BUSINESS

The top after-market NASDAQ gainers Wednesday were Electro Scientific Industries Inc, PetMed Express Inc, Universal Display Corporation, Enzon Pharmaceuticals Inc and Hologic Inc. The top after-market NASDAQ losers Wednesday were Proofpoint Inc, Casella Waste Systems Inc, PDL BioPharma Inc and Liberty Global Inc.

The top after-market NYSE gainers Monday were Thor Industries, Teradata Corp, Valspar Corp, Renren and Commercial Metals Co. The top after-market NYSE losers were Genco Shipping & Trading, Pep Boys-Manny, Moe & Jack, General Growth Properties, NACCO Industries and New Mountain Finance Corp.

Thailand’s consumer confidence rose in November compared to that in the previous month, indicating an improvement in domestic spending which accounts for the majority of overall economic activity.

Japan's monetary base rose in November compared to that in the same month last year, indicating that the monetary easing policies are leading to an increase in the amount of currency in circulation which in turn results in reviving economic growth.

Asian shares dipped Tuesday after U.S. manufacturing activity hit a three-year low in November.

Rita Whora trended nationally on Twitter on Monday after Rob Kardashian appeared to express his disgust with his girlfriend, singer Rita Ora, for allegedly cheating on him.

Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) has partnered with Glasgow animation studio Axis to continue updating episodic content for "Halo 4: Spartan Ops."

Monday: a very good day for Greek crisis resolution. But again, the onus of solving the problem fell on taxpayers, and spared financiers.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged the Chinese affiliates of five big accounting firms with violating securities laws by not turning over work papers from their audits of China-based firms the SEC is investigating.

China's version of Cyber Monday resulted in sales of more than $3 billion. However, the record-breaking sales have created chaos among delivery companies and post offices unable to keep up with consumers.

Activision Blizzard Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) has signed two of the stars of AMC’s popular television series “The Walking Dead,” Norman Reedus and Michael Rooker, for its upcoming shooter, “The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct.”

Why did cars fly out of showrooms in November? More confidence, more options, more incentives and more need.

Nintendo (PINK: NTDOY) sold a disappointing 40,000 units of its new Wii U video game console during its first 48 hours on the market in the UK, failing to place a single launch title in the top ten for video games sales on its first weekend in the country.

Ford reported that consumers have continued to gravitate to the Dearborn-based company's fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles.

Chrysler Group LLC, a subsidiary of Italian company Fiat S.p.A. (Milan: F), reported November 2012 U.S. sales of 122,565 units, a 14 percent rise from last year, the best November since 2007 and the 32nd consecutive month of year-over-year gains.

A 125-mile long traffic jam in Russia stranded drivers between Moscow and St. Petersburg for three days.

Denny's, the 24-hour American diner, opened a new wedding chapel restaurant on Thursday in Las Vegas.

Delta Air, seeking better access to London's Heathrow, and a 1-ticket flight, is eyeing a 49% Virgin stake.

November U.S. vehicle sales are estimated to have risen by about 12.7 percent over last year.

Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Dell, Rio Tinto, Boston Scientific, Facebook, Dynavax Technologies, Research In Motion and Bankrate Inc. are among the companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trading Monday.

China aims to produce 15 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas a year from the South China Sea by 2015, amid escalating territory disputes in the region between China and neighboring countries.

The U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open Monday ahead of the release of the Institute of Supply Management’s manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index.

During a panel discussion at the Hack in the Box conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia just over a month ago, hackers including @pod2g, @planetbeing, MuscleNerd and mdowd talked about some interesting stuff related to iOS 6 untethered jailbreak. Read on for more details.

India’s manufacturing sector grew at its fastest pace in five months in November, backed by strong export orders, according to the HSBC manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index prepared by Markit.

Crude oil prices advanced in Asia Monday as sentiment was buoyed after reports indicated a pick-up in China's manufacturing activity in November.

Asian stock markets mostly advanced Monday after the official data showed that Chinese manufacturing activity expanded for the second straight month in November.

South Korea’s manufacturing activity continued to contract in November but improved to a five-month high, according to the HSBC Purchasing Managers’ Index released Monday.

China surpassed the U.S. as a trading partner in many places around the world in the short span of five years, according to an analysis of trade data conducted by the Associated Press.

China's manufacturing activity expanded to a thirteen-month high in November, according to the HSBC Purchasing Managers’ Index.