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 Regulatory Commission (CIRC) is likely to veto the deal due to a lack of funding, the South China Morning Post and The Wall Street Journal both said on Wednesday.
Reuters on Tuesday said that the deal was in jeopardy after state-backed China Development Bank had expressed concerns over its financing. According to the story, CDB's reluctance emerged after media reports late in December that said CP Group's payment for the deal came from outside sources.
A $1.9 billion payment by CP subsidiaries was made on December 7 as a first instalment for the deal, with the shares then transferred to CP Group, according to HSBC. Payment for the remaining amount was due after regulatory approval, which had a deadline of February 1.
CDB originally agreed to back the remaining purchase, though HSBC did not disclose the size of the loan. CDB withdrawing from the process would be a major setback for the sale, but would not necessarily kill the agreement if another funding source could be found before that deadline.
A CIRC rejection, however, would stop the second instalment and effectively end the deal.
A CIRC official told Reuters on Wednesday that there is no final outcome yet on a decision.
A spokesman for Ping An said the sale was moving ahead with normal approval procedures, while HSBC declined to comment.
Doubts over the deal's closing surfaced after the respected Chinese magazine Caixin Century Weekly reported late last month that CP Group received funding for the first payment from outside sources, naming Chinese businessman Xiao Jianhua as being among the backers.
CP Group said in a statement in December after the Caixin report that the acquisition of the Ping An shares had been legally conducted by four wholly-owned subsidiaries using "legal capital from the Charoen Pokphand Group and its subsidiaries."
A representative at a law firm representing Xiao referred Reuters to a previous statement from him denying any involvement in the CP-HSBC deal.

