European stocks end mixed after inflation, France jitters

LONDON (MarketWatch) — European stock markets ended mixed on Monday, with French equities dropping right before the close as the country’s prime minister resigned, while a larger-than-expected drop in euro-zone inflation reignited deflation fears and kept investors on edge.

The Stoxx Europe 600 index XX:SXXP +0.17%  rose 0.2% to close at 334.31, coming off its intraday high of 335.94. For the quarter, the benchmark ended 1.8% higher, marking the third quarterly advance in a row.

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Europe’s week ahead: Crunchtime for the ECB

Pressure is mounting on Mario Draghi and his fellow ECB officials to fight off low inflation, and the policy decision next week will be a close call. Fresh inflation data out Monday could strengthen calls for further easing measures.

The index was lifted by a solid gain for Novartis AG CH:NOVN +3.52%   NVS +4.11%, up 3.5% after the drug maker said it will close its trial of a heart-failure drug early because of the strength of the results so far.

Also pushing higher, ING Groep NVNL:INGA +3.78%  gained 2.8% after the Dutch bank said it will resume paying dividends in 2015.

More broadly, euro-zone consumer-price data were the main event in Europe on Monday. Inflation fell to 0.5% in the currency union in March, below analysts’ expectations and marking the lowest level since late 2009. Economists worry the euro zone may be heading for deflation, which could put the region’s fragile economic recovery at risk. This has raised calls for the ECB to either cut rates or launch new easing measures at its meeting on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the euro EURUSD +0.08%  has steadily increased against the dollar, recently touching its highest level since 2011. That has further added pressure on the ECB to loosen policy.

ECB President Mario Draghi has consistently reassured listeners that the euro zone isn’t heading for deflation, but that the central bank stands ready to act if needed. Howard Archer, chief U.K. and European economist at IHS Global Insight, called the inflation data “uncomfortable and unwelcome news for the ECB” and said the decision on Thursday will be a close call.

“However, the general impression we get from ECB officials’ comments is that the they don’t believe circumstances warrant policy action at this stage, and we still think it is more likely than not that the ECB will sit tight,” he said.

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Data out on Friday showed Spain fell into deflation in March, as high unemployment and weak demand for goods among households and businesses added pressure on consumer prices.

Among country-specific indexes, France’s CAC 40 index FR:PX1 -0.45%  sold off just before the close and ended down 0.5% at 4,391.50 as Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayraultresigned after his Socialist Party suffered major losses in local elections over the weekend. French President François Hollande will make a televised statement on Monday evening, according to media reports. For the quarter, the CAC rose 2.2%.

Most stocks fell in the Paris benchmark, with Danone SA FR:BN -1.23%  down 1.6% and heavyweight oil firm Total SA FR:FP -0.21%   TOT -0.62%  0.9% lower.

The U.K.’s FTSE 100 index UK:UKX -0.26%  ended 0.3% lower at 6,598.37, extending its quarterly loss to 2.2%.

Germany’s DAX 30 index DX:DAX -0.33%  dropped 0.3% to 9,555.91, but ended the quarter marginally higher.

The German benchmark was earlier in the day helped higher by a stronger-than-expected report on retail sales for February.

In the U.S., stocks traded higher after Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen said the Fed’s ”extraordinary” support for the economy will last “for some time to come.” A gauge of Chicago-area businesses tumbled in March, dropping to the lowest level since August to 55.9, which is a 3.9-point fall from February.

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Sara Sjolin is a MarketWatch reporter based in London. Follow her on Twitter @sarasjolin..
Source:www.marketwatch.com

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Wall Street slips as banks, techs drag

US stocks fell on Thursday, erasing most of the S&P 500's year-to-date gain, as banking and technology stocks led the selloff. The benchmark S&P 500 turned nearly flat for the year after falling almost 1 percent this week as many of the market's biggest trading favourites lost their momentum. "The decliners once again are the tech and small-cap names. The decline is not as steep as it was earlier this week, but the continued weakness we see in these sectors suggests that investors are becoming more cautious as money continues to leave the stock market," said Ryan Detrick, senior technical strategist at Schaeffer's Investment Research in Cincinnati, Ohio.

