IBT Staff Reporter

The Senate on Wednesday passed a $149 billion package of jobless aid and tax breaks, as Democrats continued efforts to lower the 9.7 percent unemployment rate before congressional elections in November.

(Corrects day bill passed to Wednesday in paragraph 6)

While James Cameron's 3D sci-fi epic Avatar took the box office by storm instantly, the road to success will be much longer for Best Buy Co Inc, which is making a big bet on 3D televisions this year.

The world has a new richest man after Bill Gates had safely secured that seat for three consecutive years.

The Google Apps Marketplace launched Tuesday with third-party cloud apps from more than 50 other companies, which will use cloud-based applications to supplement Google's own online applications.

Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim is the world's richest person, knocking Microsoft founder Bill Gates into second spot, as the wealth of the world's billionaires grew by 50 percent over the last year, Forbes magazine said on Wednesday.

OPEC released its Monthly Oil Market Report on Wednesday. Although the March report projected higher demand for oil than the February report, OPEC remains cautious as key global economic issues remain unresolved.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Wednesday that fundamental reform of the government's role in the housing finance market is needed and it will be next year before proposals are ready for Congress.

President Barack Obama on Tuesday said the challenge in Haiti today is to prevent a second disaster as more than a million people in the earthquake-hit nation remain homeless ahead of the rainy season.

Yesterday's announcement of a steep decline in housing finance caught the market by surprise somewhat triggering a drop in the Aussie dollar to an intraday low of 0.9130.

Bank and technology shares lifted Wall Street on Wednesday on hopes a revival in business demand will boost corporate profits.

Regulators have told Bank of America Corp Chief Executive Brian Moynihan and other executives that the largest U.S. bank by assets must become much smaller, Fox Business Network's Charlie Gasparino reported on Wednesday.

Delta, US Airways, American Airlines, Midwest and United, are kicking off a two-day sale from/to more than 60 cities in the United States for travel through November 16, 2010, Bestfares.com reports.

Bank and technology shares lifted Wall Street on Wednesday on hopes a revival in business demand will boost corporate profits.

Bank of America Corp Chief Executive Brian Moynihan said on Wednesday the company's decision to eliminate overdraft fees on debit card transactions will give up a lot of revenue for the largest U.S. bank by assets.

(Corrects second paragraph to show bank index is at highest in 16 months, not two years)

The 2010 hurricane season is expected to be extreme and carry along above-normal threats on the U.S. coastline, AccuWeather.com predicted Wednesday.

The U.S. stock market eked out a modest gain ahead of an important resistance level for the S&P 500 Index and a Chinese CPI report, which market participants will use to gauge the likelihood of a rate hike in the near future.

General Motors Co will pay back roughly $8 billion in debt to the United States and Canada before June, its chief executive said on Wednesday, more quickly than the automaker had promised.

The United States posted a record $220.91 billion budget deficit in February, Treasury Department data showed on Wednesday.

Google expects an outcome soon from its talks with China over a censorship and hacking dispute, Chief Executive Eric Schmidt said on Wednesday.

Internet retailer Amazon.com has smashed up against Canadian pride in its efforts to open a distribution center in Canada, as booksellers grumble that it can't understand the role of Canadian culture.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc has put roughly 300 items back on its U.S. store shelves after the retailer said it disappointed customers by not stocking certain products.

Bank and technology shares lifted Wall Street on Wednesday on hopes a revival in business demand will boost corporate profits.

OnLive is set to launch its cloud-based video game service in June, as the closely watched start-up looks to challenge home console heavyweights with the promise of on-demand gaming.

The former chief investment officer for New York State's comptroller on Wednesday pleaded guilty to helping favored firms gain access to the state's $129 billion pension fund.

Less than a quarter of Twitter's 75 million registered users are active on the microblogging site, while 17 percent have no followers.

Rebuilding Haiti after its catastrophic earthquake should generate major contracts for private companies specializing in construction, logistics, transport and security, but U.S. executives say they need a clear reconstruction strategy to shape their business plans.

U.S. wholesale inventories fell unexpectedly in January and sales hit their highest in more than a year, suggesting businesses will soon need to begin restocking, which would support economic growth.