European events as strong as any in world: Tour chief

(Reuters) - Europe's economic plight has not affected the continent's premier golf circuit and the tour still has some of the best events in the world, chief executive George O'Grady said on Tuesday.The European Tour is increasingly spreading its wings beyond Europe to the Far East in terms of venues and O'Grady is full of optimism for this season despite the move to the U.S. PGA Tour of top performers...

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Veteran broker departures shift $133 billion client assets in 2012

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brokerages saw top advisers depart in droves last year and shift $132.5 billion in client assets with them, a Reuters tally shows, creating headaches for some Wall Street banks at a time when wealth management is becoming an increasingly important part of business.Unprecedented signing bonuses, cultural changes linked to acquisitions, a push to cross-sell company products, and...

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Global shares, oil dip, but growth prospects limit falls

 World stocks and oil prices eased on Monday ending a new year rally as some investors chose to book profits, but signs of a brightening global economic growth outlook limited the falls.Wall Street looked to set to follow a similar path after the benchmark Standard & Poor's index surged to a five-year high on Friday when data showed employers kept up a steady pace of hiring in December and...

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Futures slip after S&P hits pre-recession levels

 Stock futures are cooling off after the Standard & Poor's index reached levels last week not seen since the start of the Great Recession.Dow Jones industrial futures are down 8 points to 13,338. The broader S&P futures have lost 0.80 points to 1,456.90. Nasdaq futures are down a point at 2,712.Investors appear to be taking some money off the table with the earnings season kicking off...

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US troops arrive in Turkey for Patriot missiles

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — U.S. troops have started to arrive in Turkey to man Patriot missiles meant to protect the NATO ally from potential Syrian warheads, the U.S. military said Friday.The United States, Germany and the Netherlands are each deploying two batteries of the U.S.-built defense system to boost ally Turkey's air defenses against any spillover from Syria's nearly 2-year civil war. The Patriot...

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Church of England ends ban on gay bishops

LONDON (Reuters) - The Church of England has lifted a ban on gay male clergy who live with their partners from becoming bishops on condition they pledge to stay celibate, threatening to reignite an issue that splits the 80-million-strong global Anglican community.The issue of homosexuality has driven a rift between Western and African Anglicans since a Canadian diocese approved blessings for same-sex...

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Christmas updates to shine light on UK retail prospects

LONDON (Reuters) - The prospects for consumer spending and the broader British economy will be in focus next week when a host of retailers, including Marks & Spencer and Tesco, report Christmas sales figures.Many store groups found the going tough last year as consumers fretted over job security and a squeeze on incomes.With wage rises failing to match inflation and another round of government...

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