-- Citigroup shares slump after Fed rejects capital plan

A steep drop in Citigroup Inc shares, which suffered their biggest daily decline since November 2012, helped push the S&P 500 lower a day after the Federal Reserve rejected the bank's capital plan. The S&P financial index lost 0.6 percent and was the worst-performing sector. But the S&P 500 managed to hold above the 1,840 level, which has recently acted as support, as the end of the quarter approached and money managers engaged in "window dressing," adjusting positions to improve the look of their portfolios.

"The market has been given plenty of reasons to sharply sell off, and it does not seem as though there is that spirit to do it. Clearly, we are coming to the end of the quarter, and no one is particularly interested in marking the book down," said Peter Kenny, chief executive officer of Clearpool Group in New York. The Dow Jones industrial average dipped 4.76 points or 0.03 percent, to end at 16,264.23. The S&P 500 lost 3.52 points or 0.19 percent, to close at 1,849.04. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 22.346 points or 0.54 percent, to finish at 4,151.232.

At the close, the S&P 500 was up just a fraction of a point for the year. The Russell 2000 index, a widely use gauge for small-cap stocks, fell 0.4 percent to 1,151.44. Citigroup tumbled 5.4 percent to $47.45 a day after the Fed rejected the bank's plan to buy back $6.4 billion in shares and boost dividends, saying that Citi wasn't sufficiently prepared to handle a potential financial crisis. A source close to the matter told Reuters that Citi officials had not expected the rejection. The Fed also rejected Zions Bancorp's plan late on Wednesday. Shares of Zions Bancorp slid 1.2 percent to end at $29.83 on Thursday.

Big tech names also dropped, including Google Inc, off 1.6 percent at $1,114.28, Microsoft down 1.1 percent at $39.36, and Amazon.com down 1.4 percent at $338.47. Data showed that the US economy grew a bit faster than previously estimated in the fourth quarter, while new claims for jobless benefits dropped to a near four-month low last week. But contracts to buy previously owned homes fell in February to their lowest level since October 2011.

The United States and the European Union on Wednesday agreed to prepare possibly tougher economic sanctions in response to Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea territory. While Western leaders had said earlier that they would hold off on new sanctions unless Moscow takes further destabilising actions in the region - which Russian President Vladimir Putin last week said he wasn't interested in doing - investors are concerned about the potential fallout of a prolonged conflict.

Concerns about the effect of sanctions on Russia's energy sector and global supplies helped push crude oil prices and the S&P energy index higher. In addition, Exxon Mobil Corp gained 1.6 percent to $96.24 after Bank of America Merrill Lynch boosted its rating on the stock to "buy." Volume of about 6.5 billion shares traded on US exchanges, slightly below the 6.9 billion average so far this month, according to data from BATS Global Markets. Advancers outnumbered decliners on the New York Stock Exchange by a ratio of about 8 to 7. On the Nasdaq, the opposite trend prevailed, with nearly eight stocks falling for every five that rose.

Source:
www.brecorder.com

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German Consumer Sentiment Stays at Seven-Year High

FRANKFURT—Consumer sentiment in Germany remains at a seven-year high, a leading market research institute said Wednesday, but it warned that a further escalation of the crisis in Crimea would likely sap consumer confidence in Europe's largest economy.

GfK's forward-looking consumer sentiment indicator was 8.5 points in April, the same level as in March, when it reached its highest point since January 2007. The results matched forecasts from analysts polled by The Wall Street Journal.

"It remains to be seen just how the current events in Crimea will affect the mood amongst consumers," GfK said in its monthly survey of roughly 2,000 German consumers, acknowledging that the survey was conducted before the crisis escalated.

"It cannot be ruled out that this event will unsettle consumers in the coming weeks," the research institute added.

Optimism about the economy and a stable job market have helped boost economic expectations for Germans, but the Russian-led referendum and subsequent annexation of the Crimean peninsula could spook consumers at a time when domestic demand is a key driver of economic growth in Germany. Were the crisis to spread to other parts of Ukraine, resulting in further sanctions from the West, it would likely hurt consumers' mood, the survey said.

More than one-third of Germany's gas and crude-oil imports come from Russia.

Tension between Russia and the European Union appear to have already hurt business confidence in Germany. German business confidence weakened in March in part as a result of Russia's takeover of the Crimean peninsula, according to a survey of 7,000 companies from the Ifo institute released Tuesday. The ZEW indicator published last week also flagged the crisis in Ukraine as the reason for lackluster investor confidence.

