Reuters: Small Business News

Families edging out private equity in consumer deals

Tue, 14 May 2013 02:40:07 -0400

LONDON (Reuters) - From ketchup to hot drinks, family-run investment firms are shaking up the consumer deals market, squeezing out private equity players and forcing them to change strategy.

Small business optimism rises to six-month high

Tue, 14 May 2013 07:56:34 -0400

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A gauge of confidence for small businesses rose in April to its highest in six months, a sign of resilience in an economy beset by Washington's austerity drive.

Double Eagle condensate pipeline starts up

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:13:38 -0400

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Double Eagle Pipeline LLC has begun moving Eagle Ford condensate from Three Rivers, Texas, to Magellan Midstream Partners LP's (MMP.N) terminal in Corpus Christi, Magellan and 50/50 partner Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP (KMP.N) said on Tuesday.

Small restaurants serving big calories, salt: studies

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:44:23 -0400

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Despite public health progress in cutting calories, as well as salt and fat from fast foods and supermarket products, neighborhood restaurants are still packing big helpings of each into their meals, a trio of studies suggests.

Fight expected in House on online sales tax

Tue, 07 May 2013 09:03:39 -0400

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate voted overwhelmingly on Monday to give states the power to enforce their sales tax laws on online purchases, but the legislation faces a tougher fight in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

U.S.-backed maker of wheelchair-accessible vans shuts down

Wed, 08 May 2013 15:50:35 -0400

DETROIT (Reuters) - Vehicle Production Group LLC, a maker of wheelchair-accessible vans that received $50 million in low-interest federal loans, has closed its doors after running out of cash.

Made in America label stages comeback at stores

Fri, 03 May 2013 11:45:17 -0400

NEW YORK (Reuters) - When Roger Simmermaker went shopping for clothes at a Florida mall in the mid-1990s, he wanted to buy American, but to his frustration, he couldn't find anything made in the U.S.A.

How piracy and Weibo help Western TV stars break out in China

Thu, 02 May 2013 23:58:34 -0400

Right after Nina Dobrev tweeted a photo of her kissing a puppy, the same picture showed up on Weibo, China's twitter-like service, with its caption translated into Chinese. "I wish I were the doggy," one micro-blogger commented on the photo, which was already reposted more than 300 times on Weibo.

Small businesses added jobs in April: NFIB

Thu, 02 May 2013 10:26:35 -0400

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Small businesses continued to add workers in April and nearly one fifth reported job openings they could not fill, evidence on the eve of a key U.S. monthly employment report that the nation's labor market continues to gradually heal.

Nasdaq says small firms should be able to trade on single venue

Wed, 01 May 2013 13:42:30 -0400

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Exchange operator Nasdaq OMX Group (NDAQ.O) wants small and emerging companies listing shares on the public markets to be allowed to choose to be traded only on the venue where they are listed so buyers and sellers have an easier time connecting.

Janus to lose 3 managers, 2 of whom oversee top performers

Mon, 13 May 2013 13:28:51 -0400

(Reuters) - Janus Capital Group is losing three portfolio managers, two who have been overseeing top-performing funds and one who has been overseeing two underperforming funds.

Magellan may expand newly reversed Longhorn crude line: CEO

Thu, 02 May 2013 15:36:50 -0400

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Magellan Midstream Partners LP (MMP.N) may expand its reversed Longhorn pipeline, which just last month started shipping crude oil from West Texas to Houston-area refineries, Chief Executive Mike Mears told analysts on Thursday.

Uber investor gauges interest in major new funding round: source

Wed, 01 May 2013 17:25:50 -0400

(Reuters) - An investor in Uber, the fast-growing alternative taxi service, has reached out to a venture capital firm about a potential new funding round that could value the company at $1 billion or more, a person familiar with the situation told Reuters.

Small US manufacturers investing at pre-recession levels: report

Wed, 01 May 2013 15:37:50 -0400

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Small U.S. industrial companies invested in their plants and equipment at pre-recession levels as 2012 came to an end, according to a report from PayNet Inc on the money that manufacturers are borrowing to finance capital expenditures.

Small businesses cut borrowing for third month in a row

Wed, 01 May 2013 12:08:50 -0400

(Reuters) - Small businesses cut back on borrowing a third straight month in March, all but reversing a short-lived surge after the Federal Reserve launched its asset-buying program aimed at boosting growth and jobs.

Taking on the dreaded expense report

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 09:23:42 -0400

Lost receipts, misplaced corporate cards, arcane expense report software. The dreaded expense report is the bane of so many business travelers and freelancers. But a few high tech services have an answer, albeit with a dash of low tech too.

Cash flow a "huge challenge" for UK small businesses: survey

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:22:52 -0400

LONDON (Reuters) - A new report has called into question the effectiveness of the British government's drive to end a lending drought to small businesses and unlock the economic growth that has eluded the country since the financial crisis.

France's Hollande to ease entrepreneurs' capital gains tax

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:58:22 -0400

PARIS (Reuters) - President Francois Hollande will propose next week easing entrepreneurs' capital gains tax, an official in his office told French media on Friday, as the Socialist leader struggles to win the confidence of business owners.

Small firms in euro zone say financing conditions worsen: ECB

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 04:26:00 -0400

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Small businesses in the euro zone faced deteriorating credit conditions, but the pace of decline in access loans has slowed from the previous six months, the European Central Bank said on Friday.

Portugal works with EIB to boost SME financing

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:36:18 -0400

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Portugal has teamed up with the European Investment Bank (EIB) to facilitate funding for the country's small companies, the country's finance minister said on Thursday.