The Traderszone Network

Union leaders rejected a sixth contract offer Royal Dutch Shell Plc made to U.S. refinery workers, and a pause in negotiations was called Thursday on the fifth day of a strike, though talks are set to resume next week. The United Steelworkers union (USW), which represents workers at 63 U.S. refineries, had recommended that locals reject the proposal, which was floated after the first big walkouts since 1980. “The parties have recessed and have agreed to resume talks,” Ray Fisher, spokesman for Shell whose U.S. unit leads negotiations for oil companies, said after the union rejection.

Pfizer is known for prescription medicines like impotence treatment Viagra and Lyrica for nerve pain, but many of its biggest brands, including cholesterol treatment Lipitor and painkiller Celebrex, have lost patent protection and are facing cheaper generics. Hospira makes generic versions of injectable drugs that are widely used in hospitals, through vials, syringes and bags, as well as pumps used to deliver them and other fluids.

Verizon Communications (VZ.N) said it would sell wireline assets to Frontier Communications (FTR.O) for $10.54 billion in cash and sell and lease cell phone towers for around $5 billion to American Tower in a deal that will help it pay off recent wireless spectrum purchases. The transaction is the latest in a series of non-core assets that Verizon has sold in recent months to reduce debt and raise cash for investments.

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Among the companies whose shares are expected to see active trade in Friday’s session are Moody’s, Madison Square Garden, and CBOE.
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“Mad Money” host Jim Cramer makes a bold call on where it’s time to move money now.

Asian equities were mixed on Friday ahead of the closely-watched U.S. jobs report while apprehension about Greece also weighed on sentiment.

Mad Money host Jim Cramer explains how Europe can cause some incredible sales at any given moment.