Despite the tension in Ukraine, German households are increasingly optimistic about the economic outlook, the survey found, as the corresponding GfK indicator for March rose to 33.2. Record-low interest rates in the euro zone also have Germans buying more, the survey showed, while Germans' income expectations fell in March, but remained at a very high level.

—Todd Buell and Andrea Thomas contributed to this article.

Write to Christopher Lawton at christopher.lawton@wsj.com

Source:

online.wsj.com

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CISCO TO SPEND $1BLN ON BUILDING ‘INTERCLOUD’

Cisco said it plans to invest $1 billion over the next two years to build the world’s largest global Intercloud – a network of clouds – with many partners.

“The Cisco global Intercloud is being architected for the Internet of Everything, with a distributed network and security architecture designed for high-value application workloads, real-time analytics, ‘near infinite’ scalability and full compliance with local data sovereignty laws,” the company said in arelease.

The “first-of-its-kind open Intercloud,” which will feature application programming interfaces for rapid application development, will deliver a new enterprise-class portfolio of cloud IT services for businesses, service providers and resellers, Cisco said.

Partners, which are either planning to deliver Cisco Cloud Services or have endorsed Cisco’s global Intercloud initiative, include: leading Australian service provider Telstra; Canadian business communications provider Allstream; European cloud company Canopy, an Atos company; cloud services aggregator, provider and wholesale technology distributor Ingram Micro Inc.; global IT and managed services provider Logicalis Group; global provider of enterprise software platforms for business intelligence, mobile intelligence, and network applications MicroStrategy, Inc.; enterprise data center IT solutions provider OnX Managed Services; information availability services provider SunGard Availability Services; and leading global IT, consulting and outsourcing company Wipro Ltd.

“What’s Hot” is aggregated content. PYMNTS.com claims no responsibility for the accuracy of the content published by the original source. 

Source:

www.pymnts.com

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Euro knocked down by German PMI data, dollar firms

(Reuters) - The euro struggled on Monday, hurt by signs that growth was slowing in the euro zone's largest economy, Germany, though investors were also wary of buying the dollar as they awaited more evidence of a U.S. recovery.

The euro earlier jumped to a European session high after surveys showed French business activity grew in March at its fastest in more than 2 1/2-years, beating forecasts for further contraction in the bloc's second-largest economy.

The currency quickly gave up those gains after data showed the German private sector slowed in March, disappointing investors who were positioned for a better reading.

The euro jumped to $1.3827 from around $1.3798 before the French data were released, pulling away from a recent two-week trough of $1.3749. It fell back to $1.3775 after the German data, which left it down 0.1 percent on the day.

"It was a very mixed bag with France beating expectations (and)... Germany coming in below forecasts," said Alvin Tan, currency strategist at Societe Generale.

"It doesn't look like the ECB will do anything. So the next leg in the euro/dollar pair has to come from the dollar's side. And for that we need U.S. data to outperform and investors to price in expectations of Fed rate hikes."

Partly supporting the euro has been the perception that the European Central Bank is reluctant to ease monetary policy any further. The euro's resilience prompted the president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, to complain on Friday that the currency was too strong for euro zone exporters.

Governing Council member Erkki Liikanen said on Monday that the ECB keeps a close eye on the euro to see how it affects inflation, ramping up efforts to talk down the currency.

The euro's losses saw the dollar index .DXY add 0.15 percent to trade at 80.213, not far from a three-week peak of 80.354 set on Thursday.

Investors snapped up the dollar last week as they bet on a U.S. interest rate hike early in 2015, after new Fed Chair Janet Yellen surprised markets by raising the prospect of such a move.

Traders said further gains for the dollar now depended on the strength of coming data. Any acceleration in the U.S. economic recovery is likely to bolster expectations of an earlier normalization of Fed policy.

FX VOLATILITY FALLS

The dollar was up 0.3 percent against the yen at 102.45 yen with buyers eyeing the March 19 high of 102.69 yen.

Implied volatility - a gauge how sharp currency swings will be - is near multi-month lows. Analysts said that suggested the yen, a safe-haven currency, is likely to underperform.

