INVESTMENT

JPMorgan Chase & Co quarterly profit rocketed to a much-higher-than-expected $3.6 billion as bond trading revenue surged, boosting optimism about a rebound in top Wall Street banks.

A U.S. congressional committee started nailing down details of a bill to regulate over-the-counter derivatives on Wednesday, seeking to advance a key part of the Obama administration's broad plan to tighten bank and capital markets oversight.

The Dow Jones industrials neared the 10,000 milestone on Wednesday for the first time in a year as robust results from JPMorgan Chase & Co and Intel Corp boosted the outlook for earnings.

Private equity giant Blackstone Group's chief executive said the worst of the industry's problems had passed, with improved capital and equity markets finally providing an opportunity to do deals and sell existing investments through IPOs.

Stocks jumped on Wednesday after JPMorgan Chase & Co posted a surge in profit, following stronger numbers from Intel Corp a day earlier in an auspicious start to third-quarter earnings season.

JPMorgan Chase & Co quarterly profit rocketed to forecast-beating $3.6 billion as bond trading revenue surged, boosting optimism about a strengthening rebound in top Wall Street banks.

Stocks jumped on Wednesday after JPMorgan Chase & Co posted a surge in profit, following stronger numbers from Intel Corp a day earlier in an auspicious start to third-quarter earnings season.

Smaller Letdown; Retailers drop; Big bank profit

Giant buyout funds are likely a thing of the past, and new cash raised will be for medium-sized, specialist funds, a top executive of British private equity firm Terra Firma Capital Partners Ltd said on Wednesday.

An investor consortium led by U.S. buyout giant Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co announced on Wednesday that it poured a combined $160 million into a Chinese financial leasing firm to help it expand business.

Rallying commodity markets are adding to profits of Wall Street houses like Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan, and banks are ramping up commodity desks again, a year after the recession cut into operations.

Stock futures pointed to a rise of more than 1 percent at the open on Wednesday after JPMorgan Chase & Co posted a surge in profit following stronger numbers from Intel Corp a day earlier.

Investors remain bullish about equities but not to the extent that it creates the risk of a sharp swing in sentiment, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said on Wednesday.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a rise of more than 1 percent at the open on Wednesday after JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) posted a surge in profit following stronger numbers from Intel Corp (INTC.O) a day earlier.

Private equity firm Blackstone Group's chief executive said the worst of the industry's problems were behind it, and dealflow and IPO opportunities were opening up again.

Stock futures pointed to a rise of more than 1 percent at the open on Wednesday after JPMorgan Chase & Co posted a surge in profit following stronger numbers from Intel Corp a day earlier.

JPMorgan Chase & Co reported sharply higher third-quarter results, topping Wall Street expectations, as gains at its investment bank offset deeper losses on credit cards and other consumer loans.

Stock futures pointed to a rise of more than 1 percent at the open on Wednesday after JPMorgan Chase & Co posted a surge in profit following stronger numbers from Intel Corp a day earlier.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a rise of more than 1 percent at the open on Wednesday after JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) posted a surge in profit following stronger numbers from Intel Corp (INTC.O) a day earlier.

Hong Kong stockspacked on more gains on Wednesday to close up 1.95 percent at a14-month closing high, driven by liquidity inflows frominvestments exiting the U.S. dollar, which touched a 14-monthlow.

U.S. stock index futures rose more than 1 percent on Wednesday following forecast-beating results from Intel Corp (INTC.O) and ahead of earnings from JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N).