(Reuters) - A triple blow of earthquake, tsunami and one of Japan's worst nuclear accidents is set to damage the world's third largest economy, possibly more deeply and for longer than initially expected. Power outages and possible tax rises are likely to hurt companies and households and could outweigh the mild economic aftershock from the 1995 Kobe earthquake, given that oil prices and the yen are stronger and Japan's debt pile is much bigger.

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(Reuters) - Stocks fell sharply on Thursday with all three major indexes breaking through their 50-day moving averages in a sign of waning upward momentum as concerns over the economy weighed. The Dow Jones industrial average was down 191.78 points, or 1.57 percent, at 12,021.31. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 21.61 points, or 1.64 percent, at 1,298.41. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 50.61 points, or 1.84 percent, at 2,701.11.

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(Reuters) - Macau gaming magnate Stanley Ho, chairman of the enclave's biggest casino operator SJM Holdings (0880.HK), has resolved his dynastic tussle against his family members. In a statement emailed to Reuters, the 89-year old billionaire said he filed a note of discontinuance on February 21, dismissing a legal case against three members of his second and third family, which include daughters Pansy and Daisy Ho.

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(Reuters) - A strong flow of imports pushed up the U.S. trade deficit in January, a further sign of strengthening demand, while new claims for jobless aid rose more than expected last week but remained at levels suggesting a labor market recovery was intact. The Labor Department said initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased by 26,000 to a seasonally adjusted 397,000. Economists looked for claims to rise to 378,000.

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(Reuters) - Moody's downgraded Spain's sovereign debt rating by one notch on Thursday and warned of further cuts to come as it expects bank restructuring will cost more than twice what the government expects. "(Moody's) believes there is a meaningful risk that the eventual cost of the recapitalization effort could considerably exceed the government's current projections," the ratings agency said in a statement.

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(Reuters) - The trade deficit widened much more than expected in January to $46.3 billion, as surging imports of oil, capital goods and cars overpowered record exports. Analysts had expected the trade gap to grow moderately to $41.5 billion, from a revised estimate of $40.3 billion in December. The closely watched trade gap with China also widened in January.

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(Reuters) - General Motors Co (GM.N) finance chief Chris Liddell, who was passed over for the top job at the automaker last year, is leaving the company. Liddell, 52, who joined GM last year from software giant Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), will leave on April 1, the company said on Thursday. Its shares fell 3 percent in early trading.

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(Reuters) - Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O) is teaming up with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc (GMCR.O) to take on the fast-growing single-serve market, sending Green Mountain shares soaring 26 percent. Green Mountain's Keurig machines dominate the single-serve market. The companies will sell Starbucks coffee for Keurig machines at wholesale clubs, drugstores and grocery stores in North America starting this autumn.

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(Reuters) - Foreclosure filings dropped to a 3-year low in February due to an ongoing backlog following last year's halt in activity, according to a RealtyTrac report on Thursday. Notices of default, auctions and bank repossessions tumbled 13.9 percent from January to 225,101, the lowest since February 2008. Filings dropped 27 percent from February of last year, the biggest year-over-year drop since RealtyTrac started the report in 2005.

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(Reuters) - The Bank of England kept interest rates at a record low of 0.5 percent on the view that Britain's economic recovery remains too weak to sustain an inflationary spiral, but investors still expect a hike by mid-year. Thursday's decision was widely expected, but a small number of investors had bet on a rise and the pound slipped slightly after the announcement. All but one of the 63 economists polled by Reuters last week had predicted a steady verdict. However, with inflation already double the Bank's 2 percent target, most expect the central bank to raise rates later this year.

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