"Quiet markets and low volatility will support carry trades. Over time, the yen should renew its status as the preferred funding currency, given a central bank printing money aggressively and BIS data showing yen cross-border lending still growing," said Chris Turner, head of FX strategy at ING. "We favor dollar/yen in a 102-103 range in the short term."

A recovery in the Chinese yuan helped the Australian dollar recover from lows. The Aussie, which is used as a more liquid proxy by investors and speculators to back their views on China, had dipped after a survey showed activity in Chinese factories contracted again in March. [CNY/]

China's flash Markit/HSBC Purchasing Managers' Index fell to an eight-month low of 48.1 in March from February's final reading of 48.5.

The Aussie dropped to $0.9048 on the March number, but it kept clear of last week's low of $0.8990 and later drifted back up to $0.9110, 0.3 percent higher on the day.

(additional reporting by Hideyuki Sano; Editing by Larry King)

Source:

www.reuters.com

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Scores of ships trapped by Texas oil spill

Environmental personnel drive onto the Texas City Dike with oil containment booms for oil remediation following a barge collision in the ship channel, causing an oil spill Saturday in Houston. The barge carried 924,000 gallons of fuel oil. / The Associated Press

TEXAS CITY, TEXAS — Three cruise ships were among scores of boats trapped by an "extremely serious" oil spill that closed the shipping channel connecting Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico for a second day Sunday, the Coast Guard said.

On Saturday, a barge carrying almost 1 million gallons of heavy oil collided with a ship in the Houston Ship Channel at Texas City. A barge tank containing 168,000 gallons of oil was breached, but the Coast Guard said it was not clear how much oil leaked.

Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Sam Danus said Sunday that crews were skimming up the thick, gooey oil, but that it was not clear when the channel could reopen. More than six miles of containment booms were being used to protect sensitive wetlands and wildlife habitats.

Two cruise ships and 25 other vessels were waiting to enter the channel from the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday. One cruise ship and 34 other boats were waiting to leave Galveston Bay.

Guard officials received a call Saturday afternoon from the captain of the 585-foot bulk carrier Summer Wind reporting a collision with a barge. The barge contained 924,000 gallons of fuel oil, towed by the motor vessel Miss Susan.

"It is an extremely serious spill," said Coast Guard Capt. Brian Penoyer said shortly after the spill was reported. "There is a large quantity, it will spread."

Miss Susan was moving from Texas City to Bolivar at the time of the collision. Kirby Inland Marine, owner of the Miss Susan and the barges, activated an emergency response plan.

Six crewmembers of the Miss Susan were were injured; none suffered life-threatening injuries, the Coast Guard said.

"As a citizen and resident of the bay area, I am very concerned about the incident," said Jim Guidry of Kirby Inland Marine. "We are concerned about the effective clean-up and protection of the environment."

Contributing: KHOU-TV, Houston; Associated Press

Source: 

www.freep.com

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Breakfast foods are getting pricier

NEW YORK — Breakfast is now being served with a side of sticker shock.

The price of bacon is surging and the cost of other morning staples, such as coffee and orange juice, is set to rise because of global supply problems, from drought in Brazil to disease on U.S. pig farms.

And it’s not just the first meal of the day that’s being affected. The cost of meats, fish and eggs led the biggest increase in U.S. food prices in nearly 2 1/2 years last month, according to government data. An index that tracks those foods rose 1.2 percent in February and has climbed 4 percent during the past 12 months.

While overall inflation remains low, the increases in food prices are forcing shoppers to search out deals and cut back.

Even though food companies use a range of cost-cutting methods to limit the effect of higher food costs, consumers likely will feel the “ripple effects” of rising commodity prices, according to the Grocery Manufacturers Association, a trade organization for more than 300 food, beverage and consumer-product companies.

A rundown of why breakfast food costs are rising, and why they could keep going up:

Bacon

Bringing home the bacon is costing more.

The price of lean pork in the futures market is at record levels and is up 52 percent since the start of the year, to $1.31 a pound. Traders are concerned about a deadly virus in the U.S. hog population.

That could further boost bacon prices, which were already rising after farmers cut pig production because of higher feed costs. Those costs climbed after a drought in 2012.

The average price of a pound of sliced bacon in U.S. cities was $5.46 in February, up from $4.83 a year earlier and $3.62 five years ago, government data show.

