Business News

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street rose at the open on Wednesday, advancing its rally a day after the Dow hit a new record high as hiring by companies rose strongly last month.

PARIS (Reuters) - French carmaker Renault has won agreement from unions for a nationwide deal on pay and conditions that it says will boost its competitiveness, as a second union gave its backing to the plans on Wednesday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. private employers added a larger-than-expected 198,000 jobs in February, bolstering hopes that hiring across the economy is improving, a report by a payrolls processor showed on Wednesday.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union fined Microsoft Corp 561 million euros ($731 million) on Wednesday for failing to offer users a choice of web browser, an unprecedented sanction that will act as a warning to other firms involved in EU antitrust disputes.

LANCASTER, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - A second Federal Reserve policymaker is calling on the U.S. central bank to begin tapering the amount of bonds it is buying.

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - MTN Group , Africa's largest mobile phone company, is interested in a Myanmar operating license, which it expects will cost the winning bidder $200-$500 million in license fees.

(Reuters) - A special committee of Dell Inc's board of directors said the pending sale of the PC maker was the best alternative for shareholders, despite opposition from its largest outside shareholder.

GENEVA (Reuters) - When Geneva taxi driver Boulbaba Ben Hassine took his Opel Zafira MPV back to the dealership for maintenance, a salesman tried to sell him a Chevrolet Cruze station wagon.

(Reuters) - Nasdaq OMX Group Inc said it will form a marketplace for trading in shares in unlisted companies in a joint venture with SharesPost Inc, whose private trading platform has run into regulatory trouble.

SAN FRANCISCO/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Apple Inc has held talks with Beats Electronics LLC, the audio technology firm co-founded by influential hip-hop producer Dr Dre and music mogul Jimmy Iovine, on a potential partnership involving Beats' planned music-streaming service, three people familiar with the situation told Reuters.