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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, Republicans and Democrats agreed a moratorium on a package of tax hikes and budget cuts critics claimed would tip the United States back into recession.
The news triggered sharp gains in the S&P 500 index <.spx>, which rose 2.5 percent to 1,462 points on January 2. But the momentum is fading, leading some funds and analysts to predict a tough near-term outlook for U.S. equities.
"The recent rally is an opportunity to open promising short positions. Taxes are going up in some shape and form and spending will have to be reduced," said Athanasios Ladopoulos, chief investment officer of hedge fund firm Swiss Investment Managers. "Both feed into negative sentiment down the road."
Data measuring demand to borrow U.S. shares - a proxy for the level of short-selling, or bets on a share price fall - reflects expectations that markets will falter when the next bout of negotiations collides with talks to extend a $16.4 trillion national debt ceiling in February.
According to Sungard Astec Analytics, the aggregate value of U.S. shares on loan rose by 3 percent to $358 billion in the week to January 4, as skeptical funds bet on falls in consumer confidence and company earnings.
That compares with a peak of $404 billion, seen in June when the Federal Reserve rowed back on employment predictions and cut 2012 economic growth forecasts to 2.4 percent from 2.9 percent.
By contrast, the aggregated value of shares in the FTSE 100 <.ftse> on loan fell 4 percent to $1.4 billion in the week to January 4, while the equivalent for the STOXX Europe 600 <.stoxx> dropped 3 percent to $6.6 billion.
Because such bets are struck privately, it's tough to pinpoint exactly when shares are expected to fall. Some bets may be pegged to the impending corporate earnings season, while others will be timed to exploit February's looming fiscal cliff worries.
SHORT, SHARP SHOCK
But even top stock market performers are seen suffering share price volatility until a compromise on cuts and taxes is reached.
Short-sellers are speculators who borrow shares then sell them in the hope of being able to buy them back at a cheaper price, before returning the stock to the original owner.
"While we are positive on U.S. equities for the year, the possibility of a short, sharp contraction on news flow is material in our view," equity strategists at BNP Paribas warned in a note, arguing equity valuations looked over-optimistic.
"The trailing price-to-earnings ratio of 15 times is above long-term averages and earnings growth has slowed to a crawl at best, compared with a consensus forecast for 10 percent," the note said.
Stock lenders - typically long-term investors such as pension funds who can earn a fee by loaning out a stock at little risk to themselves - have also spotted an increased appetite to bet on falling stock prices and have raised the cost to borrow shares by 5 basis points (bps) to about 75 bps on aggregate over the first week of 2013, Astec data shows.
This brings borrowing rates closer to the 78 bps average earned on U.S. equity lending in 2012.
"There is much unfinished business ... not to mention the much bigger question about how the U.S. can meet its long term spending commitments in the face of an ageing population," Ian Kernohan, economist at Royal London Asset Management said.
"Given the polarized nature of U.S. politics at the moment, trying to sort all this out will be an uphill task."
The S&P 500, which rose 13.4 percent in 2012, closed 0.3 percent down at 1,457 on Tuesday. Some commentators say much of the recent growth in U.S. stocks is not due to an influx of optimistic buyers, but short-sellers closing out old bets from 2012 before embarking on a fresh set of short positions.
NOT MAINSTREAM
Heavily-shorted firms like $3.7 billion-valued U.S. Steel Corp and $1.9 billion Advanced Micro Devices saw volumes of stock on loan drop by 15.1 percent to 17.5 percent and 18.6 percent to 14.6 percent respectively in the past month.
This data from financial information firm Markit supports the argument that bears, not bulls, are perversely largely responsible for driving the recent upward move in U.S. stocks.
Certainly a negative view is not mainstream for the year as a whole.
The consensus forecast from respondents to a Reuters poll in December was for the S&P 500 to finish 2013 close to its lifetime high of 1,576.09 set in October 2007.
But signs of fresh short-selling coupled with Friday's underwhelming December jobs data is putting pressure on market optimists.
Speaking at an investment forum hosted by asset manager Notz Stucki on Tuesday, Anatole Kaletsky, a financial economist and Reuters columnist, said cyclical factors such as weak housing markets have been major headwinds but there was evidence these have been neutralised.
But it may take time for this view to be adopted by many consumers. A Reuters/IPSOS online poll of U.S. consumers on Monday found four-fifths of respondents were bracing for another economic downturn.
Additional data from Markit showed sharp increases in demand to short a range of U.S. stocks who stand to lose from a dip in consumer sentiment.
But the list of the 30 most heavily-shorted U.S. names in the week to January 4 spans most sectors including pharmaceuticals, machinery and aerospace & defence, indicating broader pessimism in the market as well as cyclical or stock-specific concerns.
The volume of bets on a fall in the share price of $7.75 billion Tiffany & Co for instance shot up 17 percent last week to 6.4 percent, more than double the 3 percent average short interest on individual S&P stocks.
Demand to short leisure dot-com TripAdvisor Inc was up 11.6 percent to 5.2 percent and Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc saw stock volumes on loan jump 15.1 percent to 7.8 percent.
"I am of the opinion that when Q4 earnings season starts investors will come to realise that the prospects for 2013 are not that bright," Ladopoulos said. "When the market turns down, it will take with it many of those too optimistic investors."

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FTSE 100 hits highest level since May 2008

LONDON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Britain's blue-chip share index
hit its highest point since May 2008 on Wednesday, resuming its
January rally after a two-day pause, led up by the banking
sector.
At 1505 GMT, the FTSE 100 was up 58.38 points, or 1
percent, at 6,112.01, breaking through the 2011 high of
6,105.77. Lloyds Banking Group led banking sector
gainers after being upgraded by UBS.
A positive open on Wall Street had helped the FTSE extend
its early gains, while exporters also received a boost earlier
in the session after sterling fell to a one-month low against
the dollar.

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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 the day, I wanted to move this team in a different direction offensively," head coach Rex Ryan told reporters at a news conference.
The Jets' (6-10) season was plagued by a quarterbacking controversy between ineffective incumbent Mark Sanchez and the hugely popular but unorthodox passer Tim Tebow.
A decision has yet been made on whether either quarterback will remain with the Jets.

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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, I wanted to move this team in a different direction offensively," head coach Rex0 Ryan told reporters at a news conference.
The Jets' (6-10) season was plagued by a quarterbacking controversy between ineffective incumbent Mark Sanchez and the hugely popular but unorthodox passer Tim Tebow.
A decision has yet been made on whether either quarterback will remain with the Jets.
The decision to release Sparano comes one day after the team parted ways with quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh and a week after General Manager Mike Tannenbaum was fired.

