US NEWS ON FASTMOVING

A wine company bearing the name of the former president Nelson Mandela has been established in the United States, the Sunday Sun reported. read more

Johannesburg - American businesses with operations in South Africa remain “very bullish” about the country and Africa as a whole despite concerns regarding skills‚ competitiveness and the regulatory environment in South Africa‚ US Senator Christopher Coons (Delaware) said on Wednesday night. read more

New York -- Although there were some surprising gains among retailers in January, for the most part results were expectedly mixed, as consumers took a hit on their take-home pay from higher payroll taxes but cooler weather gave a boost to others. read more

London - Global consumer confidence dipped at the end of last year, a survey showed on Monday, and more than 60 percent of respondents said the next 12 months would not be a good time to spend. read more

Washington - American income growth surged in December as companies rushed to make dividend payments before higher tax rates set in, while buoyant wage growth also gave a lift to households. read more

New York - US consumer sentiment unexpectedly deteriorated for a second straight month to its lowest in over a year in January, with many consumers citing the recent fiscal cliff debate in Washington, a survey released on Friday showed. read more

London - Drug companies are spending record amounts on acquisitions in emerging markets, with China the most attractive target nation, reflecting sharply rising sales of western medicines in the country.  read more

Americans unexpectedly pared spending in October as superstorm Sandy depressed wages, showing the world’s largest economy is cooling as lawmakers seek ways to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff.  read more

Washington - US consumer prices rose in October as the cost of shelter surged by the most in over four years, while gasoline prices fell in a boost for consumer spending power. read more

In the shadow of the US fiscal cliff, it’s difficult to focus on the few promising signs of recovery. But green shoots are sprouting in the world’s two biggest economies – the US and China. read more

Americans stepped up their spending at retail businesses in September, reflecting their growing confidence in the US economy. read more

Herborium Group, a US-based Botanical Therapeutics company developing, licensing and marketing proprietary and botanical-based medicinal products, has made Kamasutra Exotic Vodka with Natural Herbs available in the US on 9 August 2012 at Buy-Rite store in New Jersey. read more

San Francisco - China will overtake the United States as the biggest market for smartphones amid a surge in low-cost handsets, a survey said on Thursday.  read more

London - Crude oil prices fell on Wednesday following recent gains, mirroring events across world stock markets, as traders showed caution ahead of Greek talks, Fed minutes and US energy inventory data.  read more

Bankers' reluctance to lend to people with less-than-pristine credit histories is restraining the US economic recovery by holding back consumer borrowing and spending, new research from the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank shows.  read more

Soybean and corn prices rose to their highest levels in 10 days on Monday amid the worst drought in half a century, with traders set to get fresh evidence of the extent of damage from the Midwest farm belt.  read more

Paris/London - Leading members of the Group of 20 nations are prepared to trigger an emergency meeting to tackle soaring grain prices caused by the worst US drought in more than half a century and poor crops from the Black Sea bread basket. read more

Washington - US President Barack Obama urged members of Congress on Saturday to pass a farm bill that would help the agricultural sector cope with the most severe drought that has struck the United States in half a century. read more

Cape Town - The drought engulfing the central US is likely to cost $12bn, making it the costliest since 1988, experts say. read more

Futures edged down slightly on Monday after data showed that orders for manufactured goods dropped unexpectedly in the US in April. read more

It has been a solid first quarter for MillerCoors - the joint venture in the US between SABMiller and Molson Coors Brewing Company - driven by strong mix, positive pricing and unseasonably warm weather. read more

US grain futures dropped on Monday as investors fled riskier assets, after Greek and French polls stoked doubts that struggling euro zone economies could continue to pursue austerity measures crucial to resolving the bloc's debt crisis. read more

More than a third of US-based manufacturing companies with sales greater than $1bn are planning to bring back production to the United States from China  read more

Washington - US retail sales rose solidly in March as Americans shrugged off high petrol prices and bought a range of goods, implying economic growth in the first quarter was probably not as weak as many had feared.  read more

Walmart Stores Inc. plans to lower its grocery prices by $1 billion this year in hopes that customers will be drawn in by the lower prices on food and also make purchases in other areas of the store, according to a published report. The retail giant generated $145 billion in grocery sales last year.  read more

After cooling down following a visit by Chinese vice president Xi Jinping to the United States, trade tensions between China and the westerns world have once again begun to boil over protectionism claims. read more

Record dairy profits and milder weather are leading to a surge in milk supplies from Auckland to California, turning last year’s best-performing commodity contract into one of the worst of 2012. read more

South African maize futures ended mostly lower on Monday due to some profit taking following last week's strong gains.  read more

The South African agricultural sector is recovering, as shown by the agricultural indices of the Sake24 and BoE Private Clients' provincial barometers.  read more

Worldwide soybean reserves are being depleted at the fasted rate in almost two decades, as demand for food, fuel and animal feed ramp up. read more

New orders for long-lasting US manufactured goods fell in January by the most in three years as demand slumped across the board, suggesting the economy started the year on weaker footing than expected.  read more

Chicago - Walmart Stores fourth-quarter profit came in just short of Wall Street's expectations, sending shares down 2.6% as it cut prices to win over US shoppers during the holiday season. read more

The Chinese consumer may not qualify for the description “big spender”. But the traditionally thrifty Chinese may spend more than was previously thought on the things that keep households ticking over every day. read more

Manufacturing production volume grew by 4.1% quarter on quarter (q/q) on a seasonally adjusted annualised basis after contracting in the prior two quarters.  read more

US consumer spending was flat in December as households took advantage of the largest rise in income in nine months to boost their savings, setting the tone for a slowdown in demand early in 2012.  read more

The outlook for the commodity protein, produce and dairy sectors will remain "stable" for 2012, market experts have predicted.  read more

Retail sales rose in November at the slowest pace in five months, indicating American consumers were trying to live within their means heading into the holiday shopping season as wages dropped. read more

Falling consumption and a record crop will see cotton prices fall significantly next year according to analysts of the cotton market as stockpiles reach their biggest since 2005. read more

US-based Shipyard Brewing Company has added a new seasonal beer Applehead to its Pumpkinhead line. read more

French champagne producer Champagne Deutz will implement a new Regional Representation strategy beginning 2012, allowing importers / distributors outside the Champagne Louis Roederer network to represent the brand in the US.  read more

Coffee’s biggest slump in three years may be ending as weather damages crops from Colombia to Indonesia, reducing U.S. inventories to the lowest since 2000 just as Kraft Foods Inc. and J.M. Smucker Co. cut prices. read more

London - Brewer SABMiller [JSE:SAB] narrowly missed forecasts with an 11% rise in half-year earnings on Thursday, and warned that trading in Europe and North America will stay tough as its input costs tick higher. read more

Washington - US retail sales rose broadly in October and a gauge of New York state manufacturing showed growth this month for the first time since May, suggesting the economy started the fourth quarter with vigour. read more

Shoppers at US Walmart stores can now research the trove of product data the world’s largest retailer gathers, through a new iPad app and updated app for iPhones. read more

US containerised import volume fell 6% in September from the previous month as pessimism among retailers over consumer demand heading into the Christmas holiday period intensified. read more