Platinum set to hit parity with gold, but comeback may be a blip

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Platinum is set to reach parity with gold after rallies in recent weeks sent the metal's discount to gold to its narrowest in nine months, but it may be too early to declare platinum's comeback since economic recovery remains weak, especially in Europe.The spread between gold and platinum narrowed to $31.30 an ounce, its smallest since last April, after platinum staged its biggest...

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World stocks higher on China recovery optimism

BANGKOK (AP) — World stock markets rose Monday on optimism that China's economic recovery is firmly taking root.Many analysts expect China's fourth quarter and 2012 growth figures due Friday to show the world's No. 2 economy continuing to bounce back from its worst slump since the 2008 financial crisis.Sentiment improved last week after Japan announced a $224 billion stimulus package to boost its...

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Stock index futures trade flat to higher

Reuters/Reuters - Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange June 11, 2012. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidLONDON (Reuters) - Stock index futures pointed to a flat to higher open on Wall Street on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.1 percent at 0844 GMT.Dow Jones and Nasdaq 100 futures were unchanged.European shares were also flat, with the FTSEurofirst 300 <.fteu3> just shy...

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Boehner plan would bring top U.S. income tax rate to 39.6 percent: source

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner's latest "fiscal cliff" proposal to President Barack Obama would see the top income tax rates rise to 39.6 percent from 35 percent for those with net incomes above $1 million a year, according to a source familiar with the talks.The source, who asked not to be identified, emphasized that the income tax rate increase would be in...

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House Republicans eye limited fiscal cliff bill

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With time running short before a Dec. 31 deadline, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner will begin work on legislation that simply would extend current low income tax rates for all families with incomes below $1 million a year, according to an aide.Negotiations will continue with the White House on a broader tax and spending deal, the Boehner aide said.Boehner is presenting...

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Senator Reid rejects Boehner "fiscal cliff" backup plan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House Speaker John Boehner's backup plan that would simply extend low income tax rates for households with incomes below $1 million a year "cannot pass both houses of Congress," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on Tuesday.Reid, a Democrat, said Boehner instead should focus on reaching a broad deficit-reduction deal with President Barack Obama. "Now is the time to show...

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House Republicans say resigned to tax hike in fiscal cliff

 Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are resigned to seeing some sort of income tax increase in legislation to avoid a "fiscal cliff," but such efforts could be doomed in the absence of spending cuts, some Republican lawmakers say.Congress and President Barack Obama are gearing up for a last-ditch attempt to avoid $600 billion in tax increases and spending cuts that could halt progress...

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French government says will propose a rejigged 75 percent tax plan

 The French government will redraft a proposal for a 75 percent upper income tax band and resubmit it, the prime minister's office said on Saturday, after the Constitutional Council rejected the measure included in the 2013 budget."It will be presented as part of the next budget law," Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault's office said in a statement, without giving a time frame. The statement said...

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French court rejects 75 percent millionaires' tax

PARIS (Reuters) - France's Constitutional Council on Saturday rejected a 75 percent upper income tax rate to be introduced in 2013 in a setback to Socialist President Francois Hollande's push to make the rich contribute more to cutting the public deficit.The Council ruled that the planned 75 percent tax on annual income above 1 million euros ($1.32 million) - a flagship measure of Hollande's election...

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Rejected French tax measures worth 300-500 million euros: finance minister

The French Constitutional Council's rejection on Saturday of a 75 percent upper income tax rate and other minor measures in the 2013 budget will affect some 300-500 million euros worth of tax revenues, Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici said."The rejected measures represent 300 to 500 million euros. Our deficit-cutting path will not be affected," Moscovici told BFM television.He added that the Socialist...

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AP Sources: 'Fiscal cliff' deal emerging

 Working with Congress against a midnight deadline, President Barack Obama said Monday that a deal to avert the "fiscal cliff" was in sight but not yet finalized. The emerging deal would raise tax rates on family income over $450,000 and individual income over $400,000 a year, increase the estate tax rate and extend unemployment benefits for one year."There are still issues left to resolve but...

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Escape Villas Offers Family Vacation Rentals for the Holidays

Trade the cold winter weather in North America for a tropical Christmas vacation in Costa Rica, where travelers can spend their holidays enjoying outdoor family adventures in the comfort of an Escape Villa family vacation rental.Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica (PRWEB) December 19, 2012As the holiday season approaches, more Americans are planning to travel for Christmas compared to 2011, according to a...

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Shiny Reputation Highlights Airbnb for their Focus on Local Neighborhood Information

Shiny Reputation proclaims their opinion on the recent launch of Airbnb’s Neighborhoods program, in which they are looking to narrow the focus of their site to concentrate on services in local neighborhoods where rental properties are located.San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) December 19, 2012Shiny Reputation has issued an announcement about the launch of the Airbnb Neighborhood program, which seeks to give...

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KSL Cars Adds Contact At Once! Live Chat in Ads

Utah Dealerships Can Integrate Chat to Connect with Potential BuyersAtlanta (PRWEB) December 19, 2012Contact At Once!, the leading live chat provider connecting online and mobile car shoppers to auto dealers, today announced that it has been selected by KSL Cars, Utah’s leading online marketplace, as its exclusive provider of live chat for automotive advertising. KSL Cars will bundle Contact At Once!...

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BedEd.org Launches Blog for Mattress Reviews, Education, Consumer Tips & More

New blog, BedEd.org announces launch; to promote consumer awareness via buying guides, shopping tips, product reviews, and information related to mattresses and sleep.Tempe, AZ (PRWEB) December 19, 2012BedEd.org launches mattress education blog designed to offer consumer resources including reviews, buying guides, shopping tips, and more.Shopping for a new bed can seem like a daunting task with so...

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Five Star Service Award for SIPP Providers Dentons Pensions

Dentons Pensions are the only Bespoke SIPP Providers to be Awarded 5 Stars at Financial Adviser Service Awards – the benchmark for service levels in the retail financial marketplace.Godalming Surrey (PRWEB UK) 20 December 2012Hosted by comedian Stephen K Amos, The Financial Adviser Service Awards were held on 22 November 2012 at The Natural History Museum. Dentons Pensions were the only bespoke SIPP...

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Wall Street sinks after election as "fiscal cliff" eyed

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Dow industrials lost more than 300 points in a sell-off on Wednesday that drove all major stock indexes down over 2 percent in the wake of the presidential election as investors' focus shifted to the looming "fiscal cliff" debate and Europe's economic troubles.The Standard & Poor's 500 Index posted its biggest daily percentage drop since June, with all 10 S&P sectors...

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Coal company announces layoffs in response to Obama win

A coal company headed by a prominent Mitt Romney donor has laid off more than 160 workers in response to President Obama's election victory.Murray Energy said Friday that it had been "forced" to make the layoffs in response to the bleak prospects for the coal industry during Obama's second term. In a prayer circulated by the company, CEO Robert Murray said Americans had voted "in favor of redistribution,...

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U.S. to Pass Saudi Arabia in Energy Production, IEA Says: Huge Foreign Policy, Economic Implications

A new report by the International Energy Association says the U.S. will become the world's largest oil producer by 2017, overtaking current leaders Saudi Arabia and Russia. U.S. energy policies initiated by the George W. Bush administration and implemented by President Barack Obama have moved the U.S. toward energy independence and away from Middle East energy sources. U.S. oil production has risen...

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Eurozone back in recession in Q3

LONDON (AP) -- The 17-country eurozone has bowed to the inevitable and fallen back into recession for the first time in three years as a sprawling debt crisis took its toll on the region's stronger economies.And with surveys pointing to increasingly depressed conditions across the eurozone at a time of high unemployment in many countries, there are fears that the recession will deepen, and make the...

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