The Traderszone Network

High-speed trading in U.S. futures markets is being dominated by a small number of firms that should be forced to register with regulators to ensure adequate oversight, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s former chief economist will tell lawmakers

Stocks were down Thursday, though the market is still near its all-time highs. That may change should one big hedge fund manager and one chart turn out to be correct.

Economic sanctions against Russia could be backfiring in one sense: U.S. companies such as Deere and Visa are warning that their profits are suffering.

U.S. housing starts jumped in April and building permits hit their highest level in nearly six years, offering hope that the troubled housing market could be stabilizing. The Commerce Department said on Friday groundbreaking increased 13.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 1.07 million units, the highest level since November 2013. Compared to April last year, groundbreaking was up 26.4 percent.

read more

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK/A) disclosed a holding in Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) in a wager that the telecommunications company will benefit after buying out its partner in the largest U.S. wireless business. Verizon posted the biggest increase in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Berkshire held 11 million Verizon shares as of March 31, Buffett’s company said yesterday in a regulatory filing. Verizon acquired Vodafone Group Plc’s minority stake in Verizon Wireless in February, allowing it to it stop paying a dividend to its partner.

The Swedish government launched a fightback on Friday against U.S. drugmaker Pfizer’s (PFE) proposed takeover of AstraZeneca (AZN.L), which has half its roots and more than 5,000 staff in Sweden, highlighting the risks to jobs and science. In an unusual move for the center-right government which favors an open economy, three ministers spoke out against the deal at a joint press conference, pointing to Pfizer’s history of job cuts after previous acquisitions.

read more

A trading error at Barclays Plc this week caused split-second swings in dozens of U.S. stocks including AOL Inc. and Caterpillar Inc., according to people familiar with the matter.