ECONOMY & MARKETS

Two of Europe's main central banks announced Thursday they would be keeping their benchmark interbank lending rates unchanged, in an expected move that analysts see as an acknowledgement of creeping inflation and policy exhaustion.

Claims for jobless benefits rose to 362,000, but is still hovering around a 4-year low for the fourth consecutive weeks, underscoring Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's view that the U.S. economy has to show stronger growth to ensure that more Americans can find jobs.

The European Central Bank held interest rates at 1.0 percent for the third month running on Thursday, pausing to assess the impact of a dramatic sweep of measures that has unsettled some at the bank.

U.S. employers planned slightly fewer layoffs in February than the previous month, but the overall pace of corporate downsizing is up 18 percent over last year, global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. said in a report Thursday.

Futures on major U.S. indices point to a higher opening on Thursday ahead of key weekly jobless claims from the government.

The top after-market NASDAQ losers Wednesday were: Sigma Designs, Semtech Corp, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Alkermes plc, Daktronics, Jamba, American Capital Agency, VOXX International, Star Scientific and Amyris.

The top after-market NASDAQ gainers Wednesday were: SMTC Corp, Sequenom, AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Stanley Furniture Co, Hot Topic, MModal, Fuel Systems Solutions, Plexus Corp and Shuffle Master.

Crude oil prices gained in European trade Thursday as better-than-expected ADP jobs report in the U.S. and the progress in the Greek debt swap deal boosted sentiment.

The top aftermarket NYSE gainers Wednesday were: Flotek Industries, Crown Castle International Corp, Community Health Systems, El Paso Corp, Global Cash Access Holdings and Hovnanian Enterprises. The top aftermarket NYSE losers were: H&R Block, Jones Group, American International Group, Standard Pacific Corp, National Retail Properties and Texas Industries.

Chrysler Group LLC chief executive Sergio Marchionne received no salary or stock awards from Chrysler in 2011, according to the annual report filed by the company.

The U.S. Treasury is seeking to raise $6 billion by selling shares of American International Group Inc. (AIG), the insurer that was rescued in 2008.

Government bonds expensive, contribute to rise in pension fund deficits.

Japan's economy shrank less than initially estimated in the fourth quarter as companies ramped up capital expenditure, but the current account swung to a record deficit in January as a shift away from nuclear power pushes up fossil fuel imports.

Long-term unemployment harms the economy by causing former workers' skills to deteriorate, says Eric Lascelles, chief economist at RBC Global Asset Management.

A union representing the support staff at Canada's largest airliner -- which includes 8,600 mechanics, cargo agents, baggage handlers and maintenance staff -- said it would strike against its patron starting Monday, after having rejected a government-mediated four-year contract deal for its members. Government intervention is seen likely

Greek tourism revenues could drop by up to five percent in 2012 due to a fall in pre-bookings from Germany, industry officials said Wednesday, denting hopes the key sector will help pull the country out of the Eurozone financial crisis.

If Europe is hit by a recession, bond investors might be led to assume that countries on the continent will have a harder time repaying debts, and that assumption could prompt them to sell off European debt, exacerbating the current crisis.

U.S. home prices fell 1 percent in December, a sharper decline compared to the previous month, Lender Processing Services Inc. (NYSE: LPS) said Wednesday.

Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) saw its February traffic jump 3.9 percent from a year earlier, marking the company's first traffic increase in three months.

A Texas jury found Allen Stanford, Texan financier, multi-billionaire and cricket mogul, guilty of $7 billion fraud Tuesday.

Peru's government will complete divesting itself from the country's sugar mill industry, completing the change in agrarian policy in the country started in 1997 and marking the end of government involvement that sector has seen since 1969, according to Bloomberg News. The development is expected to help boost sugar production in the country and, consequently, send world sugar prices down.

German factory orders unexpectedly decline in January, mirroring a sharp drop in orders from outside the euro zone, flashing an early warning sign that Europe's largest economy could be heading back into recession.

Nonfarm business productivity rose 0.9 percent in the fourth quarter, revised from the previously estimated gain of 0.7 percent, as labor costs increased 2.8 percent.

Companies added 216,000 workers to their payrolls in February, boosted again by a surge in services sector employment, according to data released by ADP on Wednesday.

Futures on major U.S. indices point to a higher opening on Wednesday ahead of economic data including ADP national employment report and non-farm productivity.

Stock markets in Asia declined for the third day Wednesday uncertainty over Greece's debt deal and concerns over a slowdown in global economic growth dampened sentiment.

The top aftermarket NYSE losers Tuesday were: Pandora Media, Aircastle, Office Depot, SWS Group, CVR Partners, Cemex SAB, STMicroelectronics, Cedar Fair, Verifone Systems and Forest Oil Corp.

The top aftermarket NYSE gainers Tuesday were: Apollo Residential Mortgage, Sterlite Industries, First American Corp, Universal American Corp, Hersha Hospitality Trust, Bank of Ireland, iSoftStone Holdings, Seaspan Corp and Tredegar Corp.

Ford CEO Alan Mulally, has received $34.5 million worth of shares, as disclosed by the company Tuesday in a regulatory filing.