April 24- General Electric Co shareholders rejected a proposal to split the roles of chairman and chief executive, jobs currently held by Jeff Immelt, GE said on Wednesday.
*Q1 mining orders down 30 pct for Sandvik, 18 pct for Metso. STOCKHOLM/ HELSINKI, April 23- A drop in orders for Nordic engineering firms Sandvik and Metso added to signs on Tuesday that mining companies are cutting back spending as commodity prices slide.
*Commodities slip as China data adds to demand concerns. LONDON, April 23- The euro fell below $1.30 to the dollar and German bond futures jumped on Tuesday after data revealed a slowdown in business activity in Germany and China in April, heightening concerns over the global growth outlook.
China stocks led losses in Asian markets on Tuesday, after a preliminary survey of factory managers showed factory activity slowing in April, renewing fears of a slowdown in the world's second largest economy.
STOCKHOLM, April 23- Swedish machinery and tool maker Sandvik posted a bigger-than-expected 33 percent drop in first-quarter operating profit, adding to signs that miners are cutting back spending amid sliding commodities prices.
*Komatsu, HCM gain after U.S. TOKYO, April 23- Japan's Nikkei average held steady on Tuesday morning as the yen's slide towards 100 to the dollar stalled, prompting investors to lock in some of the recent gains although the underlying mood remained upbeat on bold efforts by the government and central bank to revive the economy.
CHICAGO, April 22- An odd thing happened on Monday when Caterpillar Inc, the world's largest maker of earth-moving equipment, posted disappointing profits and cut its full-year forecast, blaming weakness in the mining industry it bet on so heavily in recent years. So what was different about Caterpillar?
*Halliburton, Caterpillar rise after comments, results. NEW YORK, April 22- U.S. stocks climbed on Monday as last week's sharp losses brought buyers back to the market and Microsoft Corp shares jumped after an activist investor took a stake in the company.
*Wall Street led higher by tech, cyclical shares. NEW YORK, April 22- World equity markets edged up on Monday, erasing early losses as Wall Street rebounded after a hefty decline last week, while the dollar fell against the yen but remained within a hair's breadth of the key 100- yen level.
*Halliburton and Caterpillar rise after comments, results. NEW YORK, April 22- U.S. stocks climbed on Monday as last week's sharp losses brought buyers back to the market and shares of Microsoft jumped after an activist investor took a stake in the company.
NEW YORK, April 22- U.S. stocks climbed on Monday, led by gains in the Nasdaq after reports that activist investor ValueAct Capital took a $2 billion stake in Microsoft, while a jump in the shares of Caterpillar helped buoy the Dow industrials. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 19.66 points or 0.14 percent, to end unofficially at 14,567.17.
NEW YORK, April 22- The dollar slipped against the Japanese yen on Monday but remained within a hair's breadth of the key 100 level while global equities erased earlier losses as Wall Street attempted a rebound after its worst weekly decline this year.
CHICAGO, April 22- Caterpillar Inc posted disappointing quarterly results and cut its 2013 profit forecast on Monday to reflect a drop in demand for heavy equipment from its mining customers.
*Halliburton and Caterpillar rise after results. Caterpillar Inc and Halliburton ranked among the S&P 500' s biggest gainers after reporting results. Caterpillar's stock gained 2.6 percent to $82.55.