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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 candidate to interview with the Browns, who fired Pat Shurmur last week after two seasons.
Trestman was Cleveland's offensive coordinator in 1989. He has extensive background as an NFL assistant and has spent five seasons with Montreal, leading the Alouettes to two Grey Cup titles. The 56-year-old is under contract through 2016, but the club will allow him to leave for an NFL job if he's offered.
The Browns are not commenting on any of their interviews or candidates.
If the team was even thinking about contacting Nick Saban about their vacancy, Alabama's coach made it clear the NFL is in his past — not his future.
With their search in its second week, the Browns may have considered calling Saban, who coached the Miami Dolphins for two years before taking over the Crimson Tide's program. Fresh off winning his third national title in four years, the 61-year-old Saban reiterated that he's content at Alabama and outlined several reasons why he prefers to coach in college.
He said coaching in the NFL taught him that college "is where I belong, and I'm really happy and at peace with all that."
Saban worked as an assistant in Cleveland under Bill Belichick, and there has long been speculation he might one day return to the Browns.
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner have interviewed several coaching candidates and are expected to meet with more this week.
The Browns are expected to interview Indianapolis offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, who was released from a Baltimore hospital on Monday after he became ill before the Colts' 24-9 playoff loss to the Ravens.

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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>, a gauge of U.S. bank stocks, was down 0.3 percent.
Other sectors were hit as well, most notably energy and utilities. The S&P 500 energy sector index <.gspe> fell 0.8 percent and the utilities sector <.gspu> was off 1.1 percent.
The day's decline came a session after the S&P 500 finished at a five-year high, boosted by a budget deal and strong economic data. The S&P 500 rose 4.6 percent last week, the best weekly gain in more than a year.
"It's a little bit of taking some risk off the table ahead of profit season, you're not going to see anything all that great" on earnings, said Larry Peruzzi, senior equity trader at Cabrera Capital Markets Inc in Boston.
Earnings are expected to be only slightly better than the third-quarter's lackluster results, and analysts' current estimates are down sharply from where they were in October. Fourth-quarter earnings growth is expected to come in at 2.8 percent, according to Thomson Reuters data.
Aluminum company Alcoa Inc begins the reporting season by announcing its results after Tuesday's market close. Alcoa shares fell 1.7 percent at $9.10.
The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> dropped 50.92 points, or 0.38 percent, to 13,384.29. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> fell 4.58 points, or 0.31 percent, to 1,461.89. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> lost 2.84 points, or 0.09 percent, to 3,098.81.
Ten mortgage servicers - including Bank of America , Citigroup , JPMorgan , and Wells Fargo - agreed on Monday to pay $8.5 billion to end a case-by-case review of foreclosures required by U.S. regulators.
In a separate case, Bank of America also announced roughly $11.6 billion of settlements with mortgage finance company Fannie Mae and a $1.8 billion sale of collection rights on home loans.
The bank also entered into agreements with Nationstar Mortgage Holdings and Walter Investment Management to sell about $306 billion of residential mortgage servicing rights.
Bank of America shares lost 0.2 percent at $12.09 while Nationstar Mortgage Holdings jumped 16.8 percent to $38.83.
Citigroup shares were up 0.09 percent to $42.47, and Wells Fargo shares fell 0.5 percent to $34.77.
"The financials probably have the wind behind them now with a lot of the regulations coming out ... the market has to absorb a lot of the gains, and for that reason there's a pullback from this level," said Warren West, principal at Greentree Brokerage Services in Philadelphia.
Shares of U.S. jet maker Boeing Co dropped 2 percent after a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft with no passengers on board caught fire at Boston's Logan International Airport on Monday morning.
Amazon.com shares hit their highest price ever at $269.22 after Morgan Stanley raised is rating on the stock. Shares were up 3.6 percent at $268.46.
Video-streaming service Netflix Inc shares gained 3.4 percent to $99.20 after it said it will carry previous seasons of some popular shows produced by Time Warner's Warner Bros Television.
Walt Disney Co stock fell 2.3 percent to $50.97. The company started an internal cost-cutting review several weeks ago that may include layoffs at its studio and other units, three people with knowledge of the effort told Reuters.
Volume was lower than average, as 4.78 billion shares were traded on the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE MKT and Nasdaq. This is well below the 2012 average of 6.42 billion per session.
Declining stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the NYSE by 1,629 to 1,363, while on the Nasdaq decliners beat advancers 1,438 to 1,066.

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