MARKETS / FINANCE

U.S. stocks dropped on Wednesday, after an unexpected contraction in Midwest business activity sounded a dour note at the end of a strong quarter.

Oil rose above $68 per barrel on Wednesday, buoyed by a drop in U.S. gasoline inventories and a weak dollar.

Environmental software company Village Green Global Inc is joining the dash in the market to track carbon footprints, partnering with software giant Microsoft Corp to capture the business of cities and local governments.

U.S. stocks fell sharply on Wednesday as an unexpected fall in business activity in the U.S. Midwest sparked worries about the pace of economic recovery.

The U.S. economy contracted at slower pace than previously thought in the second quarter as improved consumer and business spending cushioned the impact of a record decline in inventories, according to a government report on Wednesday.

(Corrects age of Staley to 52 in paragraph 8 and corrects paragraph 13 to show Winters was in London, Black in New York)

The U.S. economy contracted at slower pace than previously thought in the second quarter, but a further decline in private payrolls in September was another indication that recovery from recession would be patchy.

U.S. private employers cut a larger-than-expected 254,000 jobs in September, though this was less than a revised 277,000 jobs lost in August, a report by a private employment service said on Wednesday.

Oil rose above $67 per barrel on Wednesday, buoyed by a fall in the dollar and higher share prices, but gains were limited by an expected increases in U.S. oil inventories.

Wall Street was set for a higher open on Wednesday as data showing the U.S. economy contracted at a slower-than-expected pace and robust factory activity from Asia gave investors more confidence about the economic recovery.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wednesday after robust factory data from Asia and better-than-expected results from Nike encouraged investors as the quarter comes to a close.

Stock futures pointed to a higher open on Wednesday, the final day of the quarter, with investors awaiting data on employment and gross domestic product .

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wednesday, the final day of the quarter, with investors awaiting data on employment and gross domestic product .

The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday lowered its estimate for global write-downs for banks and other financial institutions to roughly $3.4 trillion but warned that loan losses could rise in the face of stubbornly high unemployment and associated delinquencies.

The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday lowered its estimate for global write-downs for banks and other financial institutions to roughly $3.4 trillion but warned that loan losses could rise in the face of stubbornly high unemployment and associated delinquencies.

The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday lowered its estimate for global writedowns for banks and other financial institutions to roughly $3.4 trillion but warned that loan losses were set to rise as unemployment and associated delinquencies increase.

The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday lowered its estimate for global writedowns for banks and other financial institutions to roughly $3.4 trillion but warned that loan losses were set to rise as unemployment and associated delinquencies increase.

Oil rose toward $68 per barrel on Wednesday, buoyed by a fall in the dollar against major currencies at the end of the financial quarter, with the market also awaiting key U.S. oil data later in the day.

Las Vegas casino company Wynn Resorts raised $1.63 billion after pricing its Asian IPO at the top of its indicated range, a sign that demand is still strong for certain offerings despite a glut of Asian stock deals.

Oil rose above $67 per barrel on Wednesday, buoyed by a fall in the dollar against major currencies at the end of the financial quarter, with the market also awaiting key U.S. oil data later in the day.

European shares look set to finish the third quarter with their best performance in nearly a decade on expectations of economic recovery while world stocks also rose strongly though not as much as in the previous period. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index put on 0.4 percent on Wednesday and the MSCI world index added the same, while commodity prices were also firmer but the do...

The International Monetary Fund will raise its 2010 growth forecast for the world economy to 3.1 percent from 2.5 percent to reflect improving economic conditions, a newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Oil rose above $67 on Wednesday, recouping day-ago losses as the U.S. dollar eased against the euro and resource currencies like the Australian dollar, while eyes are on talks over Iran's nuclear plans.

OnLive, the cloud-based service that is aiming to change the way consumers play video games, announced on Tuesday a new round of financing and said interest from potential users has exceeded expectations.

CIT Group Inc is nearing a plan that likely would hand the commercial lender over to its bondholders, sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

Oil edged up to $67 a barrel on Wednesday, recovering from the previous day's losses as the dollar weakened against the euro and resource currencies like the Australian dollar.

SINGAPORE - Oil edged up to $67 a barrel on Wednesday, recovering from the previous day's losses as the dollar weakened against the euro and resource currencies like the Australian dollar.

U.S. banking regulators proposed on Tuesday that banks prepay three years of fees to help cover the rising cost of bank failures, now put at $100 billion through 2013.

CIT Group Inc is nearing a plan that likely would hand the commercial lender over to its bondholders, sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.