BUSINESS

The top after-market Nasdaq gainers Tuesday were Idenix Pharmaceuticals Inc, Mitel Networks Corporation, Gevo Inc, Sonus Networks Inc and Medical Action Industries Inc. The top after-market Nasdaq losers were: FSI International, Inc, Adobe Systems Incorporated, Farmers Capital Bank Corporation, Hawaiian Holdings Inc and Kulicke and Soffa Industries Inc.

The top after-market NYSE gainers Tuesday were: La-Z-Boy, Choice Hotels International, Actuant Corp, Jabil Circuit and Helmerich & Payne. The top after-market NYSE losers were: Chimera Investment, Sunstone Hotel Investors, Gerdau, Scorpio Tankers and Qihoo 360 Technology.

Asian markets rose Wednesday amid speculation that the U.S. Fed will announce monetary easing measures to rejuvenate the economy.

Microsoft has always been known as a software company, but that perception changed on Monday when the company unveiled its first-ever tablet in Los Angeles. Even though Apple popularized the tablet genre with the iPad, Microsoft's Surface tablet will directly compete with the bestselling tablet, as it is slightly thinner, features a bigger screen, and it can also do several things the iPad can't do, such as type well or sit up straight.

Streaming music service Spotify Ltd. launched a mobile radio feature on Tuesday that connects to Apple Inc.'s (Nasdaq: AAPL) ubiquitous iPhones and iPads, encroaching on the turf of online radio provider Pandora Media Inc. (NYSE: P).

Fans were able to see some footage of Ubisoft's upcoming 'Assassin's Creed' game at E3 2012, but it looks as if more uncut and unedited clips have surfaced. The video consists of more than five minutes of untouched gameplay from 'Assassin's Creed 3,' showing lead character Connor in a Boston market making some dirty dealings.

U.S. President Barack Obama met with world leaders at the G-20 summit in Mexico, which has largely been focused on reinvigorating a stagnant global economy threatened by the EU's persistent debt crisis.

Microsoft finally announced its first tablet device that will run Windows 8. PC lovers, tech enthusiasts and those looking for an iPad alternative are sure to be thrilled. But what some may not realize is that the new device could reveal some insight about Microsoft?s plans for its next-generation Xbox 720.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa will meet Tuesday, a day before Congressional Republicans are expected to vote on holding Holder in contempt of Congress, without the presence of the House GOP leadership.

Brazil, India, China and the other countries that paid into the latest European bailout fund aren't doing it for charity. Here's what they stand to gain from saving their former colonial masters.

The chief marketing executive at Atlanta-based soft drink giant Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) said he believes online and mobile advertising is an effective driver of sales for the company, even if it can't be quantified with any currently available standard measures.

A U.S. court has charged a retired Colombian police general with helping drug traffickers smuggle cocaine into the country.

Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL), the No. 1 database developer, reported full-year revenue rose 4 percent to $37.2 billion -- with revenue from the Cloud, or Internet-based computing, reaching a record $1 billion.

Legendary racing driver and muscle car builder Carroll Shelby is no longer quick, in both senses of the word, as a weird legal battle between his children and the last of his seven wives for possession of his remains has left his body stationary chilling in a Dallas County morgue, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times.

According to a report, over 35 percent of Indian companies operating in various sectors across India are engaged in corporate espionage and spy on their employees via social networking websites -- even after they leave the company

Athens needs to identify another ?11.7 billion in spending cuts by 2014.

China's attempt to manage inflation in the real estate market is putting pressure on local governments and pushing homebuyers overseas.

The defense of Jerry Sandusky has focused on inconsistencies in opposing witness testimony and presenting mostly character witnesses.

Housing starts fell 4.8 percent in May to an annual rate of 708,000, but building permits climbed 7.9 percent to the highest level in nearly four years, the U.S. Commerce Department said Tuesday. Economists surveyed by Reuters had forecast a reading of 720,000.

Shares of J.C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE: JCP) plunged mid-Tuesday by 10.15 percent, or $2.47, to $21.86 in the wake of president Michael Francis' departure, as the department store struggles to change its discount model and increase revenue.

In a radical shift for Bill Gates' 37-year-old software company, Microsoft unveiled a tablet in Los Angeles on Monday. The Surface aims to be a direct competitor to Apple's iPad, sporting a form factor that's thinner than Apple's tablet, and it also tackles several things the award-winning iPad can't do, like type well or stand up straight.

A month after the $16 billion mammoth but botched initial public offering of Facebook (Nasdaq: FB), the No. 1 social networking site, the ice may be breaking for technology companies.

German economic sentiment has deteriorated in June, according to the ZEW economic indicator which fell 27.7 points to minus 16.9, its strongest decline since October 1998.

Chairman Bernanke will announce his policy decision Wednesday at 12:30 EST, and considering the recent escalation in the European debt crisis

Markets are largely ignoring some very negative indicators this morning, seeming to feel that further support from central banks is imminent.

Gary Giordano, a former suspect in the disappearance of his travel companion Robyn Gardner, has filed suit against American Express in an effort to collect on an insurance policy he took out on the missing woman.

The prolonged crisis in the euro zone, coupled with signs that the U.S. economic recovery is faltering, have led to speculation that the Federal Reserve will provide more monetary stimulus, most likely through extending its Operation Twist program, at the June two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting, which concludes on Wednesday June 20.

South Korean electronics giant LG Group said it would step back from the tablet sector after Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT), the biggest software developer, introduced its Surface tablet for shipment in the second half.

On Monday, Microsoft finally took the wraps off its much talked about Surface tablet that had created a lot of hype even before its release. However, it seems that the mysteries surrounding the device have not been solved completely.