to spin off a large part of its stake in its Canada unit, which Chairman Edward Lampert spent years trying to gain control of, to better focus on its U.S. business. GM chooses UK plant over Germany for new Astra LONDON (Reuters) - General Motors Co will build the next generation of its Astra compact in Britain after workers at its factory in Ellesmere Port, northwest England, overwhelmingly agreed to a new labor deal, leaving its plant in Bochum, Germany in danger of closure. Related Video Market Pulse: European stocks face "death by 1,000 cuts" U.S. Morning Call: Facebook frenzy hits brokerages Economic News Jobless claims hold steady at 370,000 U.S. economy still faces "very tough challenges": Geithner 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