BUSINESS

The United States on Wednesday threw its support behind a bid to boost the International Monetary Fund's financial resources, signaling greater satisfaction among Group of 20 nations with Europe's efforts to resolve its debt crisis.

Institutional investors are increasingly pressing boards to rein in outsized executive pay, and after Citigroup shareholders rejected a compensation plan on Tuesday, more directors may start listening.

U.S. stocks slipped on Wednesday, a day after Wall Street's best gains in a month, as uninspiring earnings from tech bellwethers IBM and Intel gave investors a reason to take profits.

Shares of Chesapeake Energy Corp dropped more than 5 percent on Wednesday and one investor called for the company to clean up its leadership after a Reuters report that Chief Executive Aubrey McClendon borrowed as much as $1.1 billion against his stake in thousands of company wells.

More than half of local and state employees continue to work under pay freezes, while others are accelerating their retirements or facing the prospects of layoffs as the effects of the recession linger on the public sector, according to a survey released on Wednesday.

Starbucks Corp wants to make its mainland China expansion a family affair.

Apple may make its next iPhone considerably thinner and lighter thanks to some recently-licensed patents for liquid metal, which the company acquired in 2010 from Delaware-based Liquidmetal Technologies. The same report also says the iPhone will release and launch date is June 2012.

Swedish retailer IKEA unveiled its interpetation of an integrated television on Monday, called the UPPLEVA, which means to experience. Even though Apple's late founder Steve Jobs had envisioned such a TV for his own company, it looks like IKEA will be the first to ship such an experience.

Shares in Chesapeake Energy Corp fell nearly 10 percent on Wednesday after a Reuters report that Chief Executive Aubrey McClendon had borrowed as much as $1.1 billion over the last three years against his stake in thousands of company wells.

The Seaside, N.J., home that houses the Jersey Shore gang has been vandalized! While it might not come as a surprise since the inside of the house was frequently vandalized by its famous reality star tenants, but on the outside has been tagged by hoards of fans.

Stocks declined on Wednesday after uninspiring earnings from IBM and Intel, while Chesapeake Energy sank after a Reuters report highlighted that its CEO has taken out large and unusual personal loans.

Commodities trader Glencore signed a $6 billion syndicated loan backing its $90 billion merger with miner Xstrata on Tuesday after raising nearly $11 billion in syndication, banking sources said on Wednesday.

The Android smartphone operating system is a very important asset for Google, but it is not critical, Google's chief executive said in courtroom testimony.

Halliburton Co , the world's second-largest oilfield services company, reported a higher quarterly profit as North American sales hit a record high despite major challenges, and its shares rose more than 4 percent.

BlackRock Inc , the world's largest asset manager, said first-quarter profits were steady, bolstered by strong inflows into its popular iShares exchange-traded fund business.

The government will face a major test on whether it has the capacity to govern when it faces big tax and budget decisions at the end of the year, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Wednesday.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc Chief Executive Warren Buffett said he has stage 1 prostate cancer but his condition is not remotely life-threatening or even debilitating in any meaningful way.

Commodities trader Glencore signed a $6 billion syndicated loan backing its $90 billion merger with miner Xstrata on Tuesday after raising nearly $11 billion in syndication, banking sources said on Wednesday.

Fears of a resurgence in the euro zone debt crisis boosted demand for safe-haven German bonds on Wednesday, while the Bank of England and a European Central Bank official signaled more monetary policy easing to support growth was unlikely.

The house is spectacular. It's unique, Newport Beach estate agent Michael Gosselin said. For the right buyer, it would be fantastic. I just don't know how many buyers like this are out there anymore. I'll be curious to see what it sells for.

Halliburton Co , the world's second-largest oilfield services company, on Wednesday reported higher quarterly profits as North American sales reached a record high, lifting its shares in premarket trading.

Stock index futures dipped on Wednesday after the S&P 500 tallied its biggest gain in a month and ahead of another round of corporate earnings.

Stock index futures edged lower on Wednesday after the S&P 500 tallied its biggest gain in a month and ahead of another round of corporate earnings.

Aubrey McClendon, the CEO of Chesapeake Energy Corp, has borrowed as much as $1.1 billion over the last three years against his stake in thousands of company wells - a move that analysts, academics and attorneys who reviewed loan documents say raises the potential for conflicts of interest.

Stock index futures pointed to a slightly lower open on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500, Dow Jones and Nasdaq 100 down between 0.1 percent and 0.2 percent at 6:47 a.m. EDT (1047 GMT).

Economic experts watching Spain don't know how much money will be needed or precisely when, but some are near certain that Madrid will eventually seek a multi-billion euro bailout for its banks, and perhaps even for the state itself.

European shares eased and the single currency softened on Wednesday as the region's sovereign debt worries and its weaker economic outlook weighed on investors ahead of a German bond sale that will test demand for ultra-low yielding debt.

Exuberant global markets have taken a reality check this month on chronic U.S., Chinese and European growth concerns, and investors should hold companies' relatively rosy profit outlooks up for scrutiny too.

HSBC is launching its first offshore yuan bond, which will be the first offshore yuan deal to be listed in London, IFR, a Thomson Reuters publication, reported on Wednesday.