MARKETS / FINANCE

Whether 9/9/09 is deemed lucky or a day to avoid, the rarity of Wednesday's date has inspired loving couples, restaurants and even a movie studio to mark the occasion across the globe.

Revived luxury firm Faberge, whose namesake designed jewel-encrusted eggs for Russian Tsars, plans to sell its first collection of jewelry pieces worth up to $7 million each to the ultra rich on the Web.

Only 12 percent of U.S. homeowners eligible for loan modifications under the Obama administration's housing rescue plan have had their mortgages reworked, and millions more foreclosures are coming, the Treasury Department said on Wednesday.

Oil prices rose above $72 a barrel on Wednesday for the first time this month as a falling dollar spurred investors to hedge against inflation by buying commodities.

Stocks extended three straight days of gains on Wednesday as favorable comments from Goldman Sachs lifted the industrial sector while rising crude prices boosted energy stocks.

U.S. stocks extended three straight days of gains on Wednesday as favorable comments from Goldman Sachs lifted the industrial sector while rising crude prices boosted energy stocks.

Apple will host an iPod and iTunes event in San Francisco on Wednesday which is slated to begin at 1 p.m. ET, or 10 a.m. PT, and there are some ways you may tune in though the company will not provide an official video stream during the event.

The United States' and Britain's triple-A sovereign debt ratings are safe for now but both countries will need to severely adjust fiscal policies in the wake of the global financial crisis, Moody's Investors Service said in a statement released late on Tuesday.

MSC Software Corp, a simulation and software services company, said it received an offerfrom a private equity firm that topped an earlier offer from Symphony Technology Group, sending its shares up as much as 7 percent.

Only 12 percent of U.S. homeowners eligible for loan modifications under the Obama administration's housing rescue plan have had their mortgages reworked, and millions more foreclosures are coming, the Treasury Department said on Wednesday.

Stocks rose on Wednesday after positive broker comments buoyed the industrial sector, while the falling dollar pushed up oil prices and shares of energy producers.

Oil prices rose above $72 a barrel on Wednesday for the first time this month as a falling dollar spurred investors to buy commodities as a hedge against inflation.

The head of U.S. bank Goldman Sachs said on Wednesday that anger over bankers' pay was understandable and appropriate, and that greater scrutiny of trade in complex instruments was needed to keep banks in check.

Unless you're just counting down the days till you can quit, chances are, you want to do well in your job. Perhaps you're making an effort to manage your time well in the office, to network with colleagues, and to bring energy and enthusiasm to your projects.

Goldman Sachs Chief Executive LLoyd Blankfein urged policymakers keen to rebuild confidence in financial markets to refrain from creating a system designed solely around protecting us from the 100-year storm.

Oil prices rose toward $72 a barrel on Wednesday, extending gains of more than $3 the previous day as a falling dollar spurred investors to buy commodities such as oil as a hedge against inflation.

U.S. mortgage applications surged last week to their highest since late May as consumers sought to take advantage of the lowest interest rates in months, data from an industry group showed on Wednesday.

Wall Street was set for a flat to higher open on Wednesday with the falling dollar likely to underpin shares of natural resource companies, including energy producers and miners.

Barrick Gold will issue $3 billion in stock to eliminate all of its fixed-price gold hedges and a portion of its floating hedges, taking a $5.6 billion hit to third-quarter earnings, the world's top gold miner said on Tuesday.

Stock index futures pointed to a flat open on Wednesday after a three-day run-up as commodity prices were little changed after driving the market in recent days.

President Barack Obama will be able to put his stamp on the Federal Reserve with appointments for perhaps as many as four seats on the central bank's board in coming months, even though he emphasized continuity in tapping Ben Bernanke for another term as chairman last month.

Oil prices fell below $71 a barrel Wednesday, after rising more than $3 the previous day, as OPEC ministers were expected to maintain official output unchanged at their meeting in Vienna.

Oil prices hovered above $71 a barrel on Wednesday, after rising more than $3 the previous day, as OPEC ministers were expected at their meeting in Vienna to maintain official output unchanged.

Another global financial crisis is inevitable because human nature always reverts to speculative excesses during a period of sustained prosperity, former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said.

Stock index futures pointed to a weaker open on Wednesday after a three-day run-up and commodity prices flattened after driving the market in recent days.

World stocks slipped on Wednesday as investors paused ahead of key U.S. data, having pushed them to 11-month highs the previous day, while the low-yielding dollar held near its 2009 low against the euro.

Oil prices hovered above $71 a barrel on Wednesday, after rising more than $3 the previous day, as OPEC ministers were expected at their meeting in Vienna to maintain official output unchanged.

Kraft Foods Inc, which went public on Monday with a $16.7 billion offer for Cadbury PLC that the British candy maker rejected, is in talks to arrange about $8 billion of financing for the bid, Bloomberg said, citing two people familiar with the matter.

Asian stocks drifted lower after hitting a one-year high earlier on Wednesday and the dollar was stuck near a one-year low as investors, hopeful of an economic recovery, held back from moving more money into risky assets.