INVESTMENT

AngloGold Ashanti , the world No. 3 gold miner, reported record-breaking quarterly earnings on Wednesday, beating forecasts as bullion's bull run filled its coffers.

General Growth Properties, the large mall operator that exited bankruptcy protection last year, reported core funds from operation (FFO), which measures its ability to generate cash, of $224.2 million, or 23 cents per share, up slightly from FFO of $223.2 million in 2010.

A new study predicts that global oil demand is likely to peak by 2020, with internal combustion engine efficiency and the increased use of alternate fuels contributing to the peak.

More than a thousand Rhode Island union members rallied outside the State House on Tuesday to protest pension reforms proposed by Gov. Lincoln Chafee and Treasurer Gina Raimondo.

London-based jeweler Graff Diamonds plans to raise about $1 billion in a Hong Kong listing next year, a move that could fund expansion in Asia and capitalize on booming gem prices.

Losses on securities investments at the core of a scandal rocking Japan's Olympus Corp may have once exceeded $1 billion, the Nikkei newspaper said on Wednesday, as the 92-year-old firm's share price plunged due to doubts about its future.

Silver Wheaton Corp.'s third-quarter profit doubled as the selling prices of gold and silver soared and sales volume jumped.

European stocks were lower at midday Wednesday as mounting concerns over Italy's debt kept investors on edge, following an early rally sparked by Silvio Berlusconi's pledge to step down as Italy's prime minister.

Even though they are first in line to be paid back under broker liquidation rules, customers of bankrupt MF Global Holdings Ltd's brokerage may not get all their money back.

The French economy will stagnate in the last quarter of the year, the Bank of France said on Wednesday, the latest sign it is losing momentum as fiscal austerity and Europe's debt crisis depress private sector activity.

HyperDynamics, IntraLinks, Weight Watchers, RPC and Cinemark Holdings, GenOn Energy, United Rentals, Lowe's Companies, Lennar Corp. and Standard Motor Products are among the companies that saw active trading in the extended trading session on the New York Stock Exchange.

Samsung Electronics plans to invest a record 38 trillion won ($33.9 billion) in facilities and R&D next year, a 27 percent jump from an estimated 30 trillion won this year, local media reported on Wednesday, citing Samsung and industry officials.

Losses on securities investments at the core of a scandal rocking Japan's Olympus Corp may have once exceeded $1 billion, the Nikkei newspaper said on Wednesday, as the firm's share price plunged due to doubts about its future.

China's annual inflation rate eased to 5.5 percent in October, a third straight month of decline from July's three-year peak and Premier Wen Jiabao said prices had fallen further since then.

Olympus Corp's losses on securities investments mounted to more than 100 billion yen ($1.3 billion) at one point, the Nikkei business daily said on Wednesday, citing sources close to the matter.

The hunt for the missing $600 million in customer money at MF Global Holdings Ltd may begin with Harris Bank, a Chicago-based lender that often holds client money for many large futures brokerage firms.

Square, the mobile payment startup that counts former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers on its board of directors, has a new big-name backer: British billionaire Richard Branson.

Hedge fund manager David Einhorn exited Pfizer , his largest holding, and made new bets on CBS Corp ., General Motors Co and Marvell Technology Group during the third quarter.

Stocks rose on Tuesday on news that Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi would resign.

The Kenyan shilling gained against the dollar on Tuesday aided largely by banks selling greenbacks as high interest rates squeezed shillings out of the market, while stocks edged lower in thin volumes.

Gold rose above $1,800 an ounce on Tuesday for the first time in over a month, fueled by worries that a teetering government in euro zone's third largest economy Italy would deepen the region's debt crisis.