ECONOMY & MARKETS

World oil demand is likely to exceed the previous all-time high reached in 2007, mainly driven by huge demand from the Asian countries, a report said on Wednesday.

U.K. lender Standard Chartered Plc sees double digit pretax profit growth for 2010 at its consumer and wholesale banking segments, and that it is tracking towards a strong performance in the full year.

Stocks crept higher in a choppy trading session as traders likely had more time to digest the implications of the extension of George W. Bush’s tax cuts for two years, as well as a renewal of unemployment insurance for long-term jobless for thirteen months.

Domestic monetary policy, monetary policy abroad, wages, and the cost of essential commodities all point to higher inflation in China, according to virtually every single school of economic thought.

The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market losers are: JetBlue Airways, Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Netflix, Pan American Silver, DryShips, NVIDIA, LM Ericsson Telephone, Costco Wholesale, and RF Micro Devices.

Gleacher downgraded Research In Motion to 'neutral' from 'buy,' saying it expects the company to lose share in the high-growth smart phone market as Apple and Android expand carriers and product breadth.

The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: Orexigen Therapeutics, VIVUS, Microvision, Aixtron, Dynamex, ASM International, Zix, Ryanair Holdings, Geron, and Oracle.

The U.S. home loan demand continued to fall in the week ended Dec.3, posting a decline for two straight weeks as the mortgage rates rise from their lowest levels.

The proposed common sovereign bond for eurozone, if ever it materializes, will fall short of solving the region’s fiscal crisis, analysts have said.

At 12:53 GMT, the pair was at 1.3212, off an intra-day low of 1.3179 and from its previous close of 1.3259. With no key data due from the US through the rest of the day, the pair is likely to hold above the 1.3157-1.2970 support region.

The World Health Organization has endorsed a new, rapid tuberculosis (TB) test that can diagnose the killer disease within two hours.

UK factory orders continued to rise in December and the manufacturers expect the output growth to be robust in the next three months due to strengthening demand at home and abroad.

Jefferies & Co. downgraded rating of online DVD rental company Netflix, Inc. (NFLX) to 'hold' from 'buy' given the 270 percent run-up in the stock since January 2010, with a price target of $195.

German industrial production topped economists' expectations during October, a report by Destatis said, indicating the German economic recovery continues, contrary to fears of a slowdown.

Brazilian central bank's commitment to keep currency volatility on check also suggests the market's likelihood to be bullish for the pair at the slightest of real-negative.

China was the subject of most number of anti-dumping investigations in the first half of the year, and products exported from China attracted the highest number of anti-dumping measures by other countries, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has said in a report.

Japan’s trade with other nations rose only slightly in October, raising fears of a slowdown in the recovery of the export-dependent country.

Google's launch of e-book store has put the search giant in direct rivalry with market leader Amazon, unfolding an interesting battle on cards in the coming days.

The top after-market NASDAQ stock market losers are: Discovery Communications, Volterra Semiconductor, FX Energy, Netflix, Dollar Tree, Layne Christensen, Warner Chilcott, Expeditors International of Washington, OpenTable, and AgFeed Industries.

The top after-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: Orexigen Therapeutics, Arena Pharmaceuticals, Mitcham Industries, VIVUS, Casella Waste Systems, Scientific Games, Discovery Communications, Digirad, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, DIRECTV, and Lamar Advertising.

After falling as low as 0.9779 from its previous close of 0.9827, AUD/USD is now targetting 0.9723 (S1) before hitting a relatively stronger support line at 0.9707 (S2).

The United Nations explains in a report why the fragile and uneven global recovery that started in 2009 began to decelerate in the middle of 2010 and lists the myriad of problems that still plagues the economy

Two Morgan Stanley economists predict that U.S. 10-year Treasury yields will rise to about 3.75 percent by the end of 2011 because of accelerated economic growth.

A moderate stock rally fueled by a compromise between President Obama and Republicans on tax extensions and unemployment benefits petered out in late-session trading, resulting in a narrowly mixed results for major equity indices.

Next target up for USD/CAD may be 1.0109 (R1) as suggested by the 38.2 percent Fibonacci retracement from 1.0285 to 1.0001, before a relatively stronger resistance near 1.0120 (R2).

Standpoint Research downgraded chip maker Intel to 'hold' from 'buy' on valuation concerns.

Fundamentals for the commodity currency now back AUD/USD targeting 1.0006, as the 61.8 percent fibonacci from 1.0181 to 0.9723 projects.

Economy of California is expected to witness a slight pick up next year with a drop in unemployment rate, said a report on Tuesday.

U.S. stocks advanced in early trade on Tuesday as sentiment was buoyed by President Barack Obama's announcement of an agreement with Republicans on a plan to extend income tax cuts for all Americans.