BUSINESS

Asian stock markets mostly advanced Monday with Japanese shares climbing more than 2 percent after the weekend’s Group of 20 finance chiefs' meeting has refrained from criticizing Tokyo’s monetary policies that have weakened the yen.

Maker’s Mark announced last week it planned to water down its iconic bourbon -- to 42 percent, or 84 proof, from 45 percent, or 90 proof, as a way to boost the supply of the liquid gold to meet the rising demand for it. Fans were outraged, and the distiller has apologized for its now-abandoned plan.

Facebook went public and reaped profits topping $1.1 billion, but not only will it pay no taxes, it will get a huge break.

The Beemers will be recalled for two separate reasons, one centered on the braking system, the other centered on the electrical system.

Google Inc. reportedly plans to open a chain of self-branded retail stores in the U.S. before the end of this year.

As international brands try to lure Chinese buyers, high-end spending at home is in decline.

A two-day G-20 meeting in Moscow ended on Saturday with members promising to refrain from competitive currency devaluation.

The top after-market NYSE gainers Friday were Nationstar Mortgage Holdings, CRH Plc, Pike Electric, Martha Stewart Living and Martha Stewart Living. The top after-market NYSE losers were Skilled Healthcare, El Paso Pipeline, Active Network, Quad Graphics and Forestar Group Inc.

Move to Nepal, pay $60 a week, and attract thousands of workers for "crowdsourced" jobs, a model that may help fight poverty worldwide.

Amazon.com has been accused of hiring a neo-Nazi security firm to regulate their temp workers in Germany.

Global growth will still be fairly weak this year, but there’s no denying that industrial conditions have recently improved.

The Dow has vectored toward 14,000, but investors in U.S. stocks would be wise to keep one eye on Washington and one on the price of oil.

Marijuana is now legal for medical treatment in the Czech Republic after Czech President Vaclav Klause signed the measure into law on Friday.

Herbalife Ltd, Delta Air Lines, Zynga, Kinross Gold, Research In Motion, Transocean, Kosmos Energy and France Telecom SA are among the companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trading Friday.

Here's your handy earnings-report watchlist for this week.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a lower open Friday ahead of the Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization report.

Japan’s industrial output rose 2.4 percent in December, but less than the initial estimate of 2.5 percent.

The top after-market Nasdaq gainers Thursday were Qlik Technologies Inc, Datalink Corporation, The Wet Seal Inc, GT Advanced Technologies Inc and Pilgrim's Pride Corporation while the top after-market Nasdaq losers were LogMein Inc, Medivation Inc, Edgewater Technology Inc and Meru Networks.

The top after-market NYSE gainers Thursday were Herbalife Ltd, Ellie Mae, Nu Skin Enterprises, Calpine Corp and Just Energy Group. The top after-market NYSE losers were Active Network, Agilent Technologies, B&G Foods, On Assignment and Key Energy Services.

Airbus said Thursday night it is dropping lithium-ion batteries from its new A350 airplane after possible defects forced the grounding of Boeing’s 787.

Billionaire Warren Buffett is dipping into the ketchup business as part of a $23.3 billion deal to buy H.J. Heinz Co., uniting a legend of American investing with a mainstay of grocery store shelves.

The receding Arctic Ocean ice has opened up two major sea lanes that maritime shippers are using to cut costs.

A Massachusetts family was awarded $63 million in a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson.

Hollywood depicts asteroids as Earth-shattering nemeses, but, in the real world, some hope to bring them closer to Earth.

A bigger-than-expected GDP contraction in Q4 brought a dismal end to a very difficult year for the euro zone.

American Airlines and US Airways agreed Thursday to merge in an $11 billion deal that would create the world's biggest airline.

Asian markets shouldn’t be perceived as high risk, but stock valuations are definitely out of sync with earnings growth, an expert warned.

Analysts had forecast GM's 2012 profit to be $5.6 billion, or $3.26 per share. Instead it was $4.9 billion, or $2.92 per share.

Central banks are now buying more gold than ETF investors -- a very startling result. Will the trend continue?