U.S. runs a deficit of $192 billion in February, CBO says

The U.S. government ran a deficit of $192 billion in February, the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday. That’s down $1 billion, or 0.6%, from last year. Individual income tax refunds declined by $8 billion, or 11%, due to law that delayed processing returns using the Earned Income Tax Credit and Additional Child Tax Credit as a safeguard against identity theft and tax fraud. For the fiscal year ending February, the U.S. has a $348 billion deficit, slightly narrower than last year’s $353 billion.

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Extreme Networks jumps after bidding for Avaya networking business

Extreme Networks Inc. rose nearly 8% in late trading Tuesday after the company set an initial bid of $100 million for the networking business of bankrupt Avaya Inc. “We expect the Avaya business to generate over $200 million in annual revenue, increase our market share and offer new opportunities for our customers,” Extreme Networks Chief Executive Ed Meyercord said in Tuesday’s announcement. Extreme’s $100 million agreement with Avaya is known as a “stalking horse” bid, which sets the price other companies will have to beat if they want to acquire the business. Extreme noted that it will receive a break-up fee and expense reimbursement if it does not succeed in purchasing the business. Avaya filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January, which scuttled its plans for an initial public offering. Extreme Networks stock, which closed at $6.10, increased to $6.58 in the after-hours session, within striking distance of the company’s 52-week intraday high of $6.63.

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API data show a jump of nearly 12 million barrels in U.S. crude supplies: sources

The American Petroleum Institute late Tuesday reported a whopping climb of 11.6 million barrels in U.S. crude supplies for the week ended March 3, according to sources. Analysts polled by S&P Global Platts forecast a rise of 1.6 million barrels for the week. The API data also showed a drop of 5 million barrels in gasoline supplies and a decline of 2.9 million barrels in distillates, sources said. Supply data from the Energy Information Administration will be released Wednesday morning. April crude was at $52.79 a barrel in electronic trading, down from the contract’s settlement of $53.14 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

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H&R Block shares rally after narrower-than-expected quarterly loss

Shares of H&R Block Inc. rose more than 8% late Tuesday after the tax preparer and tax software maker reported a narrower-than-expected quarterly loss and beat revenue expectations. H&R Block reported a net loss of $101 million, or 49 cents a share, compared with a loss of 34 cents a share in the same period last year. Revenue fell to $452 million from $475 million a year ago, primarily on fewer clients in the assisted and do-it-yourself tax preparation businesses resulting from the delay in the overall tax season, and the pricing impact of early-season promotions. Analysts polled by FactSet had expected H&R Block to report a loss of 52 cents a share on revenue of $427 million in the quarter. The company typically reports a fiscal third-quarter operating loss due to the seasonality of its tax business. Shares ended the regular session down 0.6%.

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Facebook hires LinkedIn’s Susan Taylor as chief accounting officer

Facebook Inc. has named Susan Taylor as chief accounting officer to replace Jas Athwal, who resigned on Feb. 17, the social media company said in a regulatory disclosure on Tuesday. Taylor is currently controller and CAO at LinkedIn Corp. and will start in her new position on April 17. She will receive an annual base salary of $400,000 and a one-time signing bonus of $400,000. Shares of Facebook were mostly unchanged after hours.

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Snap sold extra shares in IPO for total tally of $3.91 billion

Snap Inc. announced Tuesday that its underwriting banks had sold 30 million additional shares available in its initial public offering, pushing the total take to $3.91 billion. Snapchat’s parent company last week sold 200 million shares at $17 apiece in the largest U.S. IPO since 2014 , with shares soaring in the first two days of public trading before heading back down in the last two sessions. The company announced Tuesday afternoon that the underwriters had sold an additional 30 million shares, known as a “green shoe” or “overallotment,” with those shares coming from both the company and selling stockholders. The stock reached its lowest prices in four days of trading Tuesday before closing with a 9.8% decline at $21.44; shares ticked up slightly in late trading to about $21.55.

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Valeant shares, bonds slump after it says it will seek to amend more of its debt covenants

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. shares slid 6% Tuesday, after the company said it is seeking to refinance and amend more of its debt, including removing covenants from Term B loans. The company said it will use the proceeds of the sale of its skincare assets to L’Oreal to pay down about $1.1 billion of senior secured term loans. The troubled drug company will seek to refinance and amend its existing credit agreement, issue new Term B loans that extend the maturity of current Term B loans due before 2022, issue new secured debt, and repay its remaining Term A loan due in April 2020. Valeant further plans to repay a portion of its 6.75% secured debt due in 2018, as well as relax maintenance covenants in the revolver and remove the covenants from Term B loans. “While the refinancing is not surprising, it reflects the cloudy outlook on future earnings, in our view,” said Mizuho analyst Irina Koffler. “Management previously indicated that it would consider refinancing and was more focused on its EBITDA than its EPS.” Valeant’s most active bonds, the 6.125% notes that mature in 2025, were last quoted at 79 cents on the dollar, according to MarketAxess. The stock has fallen 82% in the last 12 months, while the S&P 500 has gained 18%.

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Oil ends with a slight loss ahead of weekly data on U.S. crude supply

Oil prices settled with a slight loss on Tuesday, sticking to a tight trading range as traders awaited weekly U.S. petroleum inventory data. The Energy Information Administration will issue its report early Wednesday, after the American Petroleum Institute’s figures late Tuesday. Analysts surveyed by S&P Global Platts forecast a weekly rise of 1.6 million barrels for crude stockpiles. April West Texas Intermediate crude fell 6 cents, or 0.1%, to settle $53.14 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

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Price says House health bill ‘a work in progress’

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said Tuesday that the House Republican health-care bill is a “work in progress” when asked if the administration supports the entire bill. The bill was released late Monday and would replace the Affordable Care Act. Price said the Trump administration supports the bill as a step in “what we believe is the right direction.”

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Gold futures settle at a nearly 5-week low

Gold futures extended their decline to a sixth-straight session on Tuesday to mark their lowest settlement in nearly five weeks. Expectations for a U.S. interest-rate increase as early as next week dulled investment demand for the metal. April gold declined by $9.40, or 0.8%, to settle at $1,216.10 an ounce–the lowest settlement since Feb. 1, according to FactSet data.

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