Reuters Business News

1. U.S. dollar enters center stage for earnings

   NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar has moved from a supporting role to a featured player this earnings season, a boon to U.S. multinationals which have benefited from the biggest quarterly year-on-year decline in the greenback in three years.

   

   

2. Broadcom plans record tech deal with Qualcomm bid: sources

   (Reuters) - Communications chipmaker Broadcom Ltd is planning to unveil a bid for smartphone chip supplier Qualcomm Inc by Monday, three sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, an attempt to create a roughly $200-billion company through the biggest technology acquisition ever.

   

   

3. Hurricanes, earthquake drag down third-quarter profit at Buffett's Berkshire

   (Reuters) - Bad weather hurt Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc in the third quarter, as insurance losses tied to Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria and an earthquake in Mexico contributed to a 43 percent drop in profit.

   

   

4. CVS, Aetna aim to finalize deal as early as December: sources

   (Reuters) - U.S. pharmacy operator CVS Health Corp and health insurer Aetna Inc are working toward finalizing merger terms and announcing a deal for more than $70 billion as early as December, according to people familiar with the matter.

   

   

5. Sears to close 63 more U.S. stores after holiday season

   (Reuters) - Sears Holdings Corp said it will close 63 additional stores in the United States after the holiday season as part of its continued effort to return to profitability in a difficult retail environment.

   

   

6. Anthem CEO Joseph Swedish to step down, Gail Boudreaux to succeed: WSJ

   (Reuters) - U.S. health insurer Anthem Inc's Chief Executive Joseph Swedish will step down and be succeeded by industry veteran Gail Boudreaux, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

   

   

7. U.S. judge deals setback to Waymo damage claim in Uber lawsuit

   SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A federal judge in San Francisco made it more difficult for Alphabet Inc's Waymo unit to prove it suffered financially from the alleged theft of autonomous car trade secrets by Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL], ruling to exclude testimony from Waymo's damages expert.

   

   

8. U.S. job growth picks up; flat wages raise consumer spending worries

   WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. job growth accelerated in October after hurricane-related disruptions in the prior month, but wages grew at their slowest annual pace in more than 1-1/2 years in a sign that inflation probably will remain benign.

   

   

9. BMW recalling 1 million vehicles in North America

   WASHINGTON (Reuters) - BMW AG said on Friday it is recalling about 1 million vehicles in North America for two separate issues involving fire risks and said it may expand the recalls to other countries.

   

   

10. Airbus sales chief says to stay on until successor is found

    HAMBURG/PARIS (Reuters) - Airbus' long-serving sales chief John Leahy plans to stay on until a successor is found, with a decision expected within the next week or so, he told Reuters on Friday.