Georges Plassat was known as The Cleaner when at the helm of French retail group Vivarte, with a reputation as a ruthless cost-killer who could at times be harsh with the troops.
Asian shares inched down and the euro fell from its highest in more than six weeks Monday, as markets cautiously tuned in to a likely debt swap deal for Greece that is crucial to avoiding a messy default and eyed yet another European summit meeting.
China's Premier Wen Jiabao said the nation's government debt is at an overall safe and controllable level, that funding for key projects would be ensured and that applying the brakes to the problem would be done in a way to avoid systemic risks.
Gold ticked lower Monday after earlier rising to its highest in more than seven weeks as investors awaited the outcome of Greece's debt deal talks, but sentiment was supported by a firmer euro and lower-than-expected U.S. growth data.
Delivery trucks wear out, computers break down, software becomes outdated -- and finally businesses have to start investing in new equipment. Companies that want to remain competitive have to start spending again as an economy slowly recovers.
* CEO could theoretically get 8 mln stg bonus
Swiss engineering giant ABB Ltd was near an agreement Sunday to acquire U.S. manufacturer Thomas & Betts Corp for about $4 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on its Website Sunday, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter.
Top Republican lawmakers on Sunday said they expect to forge a deal with Democrats to extend the payroll tax cut before it expires at the end of February but offered no specifics on how they would pay for it.
Chancellor Angela Merkel tried to deflect growing international pressure on Germany to agree an increase in the euro zone's bailout funds Sunday by saying talks were still continuing.
January has turned out to be strong for stocks with just two trading days to go. If you're afraid to miss the ride, there's still time to jump in. You just might want to wear a neck brace.
A tumultuous 12 months that saw revolutions in the Middle East, a worsening debt crisis in Europe and a tsunami in Japan has set the tone for corporate activity in 2012.
Oil prices could rise as high as $150 per barrel because of the European Union ban on imports of Iranian crude, the country's deputy oil minister was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency on Sunday.
The new Swiss National Bank chief could be named in February, sooner than had been expected after the resignation of former chairman Philipp Hildebrand earlier this month, a newspaper reported on Sunday.
Irish voters would narrowly back a proposed European Union treaty to tighten budget rules if it was put to a referendum, an opinion poll showed on Saturday, but a quarter of those questioned said they were still undecided.
More than 218,000 people have already viewed the best/worst Twitter recruitment video the social media company released on Friday. The job recruitment video titled At Twitter, The Future is You! is called by the company a hackweek project: make the best/worst recruiting video of all time. Done.
Top Goldman Sachs Group Inc executives received previously restricted stock awards that are now worth $47.7 million, according to regulatory filings, though the executives are still limited in selling most of their Goldman stock.
International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde led a global push on Saturday for the euro zone to boost its financial firewall, saying if it is big enough it will not get used.
Budding bankers expecting the bumper bonuses of years gone by will have to think again, with only the top performers likely to be paid top dollar.
Royal Bank of Scotland's Chairman Philip Hampton will not pick up a 1.4 million pound ($2.2 million) stock bonus, the bailed-out bank said, following public anger and political squabbling over a 1 million pound bonus for its chief executive.
The break-up of Switzerland's oldest bank Wegelin on Friday shows the need to settle a dispute with U.S. authorities over tax cheats hiding cash in secret Swiss accounts, the finance minister said on Saturday.
Greece and its private creditors head back to the negotiating table on Saturday to put together the final pieces of a long-awaited debt swap agreement needed to avert an unruly default.
Germany is pushing for Greece to relinquish control over its budget policy to European institutions as part of discussions over a second rescue package, a European source told Reuters on Friday.
Germany is pushing for Greece to relinquish control over its budget policy to European institutions as part of discussions over a second rescue package, a European source told Reuters on Friday.
Rupert Murdoch's News Corp is in serious talks to poach veteran Bloomberg LP executive Lex Fenwick to run its Dow Jones publishing business, which houses the Wall Street Journal, according to two people familiar with the discussions.
In his final act before departing the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday, the agency's inspector general, David Kotz, criticized how the agency analyzes the economic impact of some of its Dodd-Frank rules.
Fitch downgraded the sovereign credit ratings of Belgium, Cyprus, Italy, Slovenia and Spain on Friday, indicating there was a 1-in-2 chance of further cuts in the next two years.
Hotel companies and real estate firms are optimistic that deal transactions will pick up this year despite concerns about Europe's economy and challenges in obtaining debt financing.
The names of a Goldman Sachs board member and a top executive of Berkshire Hathaway surfaced on Friday as potential witnesses in the insider trading trial of Rajat Gupta, a former director of Goldman, Procter & Gamble and other companies.
Former Groupon Inc sales representatives sued by that company after leaving for Google Inc have filed a countersuit, claiming their former employer is pursuing sham litigation to keep them from joining rivals.
It has only been a few days since the Federal Reserve adopted a formal goal for inflation, and already policymakers are missing their target.
