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Japan's Nikkei average rose to its highest closing level in nearly two weeks on Wednesday with traders citing a boost from large programme trade in the afternoon, while electrical wire companies were the small-cap favorite of the day.

Micky Arison, owner of the Miami Heat and the cruise ship Costa Concordia, which made international headlines by sinking on Friday, saw 30% of his stake in his ship's company, Carnival Cruise Lines, dissipate.

Hedge funds holding Greek bonds that mature in March may have the strongest hand in the critical negotiations to restructure the cash-strapped country's debt.

China shares on Tuesday surged 4.2 percent, their biggest one-day gain in more than 27 months, after Beijing reported that the world's second-largest economy grew faster than expected in the last quarter of 2011, although at its weakest pace in 2-1/2 years.

Japan has joined the U.S. in its economic efforts to pressure Iran to abandon its nuclear program by agreeing to buy less Iranian oil.

The top aftermarket NYSE gainers Tuesday were: China New Borun Corp, Synnex Corp, Hospitality Properites Trust, Choice Hotels International, Bank of Ireland, Yingli Green Energy Holding Co, Boise Inc, FelCor Lodging Trust and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

A group of specialist banks are profiting from Europe's financial crisis, thanks to a surge in demand for securities which allow traders to bet against bank stocks and government bonds.

The supervisory council of the Swiss National Bank forced Philipp Hildebrand to step down as chairman after emails about a currency trade by his wife failed to clear him of involvement in the deal, newspapers reported on Tuesday.

The Swiss National Bank starts the search for a new board member on Tuesday after the resignation of Philipp Hildebrand as chairman over a controversial currency trade made by his wife.

GameStop Corp said holiday sales increased slightly as sales of new video game software from PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 titles such as Call of Duty 3 and Elder Scrolls V offset a 20 percent drop in hardware sales.

GameStop Corp said holiday sales increased slightly as sales of new video game software from PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 titles such as Call of Duty 3 and Elder Scrolls V offset a 20 percent drop in hardware sales.

U.S. authorities have given Swiss banks suspected of selling tax-evasion services to wealthy Americans a Jan 23. deadline to hand over the names of client advisers, a Swiss newspaper reported on Sunday.

U.S. authorities have given Swiss banks suspected of selling tax evasion services to wealthy Americans a Jan 23. deadline to hand over the names of client advisers, a Swiss newspaper reported on Sunday.

The Dutch government has appointed Credit Suisse to advise on a potential sale of its 33 percent stake in UK-based uranium enrichment company Urenco, people familiar with the situation told Reuters on Friday.

The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: ViroPharma, WebMD Health, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Oritani Financial, and Momenta Pharmaceuticals. The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: RF Micro Devices, Vical, Integra LifeSciences Holdings, Morgans Hotel Group, and Zoltek Companies.

Global mobile phone shipments is likely to grow at a much slower pace of 2 percent this year as customers hold back on new phone purchases, Credit Suisse said.

Switzerland's top central banker is battling for his future as he faces a grilling on Thursday over a controversial currency trade made by his wife three weeks before he oversaw moves to impose a cap on the Swiss franc.

Struggling phone maker Nokia Oyj basked in brightening prospects for its much-hyped Windows phone on Thursday as it prepared to strengthen the hand of new boss Stephen Elop by replacing its old-guard chairman.

U.S. prosecutors accused three Swiss bankers on Tuesday of conspiring with wealthy U.S. taxpayers to hide more than $1.2 billion in assets from tax authorities, and sources briefed on the matter said the three worked for Wegelin & Co, one of Switzerland's oldest private banks.

Gold rose by nearly 2 percent on Tuesday, fueled by a recovery in the euro against the dollar, after the bullion price neared six-month lows last week in a flurry of year-end selling.

54 Canal Street, the former site of Jarmulowsky Bank in Manhattan, has sold for $36 million, according to city records.

There are only hours left for Iowans to choose their Republican presidential nominee. The top two candidates seem set for a dead heat finish, while a third is trying to make the best use of a last minute and surprising surge forward in polls.

U.S. authorities hunting in Swiss banks for suspected tax cheats have a new weapon in their arsenal: an arcane but aggressive legal maneuver more commonly used against drug smugglers, money launderers and Imelda Marcos, widow of the Philippine dictator.

Google+, Google’s challenge to Facebook, is adding 625,000 daily users and already may have as many as 62 million signed up, unofficial statistician Paul Allen claimed.

Morgan Stanley (MS) will axe 580 jobs in various sites in New York City due to economic reasons. The rolling layoffs began on Dec. 15 and the company has not identified a closing date, company filings with the New York Department of Labor showed Tuesday.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) said Monday it was fining the American brokerage unit of Swiss banking giant Credit Suisse $1.75 million for violating rules regarding the controversial market-making practice known as "naked" short-selling.

Sears will be closing between 100 and 120 Sears and Kmart stores soon due to poor holiday sales.

Poor holiday sales at Sears and Kmart across the country are causing the Sears Holding Corp. to close between 100-120 of its over 4000 stores.

UBS will sacrifice its place in the top ten investment bank rankings as stricter capital rules force it to give up riskier fixed-income business, the Swiss bank's financial head said.