By Heather SomervilleSAN FRANCISCO, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Online education company Udacity, which offers courses in high-tech subjects such as machine learning, said on Tuesday it more than doubled its annual revenue last year and added about 34,000 new students to its online degree programs.The company, founded by Sebastian Thrun, one of Silicon Valley's pioneers in self-driving cars, said it increa...Read More

Despite being slightly higher most of the morning, stocks have reversed lower at midday. Traders are eyeing new Fed Chair Jerome Powell's first Congressional testimony, where he hinted that four rate hikes could be on the horizon this year, if the economy and inflation continue to strengthen. With bond yields back on the rise,the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI), S&P 500 Index (SPX), and Nasdaq...Read More

Editor's Note: Gold and silver has been, at best, a frustrating trade. Exclusive to Kitco News, expert trader, Todd "Bubba" Horwitz, chief market strategist and founder of 'Bubba Trading provides a strategy investors can use in a range-bound gold price environment. Sign up before March 10 for the Kitco News Weekly Rundown newsletter to receive Horwitz's exclusive report and trading strategy.(Kitco...Read More

(Adds Powell comments, updates markets)By Ann SaphirFeb 27 (Reuters) - Traders boosted bets the Federal Reserve will squeeze in a fourth rate hike this year after new Chairman Jerome Powell told a congressional committee that recent data has strengthened his confidence on inflation. "I think each of us is going to be taking the developments since the December meeting into account and writing...Read More

TORONTO, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Canadian lender Bank of Nova Scotia said on Tuesday it would keep its ScotiaMocatta metals trading business, ending months of speculation that it could be sold, and the bank also reported earnings that beat market expectations.However, the metals business will be slimmed down following a strategic review, the bank's investment banking head, Dieter Jentsch, said on a con...Read More

* BoE rejects primary competition remit* Woods says stuck with "local fixes" for EU rules (Adds more details)By Huw JonesLONDON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - The Bank of England will not "go soft" on enforcing European Union capital rules for insurers, but will look at ways to make it easier for new entrants to boost competition in the industry, its deputy governor Sam Woods said on Tues...Read More

(Kitco News)- Upbeat comments on the U.S. economy from new Fed ChairJerome Powell is dragging gold prices down to a two-week low.While markets saw little reaction to Powell’s openingremarks, which some economists deemed hawkish, they are reacting to commentsduring the question and answer portion of the hearing. Both gold and equitieshave lost ground following Powell’s optimistic outloo...Read More

(Kitco News) - Upbeat comments on the U.S. economy from new Fed Chair Jerome Powell is dragging gold prices down to a two-week low.While markets saw little reaction to Powell’s opening remarks, which some economists deemed hawkish, they are reacting to comments during the question and answer portion of the hearing. Both gold and equities have lost ground following Powell’s optimistic o...Read More

NEW YORK, Feb 27 (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday sold $22 billion in one-year bills at an interest rate 2.020 percent, which was the first time this maturity was sold above 2 percent since August 2008, Treasury data showed.The Treasury also sold $60 billion of one-month bills at an interest rate of 1.495 percent, the highest rate at an auction since Sept. 2008.(Reporting by Ric...Read More

COF and PNC have been two of the best stocks to own in March over the last 10 yearsMarch has historically been a strong month for the financial sector, with the Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) averaging a monthly gain of 3.4% over the past 10 years, per data from Schaeffer's Senior Quantitative Analyst Rocky White. Echoing this, data from Schaeffer's Quantitative Analyst Chris Prybal shows...Read More

* Powell sticks to path of gradual rate hikes* Macy's jumps after reporting upbeat Q4 same-store sales* Comcast offers to buy Sky for $31 bln * Indexes down: Dow 0.08 pct, S&P 0.25 pct, Nasdaq 0.39 pct(Changes comment, adds details, updates prices)By Sruthi ShankarFeb 27 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes fell in choppy trading on Tuesday as U.S. bond yields rose after new Fed Chairman Jer...Read More

Feb 27 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes fell on Tuesday as U.S. bond yields rose after new Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said that data has pointed to a strengthening economy since December, increasing his confidence that inflation would rise.The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 32.92 points, or 0.13 percent, to 25,676.35. The S&P 500 lost 7.31 points, or 0.262987 percent, to 2,772.29. The...Read More

STOCKHOLM, Feb 27 (Reuters) - The Swedish crown fell against the euro to the weakest level in 8 years on Tuesday, after new data confirmed market worries that the central bank might have to delay its first rate hike since 2011.Swedish consumer confidence fell in February from the month before, signalling slower inflation and making it harder for the Riksbank to start raising rates from the record-...Read More

* Forint eases, Hungarian central bank maintains loose policy* Hungarian government bonds track core market yields higher (Recasts with Hungarian central bank statement, Fed Chair comments)By Sandor Peto and Marcin GoclowskiBUDAPEST, Feb 27 (Reuters) - The forint hit a new low for 2018 against the euro on Tuesday after the Hungarian central bank (NBH) kept interest rates at record lows as expected...Read More

Platinum group metals were the hardest hit on generally weak precious metals markets Tuesday after a German court ruled that cities in Europe's largest economy and world's fourth largest automaker have the right to ban diesel cars.The price of platinum were back in triple digit territory on New York futures markets on Wednesday falling 2% to a low of $983 an ounce. Palladium was also weaker at $1,...Read More

ACCRA, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Ghana will certify the value of gold exports as part of efforts to tighten controls on the sector to ensure the state receives the revenues it is due, the vice president said on Tuesday.Ghana, Africa's second largest gold miner after South Africa, earned $5.78 billion from exports of the metal last year, up 17.6 percent on 2016, central bank data showed.Vice-President Mah...Read More

Feb 27 (Reuters) - U.S. short-term interest-rate futures dropped on Tuesday after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell told a congressional committee that recent data has strengthened his confidence that inflation is headed up toward the central bank's 2-percent target. After Powell said fiscal policy is more "stimulative," the economy is "strengthening" and that the latest...Read More

After buying Kate Spade back in October, Coach changed its name to Tapestry Inc (NYSE:TPR), and since then the stock has been on fire. In fact, TPR shares just touched a four-year high of $51.64 today -- likely enjoying a halo lift from Macy's (M) -- meaning they've now rallied over 33% since their early October lows. Maybe more importantly, the equity has cleared the $48 level, the site of a 2014...Read More

RIGA, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Latvia's ABLV Bank, which the European Central Bank (ECB) has ordered wound up, said on Tuesday it had enough assets to cover its liabilities in full under a voluntary liquidation plan.The ECB said at the weekend that privately held ABLV is likely unable to pay its debts or other liabilities as they fall due. "We believe our bank will be able to settle with all of our...Read More

Editor's Note: Gold and silver has been, at best, a frustrating trade. Exclusive to Kitco News, expert trader, Todd "Bubba" Horwitz, chief market strategist and founder of 'Bubba Trading provides a strategy investors can use in a range-bound gold price environment. Sign up before March 10 for the Kitco News Weekly Rundown newsletter to receive Horwitz's exclusive report and trading strategy.(Kitco...Read More