ECONOMY & MARKETS

The top aftermarket NYSE losers Wednesday were: Polypore International, Genco Shipping & Trading, Titan International, Safeway, Limited Brands, Analog Devices, Thompson Creek Metals, Concho Resources, Ternium and SandRidge Mississippian.

The top aftermarket NYSE gainers Wednesday were: Spirit Aerosystems Holdings, Penn Virginia, Sturm, Ruger & Co, Macquarie Infrastructure, Qihoo 360 Technology Co, Aegean Marine Petroleum Network, Whiting Petroleum Corp, MGIC Investment Corp, Stone Energy and QEP Resources.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed a lawsuit against the chairman and the former Chief Executive Officer of Puda Coal Inc alleging them of defrauding investors by selling stakes in the firm which they had turned into an empty shell company.

The move is expected to increase anger that the bank is still paying large salaries while thousands, including more than 30,000 layoffs at the bank in the last three years, lose their jobs in a weakening global economy.

Hewlett-Packard reported Wednesday that net income fell sharply for the first fiscal quarter and warned of continued weakness as it was losing market share in personal computers and printer business.

The Federal Housing Finance Administration (FHFA), overseer of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, detailed a plan on Tuesday for the companies' uncertain futures, grappling with the challenges of political hostility, reluctant private investors and a fragile housing market.

Taiwan and China are engaged in a kind of “metaphysical battle” for Lin’s identity.

It didn't take long for the initial relief following Tuesday's long-awaited Greek bailout deal to die down. Global stocks ended Wednesday lower as investors took a cautious stance on the Eurozone economic outlook following disappointing business activity data and Fitch's announcement to cut Greece's credit rating further into junk status.

When looking for stocks to buy for 2012, it may help to consider what hedge fund managers piled into during the last quarter of 2011.

U.S. home resales rose to a 1-1/2 year high in January, pushing the supply of properties on the market to the lowest level in almost seven years in a hopeful sign for the housing sector.

A super PAC supporting President Barack Obama in his re-election campaign released its first ad Wednesday, blasting Republican Mitt Romney for his opposition to the program of government loans to rescue General Motors and Chrysler.

T-Mobile USA Inc. asked regulators in a filing on Tuesday to block Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZW)'s bid to buy airwaves from cable companies, arguing that the move would pose a clear threat to competition.

Actor Brad Pitt may soon have a new role: real estate developer. Croatian paper Jutarnji List reported that Pitt has partnered with businessman Danko Koncar and actor Rade Serbedzija to build a luxury waterfront resort in the Brijuni Islands in the Adriatic Sea.

When it comes to the debate on whether the United States is experiencing inflation, it is typically not a yes or no interchange. If you have read the first two parts (Part 1, Part 2) of my series on inflation, you are well aware that I am on the side that inflation is already upon us. My counterparts, typically, will not only disagree, but will also bring up the issue of deflation.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Wednesday it is asking banks about overdraft fees for checking accounts and the effect they have on consumers.

Sales of existing U.S. homes rose 4.3 percent to 4.57 million in January, up from a revised 4.38 million in December, according to the National Assocation of Realtors, marking further improvement in the housing market as interest rates remained low and the job market saw gains.

DoubleLine Capital's stock market prediction for 2012 is cautious despite the current jolly mood of investors.

China's manufacturing activity may shrink for a fourth consecutive month in February, despite edging up to the highest point in four months, according to a preliminary report released Wednesday.

What can stop the progression toward $5 gas?

Fitch Ratings downgraded Greece's credit rating further into junk status, a move widely anticipated after the country said it will force bondholders who do not voluntarily sign up to a debt swap plan to take a loss on their holdings.

Apple is going to have the annual face-to-face meeting with shareholders Thursday, which is days after its shares crossed the record mark of $500.

The companies expected to see active trade Wednesday are: Analog Devices, Dollar Tree, Dell Inc, Hewlett Packard, Limited Brands, Williams Companies, TJX Companies, Quanta Services, Mannkind Corp and Express Scripts.

The top aftermarket NYSE losers Tuesday were: Yingli Green Energy Holding Co, Basic Energy Services, Northstar Realty Finance, SandRidge Mississippian Trust, Two Harbors Investments, Nabors Industries, Trina Solar, MEMC Electronic Materials and MEMC Electronic Materials.

The top after-market NASDAQ gainers Tuesday were: Sourcefire, Texas Roadhouse, Canadian Solar, Brocade Communications Systems, Encore Wire Corp and Intuit Inc. The top after-market NASDAQ losers Tuesday were: DealerTrack Holdings, Brightpoint, Rex Energy Corp, Dell Inc, Cheesecake Factory and Netease.com.

The top aftermarket NYSE gainers Tuesday were: Office Depot, Herbalife, Mosaic, Qihoo 360 Technology, Cabot Oil & Gas Corp, Kraton Performance Polymers, La-Z-Boy, Beazer Homes USA, Beazer Homes USA, Ship Finance International and ICICI Bank Ltd.

Dell reported a fiscal fourth-quarter profit of $764 million, or 43 cents a share, compared with a profit of $927 million or 48 cents a share for the year-earlier period, weighed down by weak consumer PC sales, pricing and supply issues caused by the floods in Thailand.

Johnson & Johnson announced Tuesday that William C. Weldon would retire in April as its chief executive.

Shares of Alibaba.com, an e-commerce company have risen 43% early Wednesday after resuming trade encouraged by the news that it would take the company private.

Gary Cohn is currently the COO and President of Goldman Sachs. For a long time, he has been widely perceived as the likely successor of Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein.