ECONOMY & MARKETS

Credit agency lifts Greece out of default territory with B-rating on optimism that debt swap and reforms will ease economy problems.

Economist Nouriel Roubini of Roubini Global Economics thinks a euro zone breakup could occur as soon as 2013.

JPMorgan Chase and Co. (NYSE:JPM) announced Tuesday afternoon it would be raising the dividend payout to shareholders and engaging in a sizable stock buyback program, in a show of balance sheet strength coming just days after the bank was green-lighted through the Federal Reserve's now-yearly "stress tests." The markets rallied.

JPMorgan Chase and Co. (NYSE:JPM) announced Tuesday afternoon it would be raising the dividend payout to shareholders and engaging in a sizable stock buyback program, in a show of balance sheet strength coming just days after the bank was green-lighted through the Federal Reserve's now-yearly "stress tests." The markets rallied.

Stocks shot up Tuesday, propelled by a strong U.S. retail sales report, a German investor confidence survey and a statement by the Federal Open Market Committee noting improvement in household and business spending as well as job creation.

Pimco, the world's top bond fund manager, is predicting largely favorable global economic conditions for 2012, but warns of three looming threats.

The European Commission doesn't believe the Greek austerity measures currently adopted are enough. For 2013 and 2014, it is demanding additional cuts equivalent to 5.5 percent of the GDP, according to a report obtained by Reuters.

Business inventories beat expectations in January, increasing 0.7 percent to a record level as auto dealers replenished their stocks to keep pace with rising demand from consumers.

US Airways, the fifth-biggest U.S. airline by traffic, has registered a slew of internet domain names that suggest a merger effort with bankrupt American Airlines is imminent.

Europe is undermining drug innovation by cutting prices, raising barriers to new medicines and freeloading off others in Asia and the United States who are more willing to pay, the boss of Pfizer, the world's largest drugmaker, said.

The U.S., the European Union and Japan will file a complaint with the World Trade Organization, which arbitrates international trade disputes, on Tuesday over Chinese export caps on rare earth minerals used in high-tech manufacturing, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Sales at U.S. retailers jumped in February by the most in five months, showing broad-based gains from autos to building materials, underscoring yet another hopeful sign of a strengthening economy.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Tuesday are: Paychex, WYNN Resorts, Beam Inc, Express Scripts, Sprint Nextel Corp, Carnival Corp, Weyerhaeuser Co, Safe Bulkers, Urban Outfitters and Urban Outfitters.

Retail sales recorded their largest gain in five months in February as Americans snapped up motor vehicles and bought a range of goods even as they paid more for gasoline, government data showed on Tuesday.

A closely followed measure of German economic confidence rose in March, its fourth consecutive monthly gain, the ZEW Center for European Economic Research in Mannheim said Tuesday.

The top after-market NASDAQ gainers Monday were: Carmike Cinemas, IntegraMed America, Powerwave Technologies, Tranzyme, AeroVironment and United Online. The top after-market NASDAQ losers were: Tangoe, Urban Outfitters, Gencor Industries, FX Energy, Salix Pharmaceuticals and Akorn, Inc.

The top aftermarket NYSE gainers Monday were: Resolute Energy, Armstrong World Industries, Nautilus Group, GNC Holdings, Cameco Corp and Beam Inc. The top aftermarket NYSE losers were: InvenSense, Safe Bulkers, China Mass Media Corp, Yelp Inc, MarkWest Energy Partners and Sunoco Logistics Partners LP.

Germany's Bayer AG is planning to challenge the decision by the government of India to allow an Indian drug manufacturer to produce and market its patented cancer medicine Nexavar.

Exports to the U.S. were a bright spot, but the general picture from China’s latest trade data is that global demand is still subdued, according to Capital Economics.

Eurozone finance ministers approve second bailout for Greece but demand Spain acts urgently to deal with tight deficit target.

Japan's Nikkei average breached 10,000 for the third straight session before trimming gains to 0.9 percent Tuesday, lifted by defensive buying as investors looked for signs of further easing from the Bank of Japan.

In an auto industry placing increased emphasis on fuel economy in its vehicles, Ford Motor Co. serves as the poster child. The average fuel economy of Ford's sold passenger vehicles and trucks jumped by an average of 4.9 miles per gallon in February from the year-ago period. Unsurprising in those results is the credit due to the Ford Fusion and Focus, on which the company has placed an emphasis on greater fuel economy.

JetBlue Airways Corp. (NASDAQ: JBLU) saw its airline traffic jump an astounding 17.4 percent in February, the company announced Monday in a press release.

China's surprisingly big February trade deficit numbers Monday cut into commodity prices and other growth-sensitive securities.

The U.S. budget deficit grew by $231.68 million in February, more than at any time since August 2010, but the government is on track for a budget gap this fiscal year that's smaller than in fiscal 2011.

Some of the most respected figures in investment management are addressing the prospect of hyperinflation in the United States and other Western countries.

Auto parts maker Visteon Corp. said Monday that it will sell its automotive lighting business to the India-based Varroc Group for $92 million in cash, a deal the company expects to close in the third quarter of 2012.

Commodities traders Cargill and Glencore are both interested in acquiring Viterra, Canada's biggest grain company, according to reports, setting up a potential deal that would further consolidate the food industry.

The top pre-market NASDAQ gainers are: Tudou Holdings, Ku6 Media Co, Zoll Medical Corp, Orexigen Therapeutics and Meru Networks. The top pre-market losers are: Anthera Pharmaceuticals, Human Genome Sciences, Yongye International, Logitech International and Oracle Corp.