(Reuters) - Shares of Kinder Morgan Inc (KMI.N) traded more than 6 percent above their initial public offering price in early trading, signaling strong investor appetite for the U.S. pipeline company's assets. On Thursday, Houston based Kinder Morgan sold 95.5 million shares for $30 each in the largest U.S. energy IPO since 1998, according to Thomson Reuters data.

• Read more

(Reuters) - Consumer sentiment rose to its highest level in eight months in early February, boosted by recent tax cuts and optimism about the economy, a survey released on Friday showed. While consumers were more cheery about the economic and job market recovery, they still expected improvement to be lackluster, according to the latest consumer survey from Thomson Reuters and the University of Michigan.

• Read more

(Reuters) - Soft drink bottler Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc (CCE.N) reported a rise in fourth-quarter profit, helped by higher volume and pricing, and backed its 2011 profit outlook. The bottler of Coca-Cola (KO.N) drinks, which operates solely in Europe, said net income had increased to $97 million in the fourth quarter from $91 million a year earlier. On a per-share basis, earnings were 28 cents, in line with the analysts' average estimate, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S

• Read more

(Reuters) - Elliott Associates, the $17 billion U.S. hedge fund, added its voice to demands that chemicals giant DuPont raise its $5.8 billion bid for Danisco, the Danish maker of food ingredients and enzymes. The dispute pits DuPont Chief Executive Ellen Kullman against investors hoping -- as with earlier Scandinavian takeover sagas involving Cisco, Nestle, Schlumberger and others -- that the overseas suitor can be forced to sweeten its bid.

• Read more

(Reuters) - BP's Russian partners in its TNK-BP (TNBP.MM) joint venture are unable to block full dividend payout as a shareholding agreement enforces the payment, the daily Vedomosti said on Friday, citing sources close to TNK-BP. TNK-BP's Russia-connected shareholders decided to oppose the payment of a fourth-quarter dividend in the region of $1.78 billion when it is reviewed by the TNK-BP board. A meeting is scheduled for February 18.

• Read more

(Reuters) - Technology shares dragged U.S. stocks lower on Thursday as disappointing Cisco earnings overshadowed stronger-than-expected data on weekly unemployment benefits claims. Also weighing on equities were higher yields for indebted European countries, which reflected concern over the lack of a concrete policy to tackle the euro zone's debt crisis. The U.S. dollar gained versus the euro and pulled commodity prices lower. The S&P basic materials sector .GSPM fell 0.5 percent.

• Read more

(Reuters) - New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits dropped to a 2-1/2 year-year low last week, offering assurance that the labor market was strengthening despite January's poor jobs numbers. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell 36,000 to a seasonally adjusted 383,000, the lowest since early July 2008, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims slipping to 410,000. The prior week's figure was revised up to 419,000, from the previously reported 415,000.

• Read more

(Reuters) - Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext's plan to create the world's largest stock and futures exchange has sent competitors around the world scurrying to find partners, accelerating an industry shake-up. Traditional exchanges are under intense cost pressure from upstart electronic rivals like Bats Europe, Chi-X Europe and Direct Edge which were set up by the world's largest investment banks to loosen the big bourses' grip on share trading.

• Read more

(Reuters) - PepsiCo Inc (PEP.N) cut its full-year earnings growth target on Thursday, citing higher commodity costs, a difficult economy and investments in emerging markets. The results come a day after rival Coca-Cola Co (KO.N) surprised the market with sales volume increases in all of its segments. The maker of Pepsi-Cola and Frito Lay snacks saw its shares fall 1.3 percent in premarket trading, despite posting fourth-quarter sales and earnings that beat Wall Street estimates.

• Read more

(Reuters) - Sprint Nextel Corp (S.N) added mobile subscribers for the first quarter in more than three years, sending its shares up 3.2 percent in premarket trading. The No. 3 U.S. mobile service added 58,000 subscribers in the quarter, ahead of the average expectation for almost 17,000 customer additions from eight analysts contacted by Reuters.

• Read more