The Traderszone Network

Holcim Ltd (HOLN.VX), a Swiss company, and Lafarge S.A. (LAFP.PA), which is based in Paris, on Monday won U.S. antitrust approval to merge after they agreed to divest assets, the Federal Trade Commission. The companies won approval for the deal from European Union antitrust enforcers in December. In the United States, the two companies agreed that Lafarge would sell a cement plant and quarry in Iowa as well as terminals and distribution centers in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Louisiana.

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WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen met with a research firm that later published confidential information from the central bank, she said on Monday. Yellen met with Medley Global Advisors in June 2012, she said in a letter, months before the firm unveiled details of a September Fed meeting a day ahead of the publication of the central bank’s own record of the discussions. The Justice Department is investigating Medley over a possible leak of information from the Fed.

Billionaire hedge fund manager David Einhorn, who often moves a stock simply by speaking its name, on Monday kicked off the year’s most prominent investment conference by laying out a case against oil frackers, arguing these companies drill “lots and lots of holes” and burn through plenty of cash. Einhorn, who often unveils short-bets against companies at these events, cited Pioneer Natural Resources Co as a particular offender at the 20th annual Sohn Investment Conference.

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Deutsche Bank in April last year filed a complaint that alleged Morgan Stanley had falsely represented the quality of the loans, the U.S. bank said in a regulatory filing. The loans were in a trust backed by a Morgan Stanley unit in which the Deutsche Bank subsidiary was a trustee, the filing said. Morgan Stanley said the Southern District of New York court last month denied in part the company’s motion to dismiss the case.

Consumer goods maker Unilever (ULVR.L) says its brands that most fully embrace its CEO’s passion for sustainability perform the best, adding fuel to its oft-repeated argument that social responsibility is good for business. Of the more than 400 brands Unilever sells, those with the strongest sustainability credentials — such as Dove, Lifebuoy, Ben & Jerry’s and Comfort — have seen sales grow at a high single-digit or double-digit rate over the past three years, Unilever said on Tuesday.

Wang Jianlin, chairman of Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda, surpasses Alibaba founder Jack Ma and Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing to become the richest person in Asia, according to the latest Bloomberg rankings.
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InvenSense reported its fourth quarter earnings on Monday. Here are the key takeaways.