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Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. reported on Thursday a third-quarter loss that narrowed to $1.5 million, or 3 cents a share, from a loss of $11.1 million, or 19 cents a share, in the same period a year ago. Revenue fell to $17.5 million from $29.6 million. There were no analyst estimates for losses or revenue, according to FactSet. Among the lifestyle company’s divisions, publishing revenue dropped 66% to $5.3 million and merchandising sales declined 15% to $11.7 million, while broadcasting revenue more than tripled to $468,000. The company said it is holding a special shareholder meeting on Dec. 2 to obtain shareholder approval of the company’s plan to merge with Sequential Brands Group . The stock, which was still inactive in premarket trade, has climbed 42% year to date, while the S&P 500 has tacked on 2.1%. The stock remains a fraction of what it was in the company’s heyday, when it closed at a record of $39.75 on Oct. 20, 1999, which was Martha Stewart’s second day as a public company.

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From:: Stock Market News

The Bank of England on Thursday cut its growth forecast for the U.K. for 2015 and 2016, citing concerns over an economic slowdown in emerging markets. In its Quarterly Inflation Report, the central bank said it now sees 2015 growth of 2.7%, down from 2.8% projected in the August inflation report. For 2016, the bank cut its forecast to 2.5% from 2.7%. “The outlook for global growth has weakened since the August Inflation Report. Many emerging market economies have slowed markedly and the Committee has downgraded its assessment of their medium-term growth prospects,” the BOE said in the report. The central bank also indicated it’s in no rush raise interest rates as inflation is likely to remain below 1% until the second half of 2016. The bank’s inflation target is 2%. The pound slumped after the report was released, buying $1.5291 from $1.5390 ahead of the news.

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From:: Stock Market News

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Oil-related job cuts totaled 13,671, the highest job-cut total for the sector since April, outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas said Thursday. Total job cuts fell 14% to 50,504, which is down 1.3% from 12 months ago. Employers have now announced 543,935 job cuts so far in 2015, up 31% from the year-to-date period in 2014, with oil prices responsible for about a fifth of that.

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From:: Stock Market News

Coty Inc. said it had net income of $125.7 million, or 34 cents per share, in the first fiscal quarter, up from $10.6 million, or 28 cents per share, for the same period last year. Adjusted earnings were 34 cents per share. The FactSet consensus was 29 cents per share. Sales totaled $1.11 billion, down from $1.18 billion the year earlier. FactSet consensus was $1.27 billion. Coty announced the largest M&A deal in the retail and consumer sectors last quarter, the acquisition of Proctor & Gamble Co.’s beauty sector. Coty shares are up 45% for the year to date while the S&P gained 2.1% for the same period.

See also: Coty to move executive offices to London

See also: Coty to buy personal care business of Brazil’s Hypermarcas for about $1 billion

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News

SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. said on Thursday third-quarter profit rose to $98 million, or $1.14 a share, from $87.2 million, or $1 a share, in the year-ago period. Revenue inched higher to $498.9 million from $495.8 million last year. Analysts polled by FactSet expected earnings of $1.18 a share on revenue of $508.5 million. The company cut its full-year 2015 adjusted EBITDA guidance to be in the range of $360 million to $370 million. In August, SeaWorld said it expected adjusted EBITDA for 2015 in the range of flat to up 3% versus 2014’s $370.1 million. “Due to adverse weather impacts over the last 6 weeks, which caused park closures at three of our locations over key Halloween event weekends, along with increased costs from legal matters and associated reputation initiatives, we are updating our full year [guidance],” said SeaWorld Chief Executive Joel Manby in the earnings statement. Shares were down 0.6% in thin premarket trade.

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From:: Stock Market News

By Craig Douglas

Would it surprise you to learn that, in a state that’s seen a proliferation in newly minted millionaires since the recent recession, the population of school-aged kids living in poverty also has skyrocketed? Or that in Newton and Brookline, homes to some of the Bay State’s largest pockets of residents with at least $1 million in income in 2013, some 11 percent of public-school students live below or near the poverty line?

It turns out poverty is alive and well in Massachusetts, even as its legion… …read more

From:: biz journal foreclosures

Doable ideas for play areas that put your blanket fort to shame …read more

From:: DIY this old house

Master gardener and Monrovia editorial director Kate Karam shares her secrets for creating our easy-care, four-season cottage garden …read more

From:: DIY this old house

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) – The U.S. central bank does not need political independence to play an important role in averting future financial crises, Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer said Wednesday. In fact, elected representatives need to have a say, for instance, if steps were ever needed to pop an incipient bubble in the housing market, Fischer said in a speech prepared for delivery to the National Economists Club in Washington. Popping a housing bubble might mean putting constraints on the loan-to-value ratio or the debt-service-to-income ratio for home borrowers, Fischer said. This “would affect particular sectors of the population” and “political authorities should have some representation in discussing” the measures, Fischer said. The Fed vice chairman said he thought the Fed would be able to retain its independence on interest-rate policy despite “non-independence” with respect to financial stability. Ultimately, the test for the U.S. financial regulatory structure will be how it deals with future potential crises “and may they be few and far between,” Fischer said.

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From:: Stock Market News

GoDaddy Inc. shares surged in the extended session Wednesday after the domain name and Internet hosting company topped Wall Street estimates for the quarter. GoDaddy shares rallied 9.4% to $30. The company reported adjusted third-quarter earnings of 57 cents a share on revenue of $411.1 million. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had forecast earnings of 25 cents a share on revenue of $408.4 million. GoDaddy said it expects full-year revenue of $1.6 billion to $1.61 billion, while analysts expect $1.6 billion.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News