Friday, December 01, 2006

Today's Headlines

Bloomberg:
- Iraqi forces will be capable of taking over security in the country’s northern provinces in three to six months, the commander of the US-led division in the area said.
- Eastman Kodak(EK) expects higher-priced models to bolster sales this holiday season.
- Wal-Mart Stores(WMT) is out and Target Corp.(TGT) is in Goldman Sachs’(GS) Conviction Buy List.
- US Treasuries are rising for a second straight day after an industry report showed US manufacturing contracted for the first time in more than three years last month.
- The cost to lease a seat on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the world’s largest energy market, has plunged 75% as electronic trading overtakes the traditional open-outcry system.
- Copper prices are falling again in NY after another rise in inventories.
- Brazil, the world’s biggest ethanol exporter, increased shipments of the biofuel 33% last month on surging demand from the US.
- Global oil production is exceeding demand by 100 million barrels, Ali al-Naimi, the oil minister for Saudi Arabia said.
- Natural gas is falling in NY as record inventories of the fuel in underground storage tempered speculation that furnace use caused by cold weather will strain supplies.

Wall Street Journal:
- News Corp.’s(NWS) MySpace.com is in talks to bring the social-networking site to China with International Data Group’s Chinese venture arm and former China Netcom Group CEO Tian.

USA Today:
- The Transportation Security Administration plans to test the first airport X-ray screening system that can show images of nude bodies at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

NY Times:
- West Virginia’s Medicaid program has created a system that gives patients incentives to stay healthy, show up at appointments, take medicine as prescribed and avoid non-emergency trips to emergency rooms.
- US Senator Charles E. Grassley, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, is questioning the NASD on how it monitors insider trading.

NY Post:
- Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Texas Pacific Group are among buyout firms examining a takeover of Home Depot(HD).

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