Will Tony Stark's comic book brother take over for Robert Downey Jr. in the Marvel movie-verse?
By Alex Zalben
BANGKOK (AP) — World stock markets fell Wednesday, hit by slower U.S. hiring and reports of tighter money market conditions in China that could check its economic recovery.
Weaker-than-expected U.S. job creation in September was a mixed cue for markets. On the plus side, it boosted the case for a full-strength continuation of the Federal Reserve's super-easy monetary policy that has boosted investment in stocks worldwide. On the downside, it suggests U.S. demand for exports will continue to be subdued, which could hurt company earnings.
The Labor Department reported that 148,000 jobs were created in September, below the consensus among analysts for around 180,000. Following revisions to back data, it means that the U.S. economy added an average of 143,000 jobs a month from July through September, down from 182,000 from April through June.
Sentiment in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan was hurt by reports the central bank refrained from injecting funds into money markets, pushing up short-term lending rates.
Markets were also down in Europe where Britain's FTSE 100 dropped 0.4 percent to 6,668.81. Germany's DAX fell 0.4 percent to 8,912.97 and France's CAC-40 tumbled 0.6 percent to 4,269.70.
Futures pointed to a retreat on Wall Street too. Dow futures were down 0.4 percent and broader S&P 500 futures lost 0.5 percent.
In Asia, China's Shanghai Composite Index fell 1.3 percent to 2,183.11 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 1.4 percent to 23,999.95. Taiwan's benchmark dropped 0.3 percent to 8,393.62.
China's economic growth rebounded to 7.8 percent in the third quarter but inflation and house prices have also risen, creating a balancing act for policymakers who want to shift the economy to growth driven by consumption rather than investment and exports.
Japan's Nikkei 225 tumbled 2 percent to 14,426.05 as the yen gained against the U.S. dollar, which can hurt sales and profits at Japanese exporters.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.3 percent to 5,356.10.
In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude for December delivery was down 78 cents at $97.53 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell $1.38 to $98.30 on Tuesday.
The dollar fell to 97.26 yen from 98.13 yen late Tuesday. The euro fell to $1.3755 from $1.3777.
Craig Federighi has announced that OS X Mavericks will be made available for free starting today. It can be downloaded directly from the Mac App Store.
Keep an eye on our ongoing event coverage today!
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/iH_dcLBQwic/story01.htmMichele K. Short/FX
"American Horror Story"
With partial DVR data now available for the first two episodes of American Horror Story: Coven, FX's latest entry in the anthology series is proving to be remarkably steady -- and huge. Ahead of Live+Seven Day ratings, both episodes are already outpacing all but one other telecast (Sons of Anarchy) in network history.
Upping its time-shifted viewing in the second week to leave the audience virtually on par with the massive premiere (7.121 versus 7.266 million in Live+Three), Coven actually improved its lot among adults 18-34. The new record, 2.945 million in the demo, now outranks the network's all-time top performer across the board (the recent season-six premiere of Sons).
PHOTOS: THR Goes On Set With 'American Horror Story: Coven'
Among adults 18-49, the second episode of Coven is also neck-and-neck with its premiere -- falling a touch from a 4.98 to 4.92 million demo viewers. That's a difference of less than a tenth of a ratings point.
Compared to the previous two seasons in the American Horror Story franchise, Coven is outpacing Asylum by 41 percent in the key demo and Murder House by a whopping 90 percent.
Looking at FX's top 50 telecasts of all time, all of which save Coven include the extra four days of DVR use, 18 of the top 20 are all Sons of Anarchy. The first two episodes of Coven currently hold the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, and the most recent episode is on track to topple the premiere when Live+Seven is available for both.
So what does that mean? Barring a serious drop in momentum, Coven may end up rivaling the current run of veteran Sons of Anarchy as the highest-rated season of any show in the cable network's history.
As a part of the launch of the Retina iPad mini, Apple announced that the original iPad mini is getting a price cut down to $299, and the new iPad mini 2 will be taking the $399 spot.
$299 is a sweet spot for many tablet shoppers, and it's good to see a relatively new iPad finding its way down the price ladder that low. Anyone considering snagging one as a holiday gift?
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/vWBVg1jY7Sk/story01.htm