The retail price of pork is projected to climb by 2.5 to 3 percent this year, according to government forecasts.

Coffee

You need your morning brew, and you’ll likely pay more for it, at least at the supermarket.

Coffee futures have surged 57 percent this year and this month rose above $2 a pound for the first time in two years. Coffee-growing regions of southern Brazil, the world’s largest coffee producer, have been hit by drought. Analysts are forecasting that Brazil’s crop could shrink by about 20 percent this year.

Shoppers should be prepared to pay more at grocery stores, if the current trend continues for more than a month, said Dan Cox, the president of Coffee Analysts, a company that tests coffee quality for retailers.

“Whether it’s by the can or the bag, consumers should probably expect to pay 50 cents per pound more, fairly soon,” Cox said.

The average price of coffee in U.S. cities was $5 a pound in February, although that was little changed from a month earlier, according to government data.

Orange juice

Orange juice futures are up 12 percent this year and climbed as high as $1.57 a pound on March 6, their highest prices in two years.

To be sure, moves in retail food prices won’t match the wild jumps in commodities markets, said David Garfield, a consultant at Alix Partners who advises food-makers. The reason: Food companies worry about losing market share and will absorb some of the higher costs rather than risk losing customers.

“People would be up in arms if every time they went to the grocery store the prices of their preferred items were jumping up and down,” says Garfield.

The price of a 12-ounce can of frozen orange juice edged up in February to $2.43, from $2.41 in January, according to government data.

Source:

www.dispatch.com

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California DMV: Potential credit card reach

The California Department of Motor Vehicles is investigating a potential breach of its credit card processing systems, in what may be the latest in a string of attacks that have highlighted vulnerabilities in the way payment data is handled.

Earlier attacks struck retailers like discounter Target Corp., luxury chain Neiman Marcus Group and beauty supply chain Sally Beauty Holdings Inc. This one stands out, because it was a government agency that may have been the victim.

"The Department of Motor Vehicles has been alerted by law enforcement authorities to a potential security issue within its credit card processing services," spokesman Armando Botello said.

MasterCard Inc. said it has issued an alert to banks that issue credit cards about the potential breach.

It wasn't immediately clear how extensive any breach may have been or how many cards may have been compromised.

As of Jan. 1, 2013--the most recent date for which data has been released --the DMV reported 24 million licensed drivers in California and 32 million registered vehicles.

Representatives of the credit-card industry and the motor vehicle agency were discussing the situation on a conference call Saturday evening, a person familiar with the matter said.

The DMV said it is investigating the potential breach and working with state and federal law enforcement, its credit card processor, and card companies themselves. It is also performing a forensic review of its computer systems.

Mr. Botello said there is no evidence yet that someone had infiltrated the agency's computer systems.

Motor vehicle agencies in states including Utah and Minnesota have reported unauthorized access to drivers' personal data in recent years. Such incidents rarely have included credit-card information, however.

The California DMV has been hit with other computer problems in recent years. In August 2012, for example, lines formed at DMV offices statewide after the agency's computers crashed due to problems DMV officials attributed to network or router problems.

Last week, California Attorney General Kamala Harris warned the state was a top target for international gangs of computer hackers.

Write to Robin Sidel at robin.sidel@wsj.com and Jim Carlton at jim.carlton@wsj.com

Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires 

Source:

www.marketwatch.com

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IMF's Lagarde says can't do much about reform without U.S. support

BEIJING (Reuters) - International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde said on Sunday that there was not much she should could to push reform at her organization and give emerging economies a bigger say without the support of the United States.

China in January called on IMF member nations to stick to a commitment to give emerging markets more power at the global lender after U.S. lawmakers set back historic reforms that would give developing countries a greater say.

The remarks by China's foreign ministry were an indirect criticism of the United States, the biggest and most powerful IMF member, where lawmakers that month failed to agree on funding measures needed for the reforms to move forward.

The U.S. Congress must sign off on the IMF funding to complete 2010 reforms that would make China the IMF's third-largest member and revamp the IMF board to reduce the dominance of Western Europe.

Speaking at Beijing's elite Tsinghua University, Lagarde said this was a matter for the United States to complete the process and ensure that the relevant legislation can be passed.

"This is not something I can do much about," she told students.

