Chinese industrial output in October grew at its weakest annual pace in a year and inflation fell sharply, raising expectations Beijing will do more to support economic growth by fine tuning policy.
Stock futures pointed to a weaker open for equities on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500, for the Dow Jones and for the Nasdaq 100 down 0.5 to 0.6 percent.
India gold slipped from its morning high on Wednesday, as investors chose to take profits after a rally that took it to a more than two months high triggered by safe haven buying.
HSBC Holdings cited a dire outlook for the global economy as it reported a larger-than-expected drop in third-quarter profits, hit by lower investment banking income and a rise in bad debts in the United States.
Political changes at the top of two of the euro zone's most troublesome economies boosted world stocks on Wednesday as investors bet that new brooms may help ease the currency bloc's debt crisis.
Adobe Systems Inc plans to lay off more than 7 percent of its workforce and take a charge of up to $94 million as part of a restructuring to focus on core businesses such as digital media and marketing.
Activision Blizzard revealed it has lost almost a million users for its World of Warcraft cash cow, dampening enthusiasm for its blockbuster Call of Duty franchise and wiping 3 percent off its share price.
Japan's Rakuten Inc and spun off in late 2009. Indigo is still Kobo's majority shareholder and said it expects to get about $140 million to $150 million from the sale.
Digital entertainment technology firm Rovi Corp reported fourth-quarter revenue that missed market expectations as sales at its consumer software business fell 16 percent, sending its shares down by more than a fifth in extended trade.
Canadian-based e-reading service Kobo Inc will be acquired by Japan's Rakuten Inc for $315 million, the companies said in a release on Friday.
A federal judge ordered Raj Rajaratnam, the Galleon Group hedge fund founder sentenced to 11 years in prison for insider trading, to pay a record $92.8 million penalty in a related Securities and Exchange Commission civil case.
Fannie Mae, the biggest source of money for U.S. home loans, on Tuesday said it needed a further $7.8 billion in federal aid to stay afloat as a shaky housing market widened its third-quarter loss to $5.1 billion.
Activision Blizzard, the largest U.S. video publisher, posted better-than-expected revenue in the third quarter and raised its earnings outlook on strong demand for its holiday games.
State governments would be able to collect online sales taxes under a bill due to be introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, said sources familiar with the bill.
Activision Blizzard, the largest U.S. video publisher, raised its earnings outlook due to strong demand for its top shooter game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which hit stores Tuesday.
The hunt for the missing $600 million in customer money at MF Global Holdings Ltd may begin with Harris Bank, a Chicago-based lender that often holds client money for many large futures brokerage firms.
Two Federal Reserve policymakers known for their hawkish views on inflation pushed on Tuesday for the central bank to provide more guidance on policy goals.
The former chief executive of Japan's embattled Olympus said on Tuesday the company's partners should come under close scrutiny after the camera and endoscope maker admitted it hid securities investment losses for two decades.
Stocks closed higher on Tuesday for a second day in a row as late-day news about Europe sparked an afternoon rally that erased early weakness.
Iamgold Corp.'s third-quarter profit jumped 34 percent on higher prices and increased gold production.
Mark Zuckerberg returned to Harvard officially for the first time Monday, winning a warm welcome from the university where he created Facebook and embarked on a well-chronicled meteoric ascent.
Stocks rose on Tuesday on news that Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi would resign.
Endeavour Mining Corp's third-quarter profit fell 86 percent from the year-ago quarter when the Canadian gold producer took a one-time gain.
La Mancha Resources Inc. posted a record third quarter on a big jump in gold prices and more efficient operations, the Canadian gold miner said Tuesday.
Gold rose above $1,800 an ounce on Tuesday for the first time in over a month, fueled by worries that a teetering government in euro zone's third largest economy Italy would deepen the region's debt crisis.
Investment banks holding Greek bonds are using a new tool to avoid getting stuck with short positions they would struggle to close under a restructuring of the country's towering debt pile.
Stocks were little changed in choppy trade on Tuesday after a key vote in Italy's parliament clouded the political future of Prime Minster Silvio Berlusconi and raised the stakes in the European debt crisis.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi lost his parliamentary majority on Tuesday after his reform-shy government's borrowing costs soared into the euro zone's danger zone with investors fearing a new, bigger Greece.
Square, the mobile payment startup that counts former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers on its board of directors, has a new big-name backer: British billionaire Richard Branson.
McDonald's Corp reported a bigger-than-expected rise in worldwide October sales at established restaurants as it continues to outperform competitors in an uncertain global economy.
