ECONOMY & MARKETS

Chinese encyclopedia website Hudong.com is alleging that Baidu Inc. is using its dominant position in the country's search engine market to negatively impact search results related to its competitors.

The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: Vertex Pharmaceuticals, MIND C.T.I., Oclaro, HSN, and DIRECTV. The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market losers are: Subaye, Garmin, Conexant Systems, Netflix, and OmniVision Technologies.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Wednesday are: Apache, Marathon Oil, NRG Energy, UnitedHealth Group, Applied Materials, AK Steel Holding, Hewlett-Packard, Netflix, Novellus Systems and International Paper.

Spot gold was bid at $1,401.50 an ounce at 0933 GMT, against $1,399.20 late in New York on Tuesday. U.S. gold futures for April delivery eased 30 cents an ounce to $1,400.80.

Amazon's launch of streaming as a free option for Prime members is a growing threat to Netflix Inc., as Amazon adds more content and distribution partnerships.

The weak top line results of HP and its tepid outlook clearly shows the weak demand for consumer PCs, partly due to the overwhelming demand for tablets that is eating into the sales of PCs.

Most Asian stocks ended lower on Wednesday, led by declines from airlines as crude oil prices surged on growing fears that Libya may descend into a civil war after Colonel Moammar Gaddafi warned that he would never give up his power and would rather die a “martyr.”

PC giant Hewlett-Packard Co's quarterly sales and outlook came in below Wall Street expectations, sending its shares down 11 percent in the afterhours trading on the NYSE.

Apple iPad 2 shipments appear on track for April and the company will hold an event in March to launch the next generation of iPad, according to Barclays Capital.

The top after-market NYSE gainers on Tuesday are: CNO Financial Group, Five Star Quality, Herbalife, Dillard's, Gray Television. The top after-market NYSE losers are: Hewlett-Packard, Carnival Corp, Navistar International, Broadridge Financial Solutions and W&T Offshore.

Australia's Port Hedland, one of the world's largest export terminals for iron ore, reopened on Wednesday following a two-day suspension as a cyclone passed down the western coast, the port's harbourmaster said.

Tens of thousands of trade unionists, including those from a group linked to India's ruling party, marched through the streets of the capital on Wednesday to protest food prices, piling pressure on a government already under fire over graft.

The top after-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: Nordson, Oclaro, MIND C.T.I., Star Bulk Carriers, and CDC. The top after-market NASDAQ stock market losers are: Huron Consulting Group, Subaye, Chart Industries, Ixia, and Fuwei Films.

According to PwC, deals in defense and aerospace were at three-year high, with 17 deals in Q4 totaling over $4 billion in value.

U.S. stocks plunged and oil prices surged on growing fears that Libya may descend into a civil war after Colonel Moammar Gaddafi warned that he would never give up his power and would rather die a “martyr.” The concerns about Libya vastly overshadowed some surprisingly good consumer confidence data in the U.S.

U.S. stocks plunged and oil prices surged on growing fears that Libya may descend into a civil war after Colonel Moammar Gaddafi warned that he would never give up his power and would rather die a “martyr.” The concerns about Libya vastly overshadowed some surprisingly good consumer confidence data in the U.S.

Gold fell back slightly toward $1,400 an ounce on Tuesday, breaking a six-session rally, as turmoil in Libya prompted bullion investors to take profits and as sharp losses in equities and other commodities markets prompted margin selling.

The CBOE Volatility Index, or VIX, the index that Wall Street uses to gauge fear among investors, spiked almost 28 percent today, almost entirely to the ongoing turmoil in Libya.

U.S. stocks plunged and oil prices surged on growing fears that Libya may descend into a civil war after Colonel Moammar Gaddafi warned that he would never give up his power and would rather die a “martyr.” The concerns about Libya vastly overshadowed some surprisingly good consumer confidence data in the U.S.

One in four counties in the U.S. are ”dying” – meaning, they are recording more deaths than births – according to findings by the U.S. Census Bureau.

On Tuesday, US-traded crude oil futures initially jumped to trade as high as $98.50 per barrel, or an increase of 14 percent from last Friday’s closing levels, on escalating tensions in Libya.

South African resource-heavy stocks slipped on Tuesday as Libyan unrest prompted an equities sell-off while the rand firmed against the dollar, recovering from earlier losses as better-than-expected GDP data boosted the currency.

South Africa's economic growth came in higher than expected in the fourth quarter, boosted by stronger growth in the mining and agricultural sectors, according to data released on Tuesday.

South Africa will export 4 million tonnes of surplus maize to the world's biggest emerging markets but wants to ensure security of food supplies in southern Africa first, a minister said on Tuesday.

U.S. stocks are plunging and oil prices are surging on fears over the continued violent unrest in Libya.

African farmland investment has the potential to match the exponential growth of Brazil's agricultural industry, the head of business development at privately owned agricultural operator Quifel said.

Shares of Wal-Mart Stores fell nearly 4 percent in early trade after the world’s largest retailer a seventh straight quarterly decline in U.S. comparable-store sales, saying some of the pricing and merchandising issues ran deeper than it initially expected.

U. S. consumer confidence soared to a three-year high in February, suggesting an economic recovery might actually gain some traction.

World’s largest retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc reported a 1.8 percent fall in U.S. comparable-store sales for the fourth quarter even as it posted a 27 percent rise in quarterly profit.