IBT Staff Reporter

Affluent investors turned bearish in December as their attention moved from the economy to concerns over health reform and fears the wealthy may be asked to pay more taxes.

The path toward rolling out wider use of whole-body security scanners in U.S. airports runs through the White House.

Stocks edged lower on Wednesday as investors took profits in some of the year's better performers, offsetting a much better-than-expected report on Midwest business activity.

A federal appeals court on Wednesday rejected a class-action lawsuit seeking to hold Apple Inc responsible for possible hearing loss caused by using its popular iPod music player.

GMAC Financial Services is expected to get about $3.5 billion of additional U.S. government aid to help the troubled lender absorb mortgage losses, a financial industry source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

New York City's Times Square was closed briefly and three nearby buildings, including the Nasdaq stock exchange, were evacuated in a security scare on Wednesday, police said, a day before the traditional New Year's Eve festivities in the famed intersection.

Nokia's latest patent strike against Apple underscores the changing dynamics of the cell phone market, with the sector leader no longer holding the whip hand over rivals in terms of product development.

The day after Christmas was the second-biggest shopping day during the U.S. holiday season, with $7.9 billion spent, even though traffic in stores fell 6.6 percent from a year ago, ShopperTrak said on Wednesday.

Can't make it to the dropping of the ball in New York City's Times Square on New Year's Eve? Don't worry, there might be one closer to home and far more interesting to boot.

New York City's Times Square was closed on Wednesday, the day before the traditional New Year's Eve festivities in the famed intersection, and the nearby Nasdaq building was evacuated due to a suspicious vehicle parked on a street, police said.

Oil rose on Wednesday as the market weighed cold weather in the United States and government data showing drawdowns in U.S. crude and fuel stockpiles.

U.S. stocks were little changed on Wednesday as the dollar hit a three-month high against the yen, tempering a much better-than-expected report on Midwest business activity.

Business activity in the U.S. Midwest expanded far more than expected in December, hitting its highest in nearly four years on a massive recovery in employment and accelerating new orders.

Oil rose slightly on Wednesday as the market weighed cold weather in the United States and U.S. government data showing drawdowns in crude and fuel stockpiles.

Saudi Arabia has quit a long-held lease for 5 million barrels of Caribbean oil storage near the key U.S. market and state giant PetroChina is poised to move in, industry sources say, a potentially major shift in global oil trade dynamics.

Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) said on Wednesday that formal feedback from U.S. regulators on its Victoza diabetes drug has been delayed beyond year-end but is expected within weeks.

The major international airport of the Netherlands, the Schiphol Airport, will begin using full-body scanners on passengers flying to the United States, the Dutch interior minister said on Wednesday.

Stocks edged lower in light trading on Wednesday as a stronger dollar tempered better-than-expected Midwest business activity.

Fannie Mae (FNM.N) (FNM.P), the largest U.S. home funding source, on Wednesday said it sold $2 billion of benchmark bills at mixed interest rates compared with the same maturities auctioned a week ago.

The following are scheduled sales announcement dates for potential Freddie Mac (FRE.N) (FRE.P) reference, Fannie Mae (FNM.N) benchmark notes and Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) global note offerings in 2010.

Midwest Banc Holdings (MBHI.O) has entered into a written agreement with federal regulators to strengthen its board oversight and credit risk management as w 536870913 1701604384

Joint hosts Poland's Euro 2012 preparations suffered a blow on Wednesday when one of the venue cities scrapped a deal with a company building a tournament stadium.

Egyptian mobile telephone operator Mobinil (EMOB.CA) will issue 1.5 billion Egyptian pounds ($273.3 million) in 5-year bonds starting mid-January, the bond's underwriter EFG-Hermes (HRHO.CA) said.

It gained early success on the awards circuit, but the star-studded musical Nine will likely be pulled back from hundreds of smaller U.S. cities, after disappointing box office and lackluster reviews.

Swiss commodities trader Glencore has taken a majority stake in Swiss-German company Biopetrol Industries AG, which underwent financial restructuring earlier this year.

A day after Google confirmed its Android media event on January 5, more details of the Google smartphone, Nexus One, have been leaked online, including its price details and its network provider.

Singer Van Morrison became a father again on Monday at the age of 64 after his manager gave birth to a son he described as the spitting image of his daddy.

Dubai's ruler set up a panel to protect creditors of troubled mortgage lenders Amlak AMLK.DU and Tamweel TAML.DU on Wednesday, whose long-planned merger is slated to occur in early 2010.

Health insurer Aetna Inc said on Wednesday it expects to take a charge of $60 million to $65 million in the fourth quarter of 2009 to cover costs associated with job cuts and real estate consolidation.