ADP Says US Companies Cut Estimated 169000 Jobs 
Dec. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Companies in the U.S. cut anestimated 169,000 jobs in November, according to a privatereport based on payroll data.
The drop, the smallest since July 2008, compares with arevised 195,000 decline the prior month, data from ADP EmployerServices showed today. The figures were forecast to show adecline of 150,000 jobs, according to the median estimate of 32economists in a Bloomberg survey.
The report signals the job market is still deterioratingand unemployment will probably climb further even as theeconomy is emerging from the worst recession since the 1930s.After overestimating payroll losses by 103,000 on average inthe five months to September, ADP’s initial estimate forOctober was in line with the government’s payroll figures.
US STOCKS-Futures little changed ahead of ADP employment report
* ADP employment, Fed Beige Book on tap
* Futures: Dow off 7 pts, S&P up 0.4 pts, Nasdaq off 1.5
NEW YORK, Dec 2 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures wereflat on Wednesday as investors awaited a private-sectoremployment report and the Federal Reserve's Beige Book ofregional economic conditions.
US STOCKS-Wall Street set for flat open after ADP report
* ADP employment shows improvement from Oct
* Fed's Beige Book on deck
By Chuck Mikolajczak
Fed report sees weak economy modestly improving
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The weak U.S. economy is improving modestly with little upward pressure on wages and finished goods despite commodity price gains, the Federal Reserve said on Wednesday in a report that gives it little reason to move from its current ultra-low interest rates.
Eight of the Fed's 12 districts reported some pickup in economic activity since an October 21 report. The remaining four -- Philadelphia, Cleveland, Richmond and Atlanta -- reported conditions little changed or mixed, the Fed said in its Beige Book anecdotal report on economic conditions.
Commercial real estate and construction ran counter to the trend of moderate pickup, however. Business contacts told the Fed those areas are very weak and in many cases deteriorating.
GM's Henderson Said to Flunk Board's 100-Day Review
Dec. 2 (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Co. Chief ExecutiveOfficer Fritz Henderson resigned after eight months on the jobas directors concluded he hadn’t done enough to fix GM’sfinances and culture, people familiar with the matter said.
The board gave Henderson, 51, a 100-day review yesterday onhis performance since GM’s July 10 bankruptcy exit, said thepeople, who asked not to be identified because the discussionswere private. Several directors also expressed the view that anoutsider was needed to run the automaker, one person said.
Henderson’s exit caps a tenure that included aborted dealsto sell the Saturn, Saab and Opel units, a struggle to replacetop managers such as Chief Financial Officer Ray Young, and U.S.market-share losses. Chairman Ed Whitacre took over on aninterim basis, giving the former AT&T Inc. CEO and chairman achance to help pick a successor and put his stamp on GM.
Stocks narrowly mixed after jobs report
NEW YORK — Investors are making few moves in early trading Wednesday after a private group's report showed job cuts declined in November for the eighth straight month, but not as much as forecast.
Major stock indexes are wavering after the ADP National Employment Report said 169,000 private sector jobs were lost in November, slightly worse than the 160,000 cuts expected by economists polled by Thomson Reuters.
The eighth straight decline in job losses provides further evidence the U.S. economy is recovering, but at a slow pace. A stabilization in job losses and eventual rehiring of workers is considered vital to a continued recovery.
INSTANT VIEW: GM CEO Fritz Henderson steps down
NEW YORK (Reuters) - General Motors Chief Executive Frederick "Fritz" Henderson stepped down at the request of the company's board of directors on Tuesday and will be replaced by current Chairman Ed Whitacre.
The following are comments from analysts and other market sources on the change at the top at the largest U.S. automaker.
COMMENTS
Henderson Said to Flunk Board's 100-Day Review on Remaking GM
Dec. 2 (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Co. Chief ExecutiveOfficer Fritz Henderson resigned after eight months on the jobas directors concluded he hadn’t done enough to fix GM’sfinances and culture, people familiar with the matter said.
The board gave Henderson, 51, a 100-day review yesterday onhis performance since GM’s July 10 bankruptcy exit, said thepeople, who asked not to be identified because the discussionswere private. Several directors also expressed the view that anoutsider was needed to run the automaker, one person said.
Henderson’s exit caps a tenure that included the abortedsales of the Saturn, Saab and Opel units; a struggle to replacetop managers such as Chief Financial Officer Ray Young; and U.S.market-share losses. Chairman Ed Whitacre took over on aninterim basis, giving the former AT&T Inc. CEO and chairman achance to help pick a successor and put his stamp on GM.
UPDATE 3-GM CEO Henderson departs in shakeup by board
* GM Chairman Whitacre becomes interim CEO
* Henderson steps down at board's request -source
* Search begins for new CEO; outsider seen likely (Recasts first sentence, adds details of departure, commentsfrom analysts, background)
Comcast-NBC Deal Would Face 'Gauntlet' of Regulatory Reviews
Dec. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Comcast Corp.’s planned takeover ofNBC Universal will draw scrutiny from Obama administrationregulators who have said consolidation of U.S. media companiesmay thwart competition.
The deal became more likely after General Electric Co.,NBC’s parent company, agreed yesterday to buy Vivendi SA’s 20percent stake in NBC for $5.8 billion, according to two peoplewith knowledge of the discussions. The agreement paves the wayfor creation of an entertainment joint venture controlled byComcast, the biggest U.S. cable company.
The Comcast-NBC combination would be reviewed by theFederal Communications Commission and either the Federal TradeCommission or the Justice Department’s antitrust division.
