CHINA

U.S. stocks faltered on Wednesday after a three-day rally as falling crude prices hurt energy stocks and disappointing Disney earnings dragged down the Dow industrials.

U.S. exports set a record in March, buoyed by the weak U.S. dollar and strengthening global demand as U.S. trade flows returned to levels last seen before the global financial crisis.

The U.S. trade deficit widened more than expected in March, as exports leapt to a new record but imports rose nearly 5 percent as oil prices jumped, a U.S. government report showed on Wednesday.

U.S. stocks fell on Wednesday after a three-day rally as Disney results weighed on the Dow industrials and a slide in crude prices hurt energy stocks.

Anish Kapoor had dedicated his new monumental art piece 'Leviathan' to Chinese artist Ai Weiwie, who was is custody by Chinese authorities for unspecified crimes.

The operator of Japan's tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear station said on Wednesday that it has sealed a fresh leak of radioactive water at the plant that it suspected was seeping into the ocean.

Gold rallied to one-week highs at $1526 per ounce in Wednesday morning trade - a gain of 4.3% from last Friday's low - before falling back as world stock markets also cut their rally. Silver has now regained a third of its losses since falling over 30% from a 31-year peak of $48.70 at the end of April.

A commodities crash – or at least a severe correction – may be coming in 2011.

Remarks by the President on Comprehensive Immigration Reform in El Paso, Texas

U.S. stocks were set to open little changed on Wednesday as investors sorted through company news to find reasons to lift the market further after three days of gains.

The U.S. trade deficit widened more than expected in March, as rising oil prices helped push imports nearly 5 percent higher while exports leapt to a new record, a U.S. government report showed on Wednesday.

HSBC's new boss is to cut back in retail banking and may sell its U.S. credit card arm in a bid to cut $3.5 billion in costs and revive flagging profits.

U.S. stock index futures edged higher on Wednesday on follow-through from three days of gains on Wall Street as growth in China showed signs of cooling.

China and the United States reached agreement to collaborate closely in the Asia-Pacific region after a two-day strategic and economic dialogue in Washington D.C. on Tuesday.

Google decided to ratchet up excitement around the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, which runs its tablet specific OS Android 3.0, by giving it for free to 5,000 attendees at the Google I/O conference and incurring about $499 per piece or $2.5 million in total.

Toyota Motor Corp posted a steeper-than-expected fall in quarterly profits after Japan's biggest quake on record hit output, and lamented that making cars at home was tougher than ever now with disasters compounding the impact of a strong yen.

Stock index futures pointed to a slightly higher open on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 all up 0.1 percent.

TOKYO, May 11 - Toyota Motor Corp posted a 52 percent fall in quarterly operating profit on Wednesday and gave no annual forecasts, as expected, as it struggles to measure the scope of the disruption to production after the March 11 earthquake.

World stocks rose for a second straight day on Wednesday thanks to favorable U.S. and European corporate earnings, while the euro slipped on uncertainty over whether debt-laden Greece would need additional financial aid.

GM has announced that it will invest $2 billion in two years from now, creating or retaining 4,000 jobs.

China on Tuesday pledged easier access for U.S. companies to key sectors of its economy by removing barriers to its huge market in government contracts and offering a foothold to U.S. mutual funds.