IBT Staff Reporter

Stock index futures rose on Wednesday, putting the S&P 500 on track for a second straight advance after sources said the International Monetary Fund wants to boost its lending facility as the Eurozone battles a long-running debt crisis.

The International Monetary Fund is estimating it needs to raise up to $600 billion in new resources to lend to countries struggling with the fallout from the euro zone debt crisis, IMF sources said on Wednesday.

Bank of New York Mellon said on Wednesday that fourth-quarter earnings fell 26 percent after the world's No. 1 custody bank reported lower forex volume and took a restructuring charge as part of a large-scale plan to make its operations more efficient.

A German sale of 3.44 billion euros of two-year bonds saw strong demand on Wednesday as concerns over Greece led investors to stock up on safe-haven debt, while Portuguese treasury bills benefited from ample liquidity in the financial system.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co <4502.T> said on Wednesday that it would cut about 10 percent of its workforce through job reductions outside Japan as it seeks to streamline its global operations after its acquisition of Swiss drugmaker Nycomed last year.

Yahoo Inc co-founder Jerry Yang has quit the company he started in 1995, appeasing shareholders who had blasted the Internet pioneer for pursuing an ineffective personal vision and impeding investment deals that could have transformed the struggling company.

From his idyllic farm in Ireland's lush Wicklow Hills, Colin Hadden hatched a plan to supply his lean, grass-fed specialty lamb to some of Dublin's finest restaurants.

Brownsville, Texas, has some lessons to teach the country when it comes to creating jobs: it expects to add 5,000 in the next 10 years. How can other cities follow its lead?

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co <4502.T> said on Wednesday that it would cut 2,800 jobs outside Japan by March 2016 as it seeks to streamline its global operations after its acquisition of Swiss drug maker Nycomed last year.

Japan's Fujifilm Holdings said on Wednesday it is considering supporting scandal-hit endoscope maker Olympus Corp although neither side looks likely to move quickly on an equity alliance that Olympus needs to shore up its finances.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open for equities on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 up 0.4-0.5 percent at 1045 GMT.

China's cooling property market could shave more than 2 percentage points off 2012 growth, forcing Beijing to decide just how badly it wants to keep the economy expanding at more than 8 percent a year.

Fujifilm Holdings would consider supporting Olympus Corp if asked, its president said on Wednesday.

Japan's scandal-hit Olympus Corp will wait until a management overhaul in late April before bringing in a potential strategic partner, its president said on Wednesday, signaling the firm is in no hurry to shore up its finances.

Accel Partners and SplitRock Partners have invested $52.5 million in backup software company Code 42, underscoring venture capital's continued fascination with anything related to the burgeoning field of Big Data.

China will expand real-name registration for microblog users, the government's propaganda and information arm said on Wednesday, in its latest step to better control China's wildly popular Twitter-like websites.

Elpida Memory will seek an equity tie-up with U.S. rival Micron Technology, a newspaper said on Wednesday, as the Japanese firm confronts mounting pressure from approaching debt repayments and a deteriorating memory chip market.

The California Public Employees' Retirement System is selling a portfolio of 28 housing communities to a partnership between San Diego-based developer Newland Real Estate Group LLC and an affiliate of Japan's largest home-building company, Sekisui House Ltd <1928.T>, the Wall Street Journal reported.

China's new home prices fell in December from November, a third straight month of declines, and analysts expect prices will fall further as Beijing sticks to its tightening campaign against the once-hot real estate market.

Yahoo Inc co-founder Jerry Yang has quit the company he started in 1995, appeasing shareholders who had blasted the Internet pioneer for pursuing an ineffective personal vision and impeding investment deals that could have transformed the struggling company.

The Madoff trustee suing the owners of the New York Mets may not appeal last summer's ruling tossing out most of his $1 billion claim, a U.S. judge ruled on Tuesday, setting the stage for a March trial unless the two sides reach a settlement.

Lionsgate's Hunger Games franchise is moving full steam ahead. While the first film in the planned trilogy won't hit theaters until March 23, work has already begun on its sequel, TheWrap has confirmed.

Louis C.K. is thriving -- his standup gigs are packed, his hit FX show Louie is a critical darling, and his self-produced standup special, Live at the Beacon Theater, turned a very fast profit.

All the hype surrounding British comedian Ricky Gervais's return to host Sunday night's Golden Globe awards and how he might tweak the sensibilities of the stars in attendance failed to boost the TV audience.

The Iranian government sounded a note of caution on Tuesday about the success of A Separation which won a Golden Globe for best foreign film, saying gritty realist films favored by critics showed a skewed version of the Islamic Republic.

Daniel Craig is back as James Bond, and though details of his next adventure, Skyfall, are being kept closely under wraps, Sony did reveal a few tantalizing clues in an official plot summary released this week.

Tommy Lee Jones will play General Douglas MacArthur in Emperor, a thriller/epic directed by Peter Webber (Girl With a Pearl Earring).

British comedian Ricky Gervais said he expects to avoid being persuaded to host the Golden Globe Awards again after calling his gig at Sunday's film and TV honors ceremony his favorite of the three.

After trudging through a rough patch, production is finally set to begin on Disney's Johnny Depp-starring reboot of The Lone Ranger.