MARKETS / FINANCE

The world’s billionaires had a combined fortune of $5.5 trillion -- the equivalent of China’s GDP, according to Hurun.

Sibanye Gold, Deckers Outdoor Corp., Intuitive Surgical Inc., Groupon, Sprint Nextel Corp. and Gevo Inc. prevailed in the pre-market trading Friday.

China's regulators will curb its rapidly expanding shadow banking system, which has for months greatly exceeded formal bank lending.

France's top actor hates Hollande but has no problem with Russia's Putin, Chechnya's Kadyrov, and the daughter of Uzbekistan's Karimov.

U.S. stock index futures point to a flat open on Friday ahead of the automatic sequester spending cuts set to begin at midnight.

Crude oil prices declined and hovered below $92 a barrel in Asian trading Friday as disappointing Chinese manufacturing growth weighed on sentiment.

The top after-market NASDAQ gainers Thursday were Shutterfly, Body Central, Ixia, Deckers Outdoor and Cerus Corp. The top after-market NASDAQ losers were Icahn Enterprises, OmniVision Technologies, Immersion Corp, MannKind Corp and Novadaq Technologies Inc.

The top after-market NYSE gainers Thursday were Pengrowth Energy Corp, Rosetta Stone, Salesforce.com, Gap, Inc and Global Geophysical Services, Inc. The top after-market NYSE losers were Atlantic Power Corp, Youku Tudou, McDermott International, CommonWealth REIT and Sandridge Energy Inc.

A "Law & Order: SVU" episode presumably about Chris Brown and Rihanna ended in murder -- and angry fans. But probably not a lawsuit.

Aixtron SE, First Solar, Groupon, J.C. Penney, Nokia Corp, ArcelorMittal, Limited Brands and Thompson Creek Metals prevailed.

What are the odds of a British exit from the European Union, or a “Brexit,” and what would it mean for investors and the global economy?

The first estimate for 2012's Q4 GDP suggested the economy contracted 0.1 percent -- now, revised data may suggest it grew .5 percent.

The top after-market NYSE gainers were Babcock & Wilcox, Continental Resources, Sturm, Ruger & Co, Frontline Ltd and Ocwen Financial Corp.

The top after-market NASDAQ gainers Wednesday were MediciNova, Unilife Corp, Accuray Inc, Idenix Pharmaceuticals and Anika Therapeutics Inc. The top after-market NASDAQ losers were Groupon, BroadSoft, Inc, Gulfport Energy Corp, ABIOMED and Orexigen Therapeutics Inc.

Chinese scam artists are doubling profits by getting creative with walnuts.

Shailene Woodley will play Mary Jane Watson, the love interest of Peter Parker in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” as filming kicks off in New York. Woods was seen on set with red hair while spy photos revealed Andrew Garfield’s new Spider-Man costume.

Political freedom and human rights are still at the root of the rebellion, but things have changed since the uprising began.

Priceline.com, Zynga Inc, Vodafone Group Plc, Accretive Health, First Solar, Weatherford International, Wynn Resorts and Lockheed Martin Corp. are among the companies whose shares are moving in the pre-market trading Wednesday.

U.S. stock index futures point to a slightly higher open Wednesday ahead of the publication of the Census Bureau's durable goods orders data.

The top after-market NASDAQ gainers Tuesday were MediciNova, Big 5 Sporting, ZAGG, Unilife and Caesars Entertainment.

The top after-market NYSE gainers Tuesday were Guidewire Software, Boyd Gaming Corp, Edison International, Shutterstock and Infoblox Inc. The top after-market NYSE losers were Accretive Health, China Digital TV Holding, Terex Corp, AVG Technologies and Stillwater Mining Co.

The average cash bonus rose by an estimated 9 percent to almost $121,900 in 2012, but the pool was shared among fewer workers than in 2011.

Home Depot said its fourth-quarter profit topped Wall Street analysts' expectations; also, revenue totaled $18.2B, up 12.9% from a year ago.

Italy's post-election questions: What happens to Mario Monti's reforms? Will the ECB help cap rising Italian bond rates?

Spreadtrum Communications, Dow Chemical, Fresenius Medical Care AG, General Motors, Credit Suisse Group, United Therapeutics, McDonald's Corp and Titan International Inc, are among the companies whose shares are moving in the pre-market trading Tuesday.

A number of factors combined to lift the yellow metal for the second day in a row as Asian buyers rushed in to buy bullion.

African leaders have agreed on new framework for peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Details are lacking, but potential is great.

The U.S. stock index futures point to a higher open Tuesday as investors await comments from the Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on the economic outlook and monetary policy and the release of Census Bureau's new home sales data.

The top after-market NASDAQ gainers Monday were AXT Inc, MediciNova, Amyris, Universal Display Corp and TGC Industries, Inc. The top after-market NASDAQ losers were Caesars Entertainment Corp, VIVUS, Inc, Solar Capital, Apollo Group and Autodesk Inc.