IBT Staff Reporter

Boeing Co reported a higher-than-expected quarterly net profit on Wednesday, but the results were down from a year earlier on fewer airplane deliveries.

Comcast Corp. , the No. 1 U.S. cable operator, reported a nearly 9 percent decline in quarterly profit as it absorbed expenses related to its highly anticipated acquisition of NBC Universal.

S&P 500 futures were flat on Wednesday, struggling to move past their 200-day simple moving average ahead of a busy day on the earnings calendar.

Gold rose above $1,160 an ounce in Europe on Wednesday as price-sensitive buyers were tempted back to the market by the previous day's dip to three-month lows, with strong demand reported from major consumer India.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open for Wall Street on Wednesday, after stocks closed mixed a day earlier, with investors likely to focus on earnings from Boeing and Visa among others to provide direction for equities.

The euro struck a two-month high against the yen and stayed within reach of an 11-week high against the dollar on Wednesday, underpinned by robust European bank earnings and solid economic data. But analysts said the durability of any recovery in Europe was questionable.

World stocks rose for the fifth day running on Wednesday as solid corporate earnings combined with easing fears about financial stability to boost investors appetite for riskier assets.

The euro struck a two-month high against the yen and stayed within reach of an 11-week high against the dollar on Wednesday, as markets stayed in risk-on mode on robust European bank earnings and solid economic data.

Asian stocks hit a 12-week high on Wednesday and the euro inched ahead as investors took comfort from solid U.S. and European company earnings, while the Australian dollar eased after a sharp slowdown in inflation.

The International Monetary Fund has chosen not to call the yuan substantially undervalued, a move that recognizes China's efforts to free up its exchange rate and avoids friction with an increasingly influential shareholder.

World Gold Council said jewellery purchases in world's largest gold consumer, India rocketed by 291 per cent to 147.5 tonnes in the first quarter. In its report named Gold Investment Digest, the WGC also said India's total consumer demand surged 698 per cent to 193.5 tonnes.

Oil fell for a second day on Wednesday toward $77 after an unexpected increase in U.S. crude stockpiles and a drop in U.S. consumer confidence fueled doubts about recovery in energy demand. U.S. crude for September fell as much as 0.8 percent to $76.88 a barrel, trading down 17 cents at $77.33 at 1:26 a.m. ET. ICE Brent slipped 3 cents to $76.10 as a recent rally in Asian stock markets lost steam.

Google Inc has held talks with gaming companies as it looks to develop a new service to compete with social networking website Facebook, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Gold steadied on Wednesday after falling 2 percent to a near three-month low the day before, when a bigger-than-expected drop in U.S. consumer confidence and an option expiry prompted heavy selling. The position adjustment related to expiring COMEX August gold options pushed prices close to a key technical support, where the market was likely to hover before finding fresh clues for direction, traders said.

The euro hovered below a key level against the dollar on Wednesday, dented by profit-taking after it hit an 11-week high, while the Australian dollar fell as inflation data pared the chances of an interest rate rise next week.

Bank of Japan policy board member Hidetoshi Kamezaki said Japan's economic recovery lacks strength as export growth will likely moderate and government stimulus steps are set to expire.

The euro slipped below a key level against the dollar on Wednesday, dented by profit-taking after it hit an 11-week high, while the Australian dollar fell as inflation data pared the chances of an interest rate rise next week.

Gold prices recovered in Asian trade Wednesday after an overnight plunge of nearly two percent mainly on global stocks rally. Gold for immediate delivery was seen trading at $ 1163.51 an ounce at 12.00 noon Singapore time after hitting a near three-month low on Tuesday.

The euro slipped from 11-week highs and Asian stocks marked time on Wednesday as a recent rally lost steam after a drop in U.S. consumer confidence, while the Australian dollar fell on a sharp slowdown in inflation.

The euro slipped from 11-week highs and Asian stocks marked time on Wednesday as a recent rally lost steam after a drop in U.S. consumer confidence, while the Australian dollar fell on a sharp slowdown in inflation.

Several directors of the International Monetary Fund's Executive Board believe the yuan is undervalued, but an annual report on China made no mention of the exchange rate being substantially below value.

The Australian Dollar has opened little changed and is still starts with a 9 as global markets seem to be becoming cautiously optimistic about the economy in the latter half of calendar 2010.

Walt Disney Co will acquire start-up Playdom Inc for $563.2 million, as the media giant aims to take a leading role in the fast-growing market for games played on sites such as Facebook and MySpace.

Senators postponed a hearing on whether British oil giant BP Plc influenced the release of the Lockerbie bomber, saying on Tuesday key witnesses had stonewalled the investigation by refusing to appear.

An increase in the Australian Conference Board leading index from 0.1% to 0.3% during the month of May added some underlying support to the Aussie dollar in Asia yesterday as it held firm above the 90 cent handle etching out gains to enter offshore exchange at 0.9025.

Steelmakers painted a gloomy picture of the short-term prospects for the industry on Tuesday as global prices have fallen and industrial demand is not recovering from the recession as quickly as expected.

The top U.S. official overseeing the response to BP Plc's Gulf of Mexico oil leak said on Tuesday he doesn't expect the company's commitment to cleaning up the spill to be diminished with its change in leadership.

BP Plc said the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Justice Department had launched a probe into market trading connected to the oil giant's Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

BP Plc's newly named chief executive on Tuesday called the Gulf oil spill a wake-up call for the entire industry as the company tallied up its losses and disclosed two U.S. investigations.