MetLife Inc faced a possible credit ratings downgrade and its shares dropped more than 4 percent on Wednesday, a day after the biggest U.S. life insurer confirmed it was in talks but hadn't reached a deal to buy a unit of American International Group Inc .
U.S. business bankruptcy filings rose 7 percent in January from a year ago, according to a bankruptcy data provider on Wednesday, as the sluggish economy hurt sales and hindered businesses' ability to refinance heavy debt obligations.
U.S. stocks fell on Wednesday after President Barack Obama reiterated his commitment to overhaul the healthcare system and impose stricter regulatory reforms on Wall Street.
Borders Group Inc shares spiked nearly 40 percent on Wednesday after its largest investor, William Ackman, said there was little likelihood the struggling bookseller would file for bankruptcy and it could even be part of an industry consolidation.
Chrysler is in talks to take back a Sterling Heights, Michigan, assembly plant that it had abandoned in bankruptcy, a move that could save about 1,200 jobs once expected to be eliminated by the end of 2010.
U.S. stocks fell on Wednesday as earnings reports released today failed to beat heightened expectations amid a solid earnings season.
Movie Gallery Inc, the operator of the Hollywood Video rental chain, plans to close 805 poorly performing U.S. stores after falling sales and mounting losses led to its second bankruptcy in three years.
Oil slipped toward $77 a barrel on Wednesday after U.S. data showed crude inventories in the world's largest energy consumer rose more than expected while refinery utilization rates fell again.
The pace of job losses in the private sector slowed in January as employers reported the smallest payroll decline in nearly two years, while the dominant services sector grew slightly, data showed on Wednesday.
AOL Inc beat Wall Street's profit and revenue expectations for the fourth quarter, but its top officers said that revenue from subscriptions and online search-related advertising would fall further in coming months.
Stocks declined on Wednesday after disappointing results from Pfizer and transport companies, while slower-than-expected expansion in the services sector also weighed on the market.
Even the most creative media executives would have been hard pressed a year ago to conjure up a world of solid profits, soaring stock prices and cash stockpiles big enough to support higher dividend payouts.
Borders Group Inc shares spiked more than 40 percent on Wednesday after its largest investor, William Ackman, said there was little likelihood the struggling bookseller would file for bankruptcy and could even be part of an industry consolidation.
Stocks fell on Wednesday as disappointing quarterly results from Pfizer Inc and others in the sector prompted investors to book profits in healthcare shares.
President Barack Obama's pay czar on Wednesday predicted the issue of hefty bonuses for AIG employees would end in March and denied a Republican claim that the firm outmaneuvered the Obama administration.
After a two day rally, the stock market is struggling on Wednesday with a slight decline in morning trading as mixed economic data is released.
Oil rose above $77 a barrel on Wednesday ahead of key inventory data out of the world's largest energy consumer, the United States.
Hedge fund Paulson & Co has received a request for information from the U.S. securities regulator in connection with an investigation into complex securities at the heart of the financial crisis, the Financial Times said, citing people familiar with the matter.
Stock index futures pointed to a lower open for Wall Street on Wednesday, as disappointing earnings results, including Pfizer, offset a report showing fewer-than-expected private sector job losses in January.
Oil dipped below $77 a barrel on Wednesday, retracing gains made earlier in the week ahead of key inventory data out of the world's largest energy consumer, the United States.
Oil touched a two-week high above $78 a barrel on Wednesday, rising ahead of key inventory data out of the world's largest energy consumer, the United States, later in the session.
U.S. stock index futures were mostly flat on Wednesday, following two days of strong market gains and ahead of key jobs and services sector data expected to show the U.S. economy has continued to improve.
Time Warner Inc reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results courtesy of hit movies such as Sherlock Holmes and The Hangover, and it became the second major media company in as many days to raise its dividend.
Demand for U.S. home loans rose to a six-week high on a mini refinance wave, with borrowers pushing to lock in rates before they climb later this year, the Mortgage Bankers Association said on Wednesday,
U.S. stock index futures were mostly flat on Wednesday, following two days of strong market gains and ahead of key jobs and services sector data expected to show the U.S. economy has continued to improve.
Time Warner Inc reported stronger quarterly profit and slightly higher revenue courtesy of hit movies like Sherlock Holmes and The Hangover, and it became the second major media company in as many days to raise its dividend.
Toyota Motor Corp said on Wednesday its North American and Japanese dealers had received several dozen complaints concerning what drivers characterized as insufficient braking on its new Prius hybrid car when driving over bumpy or frozen roads.
Bank of America Corp has approved more than $4 billion in 2009 pay for its investment bankers and traders, according to the Wall Street Journal.
China will never have its voice heard on the international stage unless the government loosens its tight grip over the media and film industry, the CEO of the country's No. 2 Internet portal said Wednesday.
World stocks rose for a third day running on Wednesday as better-than-expected U.S. company earnings and firm data raised expectations that the economy would keep strong momentum into the first quarter.
