VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Chances that U.S. negotiators can bring home a strong trade deal with Asia-Pacific countries are now much better than 50-50, U.S. President Barack Obama said on Thursday.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday urged countries at U.N. climate talks in Lima to move away from using fossil fuels while demonstrators gathered outside the meeting urged him to reject the Keystone oil pipeline.

The U.S. National Association of Manufacturers on Wednesday wrote to congressional and Federal Communications Commission leaders to oppose potential stricter regulations for Internet service providers.

U.S. economic growth was likely stronger in the third quarter than previously reported, according to data on Wednesday that showed spending on services expanding at a brisk clip.

Congressional negotiators unveiled a $1.1 trillion U.S. spending bill that aims to avoid a government shutdown at midnight on Thursday and punts an immigration showdown between Republicans and President Barack Obama until February.

The Dow and S&P 500 eked out a fifth session of record closing highs on Tuesday, barely extending the market's recent rally in light volume as consumer discretionary shares gained.

The U.S. budget deficit fell by nearly a third during fiscal 2014 to $486 billion as federal revenues grew far faster than spending, the Congressional Budget Office said on Wednesday.

Medical equipment supplier Becton Dickinson & Co (BDX.N) has agreed to buy CareFusion Corp (CFN.N), a maker of infusion pumps and other medical devices, for $12.2 billion in cash and stock, marking the latest multibillion-dollar healthcare sector deal.

U.S. employers ramped up hiring in September and the jobless rate fell to a six-year low, bolstering bets the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates in mid-2015.

Asian share market sentiment was cautious on Thursday after U.S. President Barack Obama vowed to fight Islamic State militants, while the dollar pushed to fresh six-year highs against the yen.

The U.S. dollar held near a six-year peak against the yen early on Thursday and powered to a seven-month high on its New Zealand peer, which fell after the country's central bank said its current level is "unjustified and unsustainable".

World markets jumped on Wednesday as Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko said a ceasefire had been reached with Russia, raising hopes that a recent escalation in the conflict could be reversed.

Todd Park, President Barack Obama's chief technology officer who played a role in fixing the flawed Healthcare.gov website, is moving to a new job recruiting top Silicon Valley talent to government, a source familiar with the situation said on Friday.

The federal government would need a warrant from a judge if it wants the cooperation of California officials in searching residents' cellphone and computer records, under a bill making its way through the state legislature.

When Americans voted to renew President Barack Obama's lease on the White House in November 2012, more than 9 million citizens took to Facebook to click the "I'm a Voter" button, showing their online friends that they had cast a ballot.