Chicago

More

• US cattle herd at 61-year low, but rebuilding may be under way

  *USDA cattle herd down about 1.6 pct yr-over-yr. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday said the U.S. cattle herd as January 1 was 89.30 million head, down 1.6 percent from a year earlier and the smallest U.S. herd since 1952. Analysts expected a 1.8 percent decline.

• SOFTS-Sugar pierces two-week high as shorts run for cover

  NEW YORK/ LONDON, Feb 1- Raw sugar futures on ICE rose to 19 cents for the first time in two weeks on Friday on short-covering and improving sentiment, although prices pared gains after hitting technical resistance.

• US STOCKS-Wall St surges to 5-year highs; Dow ends above 14,000

  More than 600 stocks on NYSE, Nasdaq combined hit 52- week highs. *Google shares hit an all-time high of $776.60. NEW YORK, Feb 1- U.S. stocks rose to five-year highs on Friday, with the Dow closing above 14,000 for the first time since October 2007, after jobs and manufacturing data showed the economy's recovery remains on track.

• US STOCKS-Wall St rises on jobs, factory data, Dow passes 14,000

  *Google shares briefly touch all-time high before retreating. NEW YORK, Feb 1- U.S. stocks rose to five-year highs on Friday after jobs and manufacturing data showed the economy's recovery remains on track.

• Mississippi River barge backup shrinks, oil cleanup continues

  Feb 1- Mississippi River barge traffic remained congested on Friday near Vicksburg, Mississippi, where a barge accident and oil spill shuttered the major shipping artery on Sunday, but the backlog of boats was slowly declining.

• WRAPUP 5-U.S. jobs, factory data point to steady economic growth

  *Average hourly earnings rise four cents. WASHINGTON, Feb 1- U.S. employment grew modestly in January and factory activity touched a nine-month high, supporting views the economy's mild recovery remained on track.

• New Viking Range owner cuts 20 percent of workers

  Middleby Corp, based near Chicago, said it laid off about 140 of Viking's 700 employees Thursday. Carl had earlier said that he probably would lead the company for several more years and cited Middleby's pattern of leaving managers in place after buying companies.

• US STOCKS-Wall St rallies on upbeat data

  *Dow hits 14,000 for first time since Oct 2007. NEW YORK, Feb 1- U.S. stocks hit five-year highs on Friday after jobs and manufacturing data showed the economy's sluggish recovery is still on track. "All the data seems to keep pointing to a slowly, steadily improving economy," said Eric Kuby, chief investment officer at North Star Investment Management Corp in Chicago.

• GLOBAL ECONOMY-US manufacturing surges, Chinese recovery more modest

  *China's official PMI eases to 50.4, HSBC reading at two-year high. NEW YORK/ LONDON, Feb 1- U.S. manufacturing growth quickened in January and hiring across the economy increased in late 2012, but Chinese factories only managed a slight rebound as the new year began, suggesting that world economic growth remains sluggish.

• RPT-WRAPUP 3-U.S. employment report points to steady economic growth

  *Average hourly earnings rise four cents.

• Beef Price Spike Makes $1 Burger Harder to Stomach

  

  McDonald's popular $1 McDouble cheeseburger, which has lured customers to the Golden Arches since 2008, is getting hard to sustain as rising beef prices threaten the company's profit margin.

• US STOCKS-Wall Street surges to five-year highs on data

  *Dow hits 14,000 for first time since Oct 2007. NEW YORK, Feb 1- U.S. stocks climbed to five-year highs on Friday in the wake of jobs and manufacturing data that showed the economy's sluggish recovery is still on track.

• INSIGHT-Revived search for a TB vaccine may be about to pay off

  CHICAGO, Feb 1- After nearly 100 years, researchers could be on the verge of finding a vaccine that would eradicate tuberculosis infections, a scourge that kills 1.4 million people a year. "In my own personal view, I will consider this to be a landmark or a watershed," said Peggy Johnston, senior program officer at the Bill& Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle.

• ANALYSIS-Beef price spike makes $1 McDouble harder to stomach

  *McDouble price above $1 in LA, Manhattan and Chicago McDonald's promoting $1 Grilled Onion Cheddar Burger. Feb 1- McDonald's popular $1 McDouble cheeseburger, which has lured customers to the Golden Arches since 2008, is getting hard to sustain as rising beef prices threaten the company's profit margin.

• United Continental fails to end frequent flier lawsuit

  Jan 31- A federal judge on Thursday rejected United Continental Holdings Inc's attempt to throw out a lawsuit accusing the world's largest carrier of taking benefits away from some of its most loyal fliers.

• Nikkei seen rising, poised to post 12th straight week of gains

  TOKYO, Feb 1- Japan's Nikkei share average is set to edge up on Friday and is seen posting its 12th straight week of gains, the longest streak in 54 years, as ongoing optimism on the weak yen is likely to lift exporters, while expectations of a recovery in the U.S. economy supports sentiment.

• UPDATE 3-Peregrine boss Wasendorf gets 50 years jail for fraud

  CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, Jan 31- A U.S. judge on Thursday sentenced the founder of Peregrine Financial Group to 50 years in prison for looting hundreds of millions of dollars from the brokerage, saying his customers would probably never recover the money they lost.

• GLOBAL MARKETS-Stocks fall; euro gains; US jobs data ahead

  *U.S. stocks fall, European stocks extend losses. NEW YORK, Jan 31- The euro gained on Thursday for the third straight session against the dollar on the way to its best monthly performance in more than a year, while U.S. stocks fell as investors awaited a key U.S. jobs report slated for Friday. The euro hit a peak of $1.3593 on Thursday before paring gains.

• GLOBAL MARKETS-U.S. stocks flat; euro advances; jobs data ahead

  *U.S. stocks flat, European stocks extend losses. NEW YORK, Jan 31- The euro advanced for the third straight day against the dollar on Thursday on the way to its best monthly performance in more than a year, while U.S. stocks were little changed with investors reluctant to make large bets ahead of a key U.S. jobs report.

• GLOBAL MARKETS-U.S. stocks little changed; Treasuries, gold down

  *U.S. stocks flat, European stocks extend losses. NEW YORK, Jan 31- The euro gained against the dollar on Thursday en route to its best monthly performance in more than a year, while U.S. stocks were flat in muted trading, with investors reluctant to make large bets ahead of key U.S. jobs figures on Friday.