MARKETS / FINANCE

Internet advertising revenue jumped 15 percent to $26 billion in 2010, setting a record high and proving that more companies are opening up their coffers to reach people online.

NYSE Euronext and Deutsche Boerse AG are weighing several options to win support for their $10.2 billion deal, including paying special dividends to shareholders, three sources briefed on the matter said on Wednesday.

U.S. Internet advertising revenue jumped 15 percent to $26 billion in 2010, setting a record high and proving that more companies are opening up their coffers to reach people online.

A prosecutor took a combative tone with a key defense witness at Raj Rajaratnam's insider trading trial on Wednesday, trying to poke holes in arguments that the Galleon Group founder's trades were based on research and published reports.

The U.S. economy continued to improve over the past month on gains in manufacturing but firms are feeling the effects of higher energy and raw material costs, the Federal Reserve said on Wednesday.

JPMorgan Chase & Co said its total outstanding loans shrank for the fourth consecutive quarter, raising questions about the banking industry's ability to boost profit in coming years.

U.S. Internet advertising revenue jumped 15 percent to $26 billion in 2010, setting a record high and proving that more companies are opening up their coffers to reach people online.

U.S. stocks finished mostly flat in a choppy session on Wednesday, as investors bet on strong technology earnings even as JPMorgan Chase's numbers weighed on other market sectors.

Iceland's credit ratings could be downgraded into junk debt status after its voters rejected a deal to repay Britain and the Netherlands for losses from a banking crash, Standard & Poor's said on Wednesday.

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U.S. stocks rose in a choppy session on Wednesday, with JPMorgan's results weighing on financial shares, while the technology sector outperformed as strong earnings enticed investors.

JPMorgan Chase & Co reported tepid corporate loan growth in the first quarter, raising questions about the banking industry's ability to boost profit in coming years.

U.S. bank regulators announced pacts with the largest home lenders over allegations of shoddy foreclosure practices, jumping ahead of a states-led probe and leaving the amount of fines until later.

U.S. retail sales posted their smallest gain in nine months in March, as auto sales plunged and consumers felt the sting of higher gas prices.

A key defense witness in Raj Rajaratnam's insider trading trial was pressed by a prosecutor about whether cheating and corruption were accepted practices at hedge funds.

Greece will present new fiscal and privatization plans on Friday in an attempt to convince investors it can meet the terms of an EU/IMF bailout and avoid restructuring its debt.

The Dow and S&P slipped on Wednesday as JPMorgan Chase & Co's strong profit growth was not enough to convince investors that quarterly earnings would propel stocks out of the recent trading range.

U.S. bank regulators announced settlements on Wednesday with the largest home lenders over allegations of shoddy foreclosure practices, but the pacts did not include financial penalties.

U.S. retail sales rose modestly in March as auto sales plunged and consumers stretched to pay for pricey gasoline, but upward revisions to the prior months' data pointed to fairly solid first-quarter spending.

General Electric Co, embroiled in controversy over its low 2010 U.S. tax bill, was the target of a bogus press release claiming that it would donate billions of dollars to the federal government.

The Dow and the S&P 500 fell on Wednesday as JPMorgan Chase & Co's strong profit growth failed to convince investors that the performance could be repeated, or that the results would translate to other companies.

Sales at U.S. retailers rose slightly less than expected in March as rising gasoline prices pulled spending away from other segments and receipts from auto dealerships fell, a government report showed, pointing to slower consumer spending in the first quarter.

The Dow and S&P were little changed on Wednesday despite strong profit growth from JPMorgan Chase & Co as analysts questioned if the bank's results were a one-time win or would translate to others' performances.

Many European banks need bigger capital cushions to restore market confidence and help reduce the risk of another financial crisis, the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday.

LONDON, April 13 - Any fundamental restructuring of Greece's US$350bn of outstanding debt before June 2013 will have severe repercussions across the Eurozone, according to the lawyer who advised Uruguay on the successful restructuring of its sovereign debt in 2003.

Rising U.S. bond yields have more to do with improving economic growth prospects and market concerns about inflation rather than Washington's deteriorating fiscal position, the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday.

JPMorgan Chase & Co posted an increase in first-quarter earnings, as it set aside less money to cover bad loans.

Stocks edged up on Wednesday but were off their earlier highs as bank shares turned negative.

The world's banks face a $3.6 trillion wall of maturing debt in the next two years and must compete with debt-laden governments to secure financing, the IMF warned on Wednesday.