Reuters first with US nuclear investment

Reuters scooped Bloomberg on Feb. 12 with market-moving news that President Barack Obama would announce new loan guarantees for Southern Co to build the first new U.S. nuclear plant in nearly 30 years. Our White House team was nearly 40 minutes ahead of Bloomberg. A subsequent alert said the loan guarantees would amount to $8.3 billion. The story was significant for equity markets: Southern Co`s shares rose more than two percent on the first trading day after the news broke, bringing other sector peers up with them. The story was also significant for energy and general news clients because it signaled a major expansion in nuclear investment in the United States and another step by Obama to help garner votes for climate-change legislation in Congress.