ECONOMY & MARKETS

The top after-market NYSE gainers Tuesday were Vmware, EMC Corp, MGIC Investment, Basic Energy Services and Salesforce.com. The top after-market NYSE losers were Sally Beauty Holdings, United Rentals, Proto Labs, Ultra Petroleum and American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings.

The top after-market Nasdaq gainers Tuesday were Amicus Therapeutics Inc, Orexigen Therapeutics inc, Gevo Inc, Inter Parfums Inc and Complete Genomics Inc.The top after-market Nasdaq losers were Rovi Corporation, Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc, VIVUS Inc SS&C Technologies Holdings Inc and Horizon Technology Finance Corporation.

Asian markets fell Wednesday as investors were disappointed to note that the U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke did not offer any hint of monetary easing measures to rejuvenate the faltering economic growth.

Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC), the largest semiconductor manufacturer, beat expectations in the second quarter, but reduced its revenue forecast for the year as China's economy is expected to slow.

Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq: YHOO)'s earnings increased in the second quarter as the tech giant's advertising revenue rose slightly.

The world's major miners are not discovering enough new gold deposits to make up for all the extraction they have engaged in over the past decade and a half, a fact that suggests the scarcity of the precious yellow metal could grow in coming decades.

U.S. builder confidence rose in the new single-family home market as in July by the greatest level in nearly a decade, led by improving market conditions and buyer traffic, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index.

U.S. stocks gave back early gains and turned negative after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke set out a downbeat view of the economy to Congress without promising imminent easing measures.

Industrial Production in the U.S. increased a seasonally adjusted 0.4 percent in June after a 0.2 percent dip in May, the Federal Reserve said Tuesday, led by gains among automobile and machinery makers that suggests some resilience in the manufacturing sector.

Consumer prices in the U.S. were flat in June as the higher cost of food offset another drop in energy, according to government statistics released Tuesday, further confirming the Federal Reserve's view that the jump in fuel costs was only temporary.

Dean Foods, Sprint Nextel, Yahoo, Barclays, France Telecom, Alcatel Lucent, Infosys and Sony Corp. are among the companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trading Tuesday.

Black women account for only 13 percent of the U.S. female population, but undergo more than one-third of all abortions.

Copper prices have outperformed the overall metals market as traders have closed short selling in expectation of government intervention to boost growth, but the metal may still be slightly overvalued, according to a Monday report by Barclays.

U.S. stock index futures point to a higher open Tuesday as investor sentiment turned positive on expectations for new U.S. Federal Reserve stimulus measures.

Asian stock markets advanced Tuesday as investor await Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's semi-annual testimony before Congress for hints about further easing.

Crude oil prices slightly advanced Tuesday as investors awaited testimony from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke for hints about further easing.

Most European markets rose Tuesday as investors continued to have hopes that the U.S. Federal reserve will announce more stimulus measures to boost the economic growth.

The top after-market NYSE gainers Monday were Calpine Corp, Sprint Nextel, Digital Domain Media Group, EXCO Resources and Teavana Holdings. The top after-market NYSE losers were StanCorp Financial Group, Tempur-pedic International, Swift Energy, HSBC Holdings and Regis Corp.

The top after-market Nasdaq gainers Monday were Digital Generation Inc, Codexis Inc, NuPathe Inc, Synacor Inc and Marten Transport Ltd.The top after-market Nasdaq losers were Mattress Firm Holding Corp, Select Comfort Corporation, J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc, ICU Medical Inc and FLIR Systems Inc.

Asian markets were rose Tuesday as investors continued to be hopeful that central banks all over the world would soon announce stimulus measures to tackle the weakening global economy.

Asian shares paused Tuesday as investors awaited Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's view on the U.S. economy later in the day, after weak U.S. retail sales and a lower International Monetary Fund global growth forecast raised hopes of more stimulus from the Fed.

A World Trade Organization panel ruled Monday that China had discriminated against U.S. bank card suppliers in favor of a state-owned enterprise, a decision U.S. card issuers hope could level the playing field and open up new opportunities to China's $1 trillion electronic payments market.

The credit default swaps (CDS) market is pricing in a probable default by PSA Peugeot-Citroen (Paris: UG) as the company struggles with the French government to shed 14,000 jobs and close a plant to cut costs and ensure the survival of the troubled European automaker.

The International Monetary Fund on Monday cut its global growth forecast in 2013 in response to Europe's sovereign debt crisis.

Margaret Sullivan, outgoing editor of the Warren Buffett-owned Buffalo News, brings 32 years of journalism experience to her new role as public editor of the New York Times (NYSE: NYT), as the Sulzberger family-controlled paper faces unprecedented financial challenges.

The U.S. travel and tourism industry is looking at a record-setting year, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced Friday, with both spending and visitor numbers well above last year’s figures.

65 years after independence from Great Britain, cricket (a foreign import and a remnant of colonialism) is more popular in India and Pakistan than ever.

U.S. retail sales unexpectedly declined for a third straight month in June, the latest sign that weak job growth and stagnant wages have taken a toll on the biggest part of the economy.

Euro zone nations, collectively, posted an $8.42 billion trade surplus in May, well ahead of a $1.46 billion deficit in the year-earlier period, as exports rose and imports remained relatively steady, the European Union's statistical office said Monday.