MARKETS / FINANCE

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Wednesday he would not expect to be asked to continue as Treasury chief if President Barack Obama wins re-election.

Symantec Corp, the top maker of computer security software, reported a higher quarterly profit and issued an outlook in line with Wall Street estimates.

Big profits from Apple and a promise from the Federal Reserve to keep rock-bottom rates for at least two more years powered the U.S. stock market higher on Wednesday.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner sought to calm fears that the Obama administration's bank reforms were hostile to the U.S. financial industry, saying on Wednesday the reforms were tough where they need to be tough.

The European Central Bank has ruled out taking voluntary losses on its Greek bond holdings but is now debating how it would handle any forced losses and whether to explore legal options to avoid such a hit, central bank sources told Reuters on Wednesday.

President Barack Obama sure does have a knack for contradicting himself.

Boeing Co said on Wednesday that a pension expense larger than Wall Street had anticipated would weigh on its 2012 earnings, but it handed investors good news with expectations for increased commercial aircraft deliveries this year.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke signaled on Wednesday the central bank may consider further monetary easing, after the central bank announced interest rates would remain near zero until late 2014.

Gold rallied 2 percent on Wednesday, rising above $1,700 an ounce for the first time since mid-December after the U.S. Federal Reserve said it will likely not raise rates for longer than previously expected due to a sluggish economic recovery.

The arrival of the man known as the Warren Buffett of North on Research In Motion's board this week offers a ray of hope to the BlackBerry maker's impatient shareholders after their disappointment that an insider was named new chief executive.

Symantec Corp took the rare step of advising customers to stop using one of its products, saying its pcAnywhere software for accessing remote PCs is at increased risk of getting hacked after blueprints of that software were stolen.

The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday said it will not raise interest rates until at least late 2014, even later than investors expected, in an effort to support a sluggish economic recovery.

Sometimes Maggie Smith worries that she may outlive her savings.

Following is the Federal Open Market Committee's statement on interest rate policy issued at the close of its meeting on Wednesday:

The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday said it will not raise interest rates until at least late 2014, even later than investors expected, in an effort to support a sluggish economic recovery.

Merrill Lynch agreed to pay a $1 million fine for failing to arbitrate disputes with employees about retention bonuses related to its 2009 merger with Bank of America Corp , the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority said on Wednesday.

Beyond Oblivion, a digital music startup backed by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp and investment bank Allen & Co Director Stanley Shuman has filed for bankruptcy protection after spending millions of dollars building a service that never saw the light of day.

Global growth is slowing rapidly and the possibility of ample economic slack means risks of damaging deflation are rising in some G20 member economies, the International Monetary Fund said in a paper published on Wednesday.

Obama's task heading into the speech was threefold: list his administration's accomplishments; lay out his agenda the coming year; and give Congress a gentle scolding. It was praised by scholars but was it effective?

As the GOP primary in Florida approaches, Sen. Marco Rubio attempted to frame himself as a political voice representing the nation's Hispanic community -- and failed.

- HSBC Holdings PLC is under investigation by a U.S. Senate panel in a money-laundering inquiry, the latest step in a long-running U.S. effort to halt shadowy money flows through global banks, according to people familiar with the situation and a company securities filing.

Signed contracts for the sale of existing U.S. homes retreated from a 1-1/2-year high in December and demand for home loans fell last week, pointing to a moderation in home sales after recent hefty gains.

Capital markets in 2012 are better than they were in 2011, Morgan Stanley Chief Executive James Gorman said on Wednesday, adding that his bank is in a very good position for Basel III standards.

The Dow and S&P 500 fell on Wednesday on concerns over Greek debt talks, stalling a strong rally from last year, but the Nasdaq rose on Apple's forecast-beating results.

Ron Paul's 2012 campaign may have become irrelevant to the GOP presidential race, according to political observers.

Now that Apple, the world’s most valuable company, has reported blowout first-quarter results for its best-ever period, it’s also disclosed holding $97.6 billion in cash and investments.

Xerox Corp aims to increase earnings this year by potentially more than 9 percent after it reported fourth-quarter results in line with estimates on the back of solid growth in its services business.

Pending sales of existing U.S. homes fell more than expected in December, industry data showed on Wednesday, pointing to a moderation in home sales after recent hefty gains.

In 2011, the events of January 25 sparked events that would change the history of Egypt, and the date itself became a rallying cry for the bloggers, social media users and activists at the heart of the revolution. Exactly one year later, thousands of Egyptian protestors have again gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square, some in reflection but most in defiance.