Reuters: Dodging Bullets On All Fronts

From the windows of his 29th-floor aerie above Manhattan's East Side, Michael Sanderson has a sweeping view of New York's suburbs in the glow of a fall sunset. But the chief executive of Reuters America Holdings Inc. tends to keep his eyes on the opposite wall. There, seven giant Reuters screens flash stock prices, currency rates, and live video of U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin. If Sanderson gets his way, thousands of such screens will be beaming out Reuters data across the U.S. in a few years' time.

But just as Reuters is gearing up for a big U.S. push, it faces slower growth and growing competition in some of its strongholds. By far the biggest player in the nearly $6 billion global electronic financial-data market, Reuters is under pressure on many fronts. No.2 Bloomberg, Bridge Information Systems, and Dow Jones Markets are all scrambling for more market share. "Reuters is in a difficult position," says John Jessop, managing director for Europe at Bridge and a former Reuters executive. "Like any company as big as they are, they are under constant attack."