Business Today: Wall St. set for flat open ahead of Fed

		Click to View in Browser 05/1/2013 Wall St. set for flat open ahead of Fed NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street was set for a flat open on Wednesday as investors waited to hear from the Federal Reserve on the state of the economy, and on signs of fatigue after the S&P 500 benchmark index ended at another all-time closing high. Private sector job increase smallest since September: ADP NEW YORK (Reuters) - Private-sector hiring slowed again in April as companies added the fewest employees in seven months, the latest sign the economy is encountering a soft patch, a report by a payrolls processor showed on Wednesday. Chesapeake posts quarterly profit, oil output up (Reuters) - Chesapeake Energy Corp reported quarterly profit that exceeded Wall Street expectations on Wednesday, helped by a 56 percent increase in crude oil output and higher oil and natural gas prices. Lufthansa and workers' union settle pay dispute FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German trade union Verdi has agreed a pay deal with Lufthansa for 33,000 cabin crew and ground staff across the airline group, it said on Wednesday, averting another round of strikes that the union had threatened. No end in sight for Fed stimulus as inflation sags WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve's debate over monetary policy could begin to shift away from the prospect of reducing stimulus toward a discussion about doing more, given the signs of economic weakness and slowing inflation. China factory PMI raises doubts about economy's strength BEIJING (Reuters) - Growth in China's manufacturing sector unexpectedly slowed in April as new export orders fell, raising fresh doubts about the strength of the economy after a disappointing first quarter. Viacom turns the corner on its ad slump (Reuters) - Viacom Inc reported a 6 percent drop in revenue because of a weak slate of movies from its studio Paramount Pictures, but advertising revenue turned positive during the quarter. Analysis: Boosting European lending without banks LONDON (Reuters) - With a lack of bank lending to European businesses stifling the region's economy, sidestepping the middlemen - if not quite cutting them out altogether - is becoming more attractive. Time Warner profit rises on cable network strength (Reuters) - Time Warner Inc posted a higher first-quarter profit on Wednesday, as growth in its cable networks offset declines in the film, TV entertainment and publishing units. Exclusive: Britain to quiz Google and auditor again on tax LONDON (Reuters) - Executives from Google Inc. and its auditor Ernst & Young will be called again to a British parliament committee to testify on tax, after a Reuters investigation highlighted inconsistencies in the way Google portrays its activities in Britain, the committee's chairwoman told Reuters. Related Video U.S. Morning Call: Going mobile - Facebook earnings to tell Market Pulse: More Fed stimulus? Don't hold your breath Economic News Private sector job increase smallest since September: ADP No end in sight for Fed stimulus as inflation sags 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