She added that she hoped emerging economies could have a bigger voice within the institution.

The reform of the voting shares, known as quotas, cannot proceed without the United States, which holds the only controlling share of IMF votes.

After putting off the request in 2012 because of the U.S. presidential election, the U.S. Treasury has sought to tuck the provision into several bills since March of last year

he administration's requests, however, have been met with skepticism from some Republicans, who see them as tantamount to approving fresh funding in a tight budget environment.

Some U.S. lawmakers have also raised concerns about how well the IMF is helping struggling economies in Europe and the risks attached to IMF loans, suggesting Congress is in no hurry to approve any changes.

Developing nations have long viewed the IMF with suspicion for promoting disastrous privatizations that complicated the transition from communism for some emerging nations in the early 1990s, and for pushing budget cuts that exacerbated debt crises in Asia and Latin America a few years later.

That suspicion has been compounded by a power structure that dates to IMF's founding in 1944. The structure was shaped by the victors of World War Two - the United States and other Allied nations.

(Reporting by Shao Xiaoyi and Ben Blanchard; E$diting by Nick Macfie)

Source

ca.reuters.com

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Walmart creates new online tool for customers to save more money

Walmart has started a new online service to further serve their customers. The Savings Catcher has been made available in select states for Walmart shoppers to use to get a better deal.

According to CNN, a customer can type their receipt number into the server and if a better deal is found, Walmart will send the shopper an e-gift card with the difference on it.

The Associated Press reports that the tool will compare prices for over 80,000 products sold at Walmart to those of their competitors in the same geographic location. Online retailers will not be included.

Chief merchandising and marketing officer Duncan MacNaughton said that they are taking this step because shoppers want to use technology to find them money to save.

"They're doing the work for me," Anne Jurchak, a person who was part of the Savings Catcher's original focus group, said. "The only thing they're not doing is putting the groceries away."

Walmart has matched prices for customers for years, but having an online tool will further help them cut prices. Customers can use the e-gift card online or in store.

Source: thecelebritycafe.com

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Galveston Bay oil spill threatens bird migration

McALLEN, Texas (AP) — Crews were working through the night after a barge carrying nearly a million gallons of especially thick, sticky oil collided with a ship in Galveston Bay, leaking an unknown amount of the fuel into the popular bird habitat as the peak of the migratory shorebird season was approaching.

Booms were brought in to try to contain the spill, which the Coast Guard said was reported at around 12:30 p.m. Saturday by the captain of the 585-foot ship, Summer Wind. Coast Guard officials said the spill hadn't been contained as of 10 p.m., and the collision was still being investigated.

The Coast Guard says the ship collided with a barge carrying 924,000 gallons of marine fuel oil. It didn't give an estimate of how much fuel had spilled into the bay.

Source: missoulian.com

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Glassdoor Reveals the Highest Rated CEOs 2014

LinkedIn's Jeff Weiner, Ford Motor's Alan Mulally and Edelman's Richard Edelman Take Top Honors Among Large Companies

SAUSALITO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/21/14 -- Glassdoor, a jobs and career community, has released its annual report of the Highest Rated CEOs for 2014, which is determined by employee feedback shared during the past year. On Glassdoor, employees voluntarily and anonymously provide their opinion on whether they approve or disapprove of how their CEO is leading the company. This year, Glassdoor has recognized the Highest Rated CEOs at large companies (1,000 or more employees) and for the first time, the Highest Rated CEOs at small and mid-sized companies (fewer than 1,000 employees).

• The top five 2014 Highest Rated CEOs at large companies are: LinkedIn's Jeff Weiner (No. 1, 100 percent approval), Ford Motor's Alan Mulally (No. 2, 97 percent approval) Edelman's Richard Edelman (No. 3, 97 percent approval), Northwestern Mutual's John E. Schlifske(1) (No. 4, 95 percent approval) and Qualcomm's Paul Jacobs(2) (No. 5, 95 percent approval).
  
• The top five 2014 Highest Rated CEOs at small and mid-sized companies are: Intacct Corporation's Robert Reid (No. 1, 100 percent approval), Applied Predictive Technologies' Anthony Bruce (No. 2, 100 percent approval), Paylocity's Steve Beauchamp (No. 3, 100 percent approval), Sirs iDynix's Bill Davison (No. 4, 100 percent approval) and 2U's Chip Paucek (No. 5, 97 percent approval).

