ECONOMY & MARKETS

The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Alkermes, China Auto Logistic, Optimer Pharmaceuticals, and Vitacost.com. The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Ixia, SemiLEDs, Life Partners Holdings, Multi-Fineline Electronix, and DragonWave.

The stock market was on fire today after investor confidence increased after two promising reports on the job market were released. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 94 points or 0.7%, closing at 12.720.

Warren Buffett bets housing and unemployment will improve in America by late 2012 more than many economists expect.

President of the European Central Bank Jean-Claude Trichet announced the European Central Bank's new interest rate measures at a conference in Frankfurt, Germany.

The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: APAC Customer Services, Hi Tech Pharmacal, Rediff.com India, Sky-mobi, EnerNOC, and Nova Measuring Instruments. The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Affymetrix, Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Gulf Resources, Logitech International, Aixtron, and Starbucks.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Thursday are: Target Corp, Limited Brands, Urban Outfitters, Macy's, Gap, Sprint Nextel, Chesapeake Energy, Corning, Yum! Brands and Wellpoint Inc.

The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Planar Systems, Senomyx, Actuate, SemiLEDs, and Brocade Communications Systems. The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Affymetrix, Tessera Technologies, Conns, Perficient, and Zhongpin.

Senior European officials are upset with Moody's rating downgrade of Portugal bonds to junk status.

On Wednesday, India’s top court ordered that a curator be appointed to protect and preserve the vast, newly revealed treasures hidden in a Hindu temple in southern India.

A recent Barron's article predicted that oil prices could top $150 next year and if this becomes true it could wreak havoc on the global economy with a devastating impact.

The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Hutchinson Technology, SodaStream International, Cytori Therapeutics, Ariad Pharmaceuticals, and Yahoo!. The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Zalicus, DragonWave, Aixtron, OmniVision Technologies, and WPP.

The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: PAETEC Holding, SIGA Technologies, MYR Group, Zalicus, and Maiden Holdings. The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: DragonWave, Quidel, Abaxis, BJ's Restaurants, and Signature Bank.

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) announced that it will finally support Research In Motion Ltd.'s (NASDAQ: RIMM) BlackBerry Bridge for the PlayBook. While access to information of a BlackBerry will come at no extra cost, AT&T plans to charge $20 per month for tethering to access web content.

Researchers from Japan have discovered vast quantities of rare earth deposits on the floor of the Pacific Ocean that might challenge the dominance of China as world's leading provider.

Hedge funds are struggling with the Greek debt crisis in 2011, according to industries sources who spoke to NYTimes.

Zynga Inc, developer of popular Facebook games like FarmVille and Mafia Wars, is all set to hit the capital market with an initial public offer (IPO). The company filed with regulators for an IPO of up to $1 billion on Friday, hopping that its close ties with Facebook will be a key to its future success.

Prosecutors will move to dismiss charges against former IMF-chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn when he returns to court on July 18, one source said Friday.

The chambermaid who accused former IMF Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexually assaulting her in a luxury Manhattan hotel admitted to fabricating an account of being gang-raped by soldiers in Guinea, calling into to question her credibility.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Friday are: Oshkosh Truck Corp, Corning, Sirius XM Radio, American Tower Corp, Marathon Oil, Cablevision Systems, Eastman Kodak, Radioshack, MEMC Electronic Materials and General Mills.

The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: InterDigital, Apollo Group, TiVo, Dendreon, and Logitech International. The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Central European Media Enterprises, Applied Materials, JA Solar Holdings, Riverbed Technology, Vodafone Group, and Randgold Resources.

It's likely to be a bitter-sweet Fourth of July holiday weekend, gas price-wise, for U.S. motorists. Gas prices have edged lower recently, but are still up substantially from a year ago, in early July 2010.

The top after-market NYSE gainers on Thursday are: Oshkosh Truck, Phoenix New Media, National Bank of Greece, Hovnanian Enterprises and Beazer Homes. The top after-market NYSE losers are: Eastman Kodak, SouFun Holdings, CapitalSource, China Ming Yang Wind Power and Noble Corp.

The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Blackboard, Dendreon, Approach Resources, Smith & Wesson Holding, and FSI International. The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: AMC Networks, Photronics, Xyratex, Globe Specialty Metals, and Investors Real Estate Trust.

An ATM receipt found in Hamptons this month shows a balance of nearly $100 million in billionaire David Tepper's account, reports say.

US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said it will be unthinkably damaging to the economy, much more damaging than even what we faced in the dark period of '08 and '09, if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling by August 2011.

Greece is trading austerity measures for bailout loans from Europe. Loans, however, aren't worth the price of bondage.

Barclays Capital said its checks indicate it should see Apple Inc.'s new MacBook Airs over the coming weeks -- likely with the launch of OS X Lion which is due to ship in July.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Thursday are: Royal of Bank Scotland Group, Celestica, JA Solar Holdings, GT Solar International, Dendreon, Hess Corp, TJX Companies, Transocean, Allegheny Technologies and Centurylink.

The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Origin Agritech, Hansen Medical, First Solar, eBay, and Siliconware Precision Industries. The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Aeterna Zentaris, Star Scientific, Vodafone Group, Lululemon Athletica, and Amazon.com.