China's insurance regulator to reject $9.4 billion HSBC deal - reports

HONG KONG (Reuters) - China's insurance regulator is expected to reject HSBC's sale of its $9.4 billion (5.8 billion pounds) stake in Ping An Insurance to Thai conglomerate CP Group, media reports said on Wednesday.The failure of the deal would be a blow to HSBC and an embarrassment to the various parties involved in a corporate deal that was set to be Asia's second-largest last year.The China Insurance...

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Short-sellers circle stocks as confidence wavers

LONDON (Reuters) - How durable is the Wall Street bounce following last week's U.S. budget deal? Not very, some speculators believe.Hedge funds are betting that a rally in U.S. stocks after a retreat from the "fiscal cliff" will reverse as doubts grow that politicians are ready to sacrifice party interests to keep the world's economic engine running, early data shows.On the cusp of a January 1 deadline,...

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FTSE 100 hits highest level since May 2008

LONDON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Britain's blue-chip share indexhit its highest point since May 2008 on Wednesday, resuming itsJanuary rally after a two-day pause, led up by the bankingsector.At 1505 GMT, the FTSE 100 was up 58.38 points, or 1percent, at 6,112.01, breaking through the 2011 high of6,105.77. Lloyds Banking Group led banking sectorgainers after being upgraded by UBS.A positive open on Wall...

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NFL-Jets sack offensive coordinator Sparano after losing season

Jan 8 (Reuters) - The New York Jets have fired offensive coordinator Tony Sparano, the National Football League team said on Tuesday in the latest shakeup to the franchise's coaching staff after a disappointing season.Sparano, who was head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2008 to 2011, spent just one season in charge of a Jets offense that ranked 30th in the league in total offense."At the end of...

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Jets sack offensive coordinator Sparano after losing season

(Reuters) - The New York Jets have fired offensive coordinator Tony Sparano, the National Football League team said on Tuesday in the latest shakeup to the franchise's coaching staff after a disappointing season.Sparano, who was head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2008 to 2011, spent just one season in charge of a Jets offense that ranked 30th in the league in total offense."At the end of the day,...

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AP Source: Browns interviewing CFL's Trestman

CLEVELAND (AP) — A person familiar with the interview says the Browns are meeting with Montreal Alouettes coach Marc Trestman.Trestman interviewed with the Chicago Bears on Monday night and arrived at the Browns' facility in suburban Berea on Tuesday, said the person who spoke to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the search. Trestman is the fifth known...

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Wall Street edges off five-year high, awaits earnings

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks lost ground on Monday, as investors drew back from recent gains that lifted the S&P 500 to a five-year high, in anticipation of sluggish growth in corporate profits.Shares of financial companies dipped after a group of major U.S. banks agreed to pay a total of $8.5 billion to end a government inquiry into faulty mortgage foreclosures. The KBW bank index <.bkx>,...

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