(Recasts story to focus on criminal case, adds further details from court papers)By Nate RaymondFeb 21 (Reuters) - The operator of a shuttered bitcoin-denominated exchange was arrested on Wednesday on federal charges that he lied to U.S. securities regulators to avoid taking responsibility for the theft by hackers of virtual currency now worth nearly $70 million.Federal prosecutors in Manhattan a...Read More

(Adds quotes, details and background on indirect bidders)By Kate DuguidNEW YORK, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Investors showed fair demand for the $35 billion of five-year notes auctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday, part of a bumper sales week as the government boosts issuance to help fund President Donald Trump's tax overhaul and a two-year budget deal.This week's issuance of $258 billio...Read More

(Adds earnings comparison, stock movement)Feb 21 (Reuters) - U.S. shale oil producer Continental Resources Inc posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit on Wednesday, helped by rising production and surging crude prices .The results reflect the broader push in the industry to boost output only when profitable. Continental easily exceeded that mark during the quarter, with executives vowing t...Read More

Feb 22 (Reuters) - Stock MarketsNet ChngStock MarketsNet ChngS&P/ASX 200** 5,943.72.846 NZX 50**8,309.15 108.88DJIA24,797.78-166.97 NIKKEI**21,970.8145.71Nasdaq7,218.228-16.08FTSE**7,281.57 34.80S&P 500 2,701.33 -14.93Hang Seng** 31,431.89558.26SPI 200 Fut 5,9162.00STI** 3,516.23 39.70SSEC**3,199.4757 14.52 KOSPI** 2,429.65 14.53-------------------------------------------------------------...Read More

* U.S. dollar index hits one-week high* Wall Street gives back gains after Fed minutes* Euro slips, sterling down on unemployment data* U.S. Treasury 10-year yield hits four-year high (Updates Wall Street to close; updates throughout)By Hilary RussNEW YORK, Feb 21 (Reuters) - The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yield hit a four-year high, the dollar rose and stocks fell on Wednesday in a rocky ses...Read More

(Adds details, updates to close)By Nichola SaminatherTORONTO, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index closed at a 2-1/2-week high on Wednesday, led by financials and industrials, with all sectors but technology posting gains.The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index closed up 84.57 points, or 0.55 percent, higher at 15,524.01, its strongest close since Feb. 2.* Canadian stocks...Read More

Vancouver-based Fremont Gold (TSX.V: FRE) announced today that it has entered into an option agreement with Ely Gold Royalties and its wholly-owned subsidiary Nevada Select Royalty to acquire 12 unpatented lode mining claims covering approximately 100 hectares in Elko Country, Nevada.The claims sit on the northern Carlin Trend, which is the second richest gold province in the world, with total his...Read More

(Adds background details, analyst expectations, share movement)Feb 21 (Reuters) - U.S. burger chain Wendy's Co on Wednesday missed Wall Street estimates for same-restaurant sales in North America as fewer customers visited its outlets amid intense competition with bigger rivals such as McDonald's Corp .The sales miss comes despite Wendy's more diverse "4 for $4" value menu, which had he...Read More

Vancouver-based Fremont Gold (TSX.V: FRE) announced today that it has entered into an option agreement with Ely Gold Royalties and its wholly-owned subsidiary Nevada Select Royalty to acquire 12 unpatented lode mining claims covering approximately 100 hectares in Elko Country, Nevada.The claims sit on the northern Carlin Trend, which is the second richest gold province in the world, with total his...Read More

Feb 21 (Reuters) - A second investor on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against managers of a U.S. mutual fund that lost most of its value earlier this month during a bout of market turmoil.In a complaint seeking class-action status filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, investor Stanley Bennett said LJM Funds Management Ltd's Preservation and Growth Fund "left investors exposed to an unacceptabl...Read More

(Adds dealer quotes and details, updates prices)* Canadian dollar at C$1.2686, or 78.82 U.S. cents* Oil prices fall 0.2 percent* Bond prices lower across steeper yield curve* Canada-U.S. 10-year spread hits widest since June 27 By Fergal SmithTORONTO, Feb 21 (Reuters) - The Canadian dollar weakened to an eight-week low against its U.S. counterpart on Wednesday as oil prices fell and investors wei...Read More

Gold almost flat ahead of FOMC minutes. All eyes may be now on the deluge of US Treasury auctions later this week. Gold is now trading around $1332, in the New York session, almost flat for the day, edging up by 0.05% ahead of FOMC minutes later on Wednesday. So far Gold made a session high and low of around 1333-1325 in a day of rangebound trading amid higher USD and concerns of higher US infla...Read More

The Dow was trading comfortably in positive territory all day ahead of the reveal of the Fed's meeting minutes, and upbeat commentary from the central bank on U.S. economic growth initially sent the index soaring more than 300 points after the release. However, stocks pulled back sharply in the final hour of trading, as concerns over rising interest rates sent the 10-year Treasury yield spiking to...Read More

Canadian oil producers can't get a break...Read full newsRead More

Feb 22 (Reuters) - Australian shares are expected to remain flat at Thursday's open, following a muted performance on Wall Street and a slip in U.S. crude futures. U.S. stocks closed lower on Wednesday in a rocky session after the release of the minutes from the Federal Reserve's January meeting pushed yields on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note to a four-year high. Meanwhile, West Texas In...Read More

Feb 21 (Reuters) - U.S. burger chain Wendy's Co reported on Wednesday a smaller-than-expected rise in fourth-quarter sales at its restaurants in North America as fewer customers visited its outlets compared with its rivals such as McDonald's Corp .Same-restaurant sales in North America rose 1.3 percent in the quarter. Analysts on average were expecting same-store sales to rise 1.8 percent, accordi...Read More

(Corrects to add word "of" in paragraph 8)By Noel RandewichSAN FRANCISCO, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Netflix Inc , Amazon.com Inc and technology companies poised to benefit from U.S. corporate tax cuts are attracting fresh attention on Wall Street after their shares shrugged off recent market turbulence.Amazon on Wednesday rose over 2 percent and touched $1,500 for the first time, while Netflix...Read More

Charlotte Greenfield, Colin PackhamWELLINGTON/SYDNEY (Reuters) - The final version of a landmark deal aimed at cutting trade barriers in some of Asia-Pacific’s fastest-growing economies was released on Wednesday, signalling the pact was a step closer to reality even without its star member the United States.More than 20 provisions have been suspended or changed in the final text ahead of the...Read More

TORONTO, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index unofficially closed higher on Wednesday, with nine of its 10 main sectors in positive territory.The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index rose 84.57 points, or 0.55 percent, at 15,524.01, its highest close since Feb. 2. (Reporting by Nichola Saminather; Editing by James Dalgleish) Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article...Read More

* Euro down, PMIs weaker than expected* Fed on track for a March rate hike (Updates prices, market activity; adds comments)By Saqib Iqbal AhmedNEW YORK, Feb 21 (Reuters) - The dollar rose to a more than one-week peak on Wednesday, extending its recovery from last week, helped by higher short-term Treasury yields, and as minutes of Federal Reserve's January meeting showed policymakers confident in...Read More