UNITED STATES

The U.S. economy remains too fragile for the Federal Reserve to begin raising interest rates, the president of the Atlanta Fed, Dennis Lockhart, said on Wednesday.

Shares of Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CBST) touched a new 52-week high of $30.02 on Wednesday morning. Optimer Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OPTR) said it has entered an exclusive two-year co-promotion agreement with Cubist to market Dificid in the U.S.

Oil prices hit fresh peaks on Wednesday, rising to highest since August 2008, buoyed by unrest in the Middle East and North Africa and dollar weakness ahead of an expected European Central Bank interest rate increase.

Should the spreading economic aftermath of the earthquake in Japan cause us to unravel global supply chains that seem suddenly all too vulnerable to shortages and shutdowns? Adam Smith would say No. The philosophical founding father of globalization would urge us, not to undo our worldwide lines of supply for component parts and raw materials, but to improve them.

The companies whose shares are actively trading in Wednesday's morning session include Orchid Cellmark, MSC Industrial, Nu Skin Enterprises, Clean Harbors and American Superconductor.

The price of Gold reached new record highs vs. the Dollar on Wednesday in London, breaching $1460 per ounce as world stock markets also kept rising together with commodities and higher-yielding currencies.

Oil prices held near a 2-1/2 year peak on Wednesday, supported by unrest in the Middle East and North Africa and dollar weakness ahead of an expected European Central Bank interest rate increase.

The European Union (EU) and Palestinians have condemned a plan by the Israel government to construct hundreds of homes in an area claimed by Palestinians.

With a government shutdown looming, congressional negotiators plan to meet again on Wednesday but remain billions of dollars apart in their search for a budget deal to keep federal agencies running beyond Friday.

Cash-rich technology companies are increasingly willing to go hostile in their bids for rivals, but potential targets are more worried about another threat -- shareholder activism, senior bankers said on Tuesday.

U.S. stocks were set to rise at the open on Wednesday as investors bet the upcoming earnings season and more merger activity will continue to lift equities higher.

Toyota Motors on Wednesday announced that it has sold a million units of its hybrid gas-electric vehicle, Prius, in the United States.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY on Wednesday said some progress was made in afternoon talks Tuesday meant to break an impasse on the 2011 fiscal year federal budget between House Republicans and Senate Democrats ahead of another possible meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House.

Customers of Verizon Communications had their email addresses exposed in a massive online data breach last week, according to an email to customers obtained by Reuters.

Futures on the S&P 500 hit their highest level in more than a month on Wednesday as investors bet the upcoming earnings season and more merger activity will continue to lift equities higher.

Mortgage applications in the U.S. fell for a second straight week ended April 1., despite mortgage interest rates remaining flat.

Futures on the S&P 500 hit their highest level in more than a month on Wednesday as investors bet the upcoming earnings season and more merger activity will continue to lift equities higher.

Genpact Ltd (NYSE: G), the outsourcing company spun off from General Electric Co., has agreed to acquire privately-held IT services provider Headstrong Corp. for $550 million in cash to expand its operations in the United States.

The ship times for the chronically out-of-stock Apple iPad 2 have improved of late, offering hope to enthusiasts who haven’t had a chance to own one so far.

U.S. stocks ended mixed on Tuesday as weaker-than-expected ISM Services PMI report and hawkish Fed meeting minutes weighed on the sentiment.

Wall Street was set to extend recent gains that have seen key indexes hit their highest since 2008, on optimism for economic recovery, and mergers and acquisitions activity.