Today Financial News from CNBC on March 16, 2015: U.S. stock futures were higher in early trading, ahead of this week's Fed meeting, and after a third straight week of losses for the Dow and S&P 500and two straight negative weeks for the Nasdaq. (CNBC) |
| Anticipation of a Fed rate hike has recently been sending ripples through financial markets. Investors may get more hints on the timing, after the central bank's two-day meeting ends on Wednesday. (CNBC) |
| Apple (AAPL) investors are looking for a turnaround, following three weeks of losses in a row, despite last week's smartwatch unveiling and the stock's upcoming inclusion this week in the Dow. (CNBC) |
| The battered euro hit new 12-year lows against the dollar early this morning, before recovering. Meanwhile, oil prices were under pressure again, with U.S. crude trading under $44 a barrel at one point. (CNBC) |
| The dramatic drop in oil prices and the transfer of wealth to consumers is going to be very painful for the oil and gas industry, Bob Dudley, CEO of BP(BP), told CNBC. It comes after the oil major said it would invest $12 billion in Egypt. (CNBC) |
| Salix Pharmaceuticals (SLXP) has agreed to an improved takeover offer fromValeant (VRX) of $173 per share in cash. The two sides had agreed to a $158 per share deal, but last week, Endo (ENDP) came in with a cash-and-stock offer worth $175 per shar |
| General Electric (GE) has agreed to sell its GE Capital consumer lending units in Australia and New Zealand to KKR-led consortium for $6.26 billion. GE has been shrinking its financial services arm since the financial crisis. (Reuters) |
| BlackBerry (BBRY) has launched a tablet in partnership with IBM (IBM) and Samsung, aimed at government and enterprise customers and coming a few years after a failed bid in the consumer tablet market. (CNBC) |
| MSG (MSG) CEO Tad Smith has left that job to take the top spot at Sotheby's(BID). He'll be replaced on an interim basis at MSG by James Dolan, the president and CEO of MSG parent Cablevision (CVC) and the Executive Chairman of MSG. |
| The arrest of wealthy eccentric Robert Durst, who's suspected in two killings and his wife's disappearance, came ahead of the finale of an HBO show about his life in which he said he "killed them all." (AP) |
| Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared for the first time in public in 11 days Monday, following much speculation about his whereabouts. In a documentary this weekend he said that Russia was prepared to put nuclear weapons on standby over the conflict in Crimea last year. (CNBC) |
| Singer Elton John has called for a boycott of the designer label Dolce and Gabbana, after Italian designer Domenico Dolce called children born through in-vitro fertilization treatment "synthetic." (CNBC) |