"We find on Glassdoor that a strong leader is often one who has the ability to clearly communicate the vision for the company and who helps employees see how their work connects to the big picture. In addition, top rated CEOs are commonly seen as relatable, accessible and transparent," said Robert Hohman, Glassdoor CEO and co-founder. "I offer my sincerest congratulations to all CEOs recognized on the 2014 Glassdoor report. It is no small feat to gain the support of your employees for your leadership."

On Glassdoor's 2014 list of the Highest Rated CEOs at large companies, the top CEOs represent diverse industries, including tech, auto manufacturing, public relations and retail. The top rated CEO on Glassdoor's 2013 report, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, drops to No. 10 on the 2014 report with a 93 percent approval rating, down six percentage points. Of CEOs appearing on Glassdoor's 2013 and 2014 report, Goldman Sachs' Lloyd Blankfein has seen the most improvement, jumping 28 spots from No. 36 on the 2013 report to No. 8 on the 2014 report with a 94 percent approval rating, increasing nine percentage points since last year.

On the 2014 list of the 25 Highest Rated CEOs at small and mid-sized companies, the top three CEOs all lead tech companies that provide software to help organizations manage and grow business.

Both reports were determined using CEO approval ratings gathered from Glassdoor-approvedcompany reviews collected between February 1, 2013 and January 31, 2014, and are based on reviews from U.S.-based employees. To be considered, at a minimum, CEOs at U.S.-headquartered large companies had to receive at least 100 approved reviews, and CEOs at U.S.-headquartered small and mid-sized companies had to receive at least 30 approved reviews, respectively, during this time frame. For reporting simplicity, CEO approval ratings are displayed to the nearest whole number though ratings extend to the tenth to determine rank. A copy of the Glassdoor company review survey along with complete report methodology is available upon email request to: pr [at] Glassdoor [dot] com.

SEE COMPLETE RESULTS:

• Glassdoor's 2014 Highest Rated CEOs at large companies: http://www.glassdoor.com/50-Highest-Rated-CEOs-LST_KQ0,21.htm
  
• Glassdoor's 2014 Highest Rated CEOs at small and mid-sized companies:http://www.glassdoor.com/25-Highest-Rated-CEOs-at-SMBs-LST_KQ0,29.htm

MULTIMEDIA PRODUCERS/EDITORS: To embed graphics with complete results of the Highest Rated CEOs at large companies or Highest Rated CEOs at small and mid-sized companies, please visit:http://www.glassdoor.com/press/images, or email pr [at] Glassdoor [dot] com. Workplace/office photos and employee commentary on these CEOs/senior management are also available upon request.

(1) CORRECTION: Northwestern Mutual CEO John E. Schlifske was originally not included in this report due to a data error. Upon review, Schlifske received a 95% approval rating during the eligibility time frame. He is now included in this report, ranking fourth, as subsequent CEOs on the list decrease one spot in ranking. For clarification, Glassdoor has updated this report and press release to feature 51 CEOs at large companies. We regret this error as Glassdoor is committed to the highest level of data integrity.

(2) Paul Jacobs was the CEO of Qualcomm at the time the report was compiled and therefore current Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf was ineligible for this report.

About GlassdoorGlassdoor is the world's most transparent career community that is changing the way people find jobs and companies recruit top talent. Founded in 2007, Glassdoor offers members the latest job listings, as well as access to proprietary user-generated content including company-specific salary reports, ratings and reviews, CEO approval ratings, interview questions and reviews, office photos and more. Members also have the ability to see Inside Connections™ at particular companies via their Facebook network. In addition, thousands of employers are using Glassdoor's Talent Solutions to support their recruiting and employment branding efforts. Glassdoor, which won the 2013 Webby Award for Best Employment Site, is one of the most popular mobile job appson iOS and Android platforms. Glassdoor is backed by Benchmark, Sutter Hill Ventures, Battery Ventures, DAG Ventures, Dragoneer Investment Group and Tiger Global. More information about Glassdoor can be found on the Glassdoor Blog, Glassdoor Talent Solutions Blog and by following the company on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn.

Glassdoor.com is a registered trademark of Glassdoor, Inc.

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Source: www.consumerelectronicsnet.com

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