INVESTMENT

Facebook could file for its initial public offering as early as Feb.1, valuing the company as high as $100 billion, a report said.

The world's biggest hedge fund Bridgewater Associates posted returns of 23 percent in 2011, in a year when most of its peers underperformed the major stock market indexes, the New York Times reported, citing people familiar with the firm's investment strategy.

Oshkosh Corp. shareholders handed a defeat to activist investor Carl Icahn on Friday, electing at least 12 of the 13 management-backed nominees to the company's board.

The buzzed about Ferris Bueller Super Bowl 2012 commercial is for auto company Honda, according to a report.

The U.S. economy expanded at its fastest pace in the fourth quarter of last year, as consumers loosened their purse strings, companies rebuilt inventories and housing construction perked up.

When Philips Electronics reports earnings on Monday, investors will be bracing themselves for developments on restructuring, costs cuts and whether the TV business will be sold in the first quarter.

Treasury debt prices rose on Thursday, and five-year note yields dipped to the lowest level since at least the 1960s, a day after the Federal Reserve said it will likely hold interest rates near zero at least through late 2014.

The European Union is deliberating on a €150 million ($197 million) aid package for Myanmar, according to the latest report.

A broad asset rally inspired by the U.S. Federal Reserve's pledge to keep rates low paused Friday, as investors sought to gauge how sustainable the burst of optimism will be while waiting for the outcome of crucial Greek debt talks.

The U.S. economy is not robust by any means, but the recent manufacturing-driven recovery, if tepid, is finally beginning to erase memories of the disappointing slowdown in 2011. On the wings of the recent gains, growth in most sectors of the economy is likely to continue - and maybe even pick up momentum towards the end of the year.

U.S. stocks sagged on Thursday as traders cashed in on red-hot bank and technology shares, while the Federal Reserve's commitment to easy money to help the U.S. economy rebound weakened the dollar.

Travellers hoping to catch a glimpse of the glittering Shwedagon Pagoda or hear the tinkly temple-bells of Kipling's Road to Mandalay might one day be able to book into a Westin or a Marriott.

Valley National Bancorp's margins fell sequentially, prompting investor concerns about its profit growth in a low-rate environment, while its Northeastern peer First Niagara Financial managed to hold the line on its margins.

The Chinese New Year celebration is expected to increase strong demand for gold in Asia, according to industry experts.

New orders for U.S. manufactured goods rose in December and a gauge of future business investment rebounded, showing the U.S. economy ended the year with more momentum than previously thought.

Nintendo announced a tentative release date for their next-gen console, the Wii U on Thursday, and said that it will be here in time for the 2012 holiday season.

Vodafone chief executive said the company's victory in a $2.2 billion legal battle against tax authorities in India would help pave the way for a listing of shares in its business in the country.

New orders for manufactured goods rose in December and a gauge of future business investment rebounded, while new claims for jobless benefits rose only moderately last week, suggesting the labor market was still healing.

Facebook’s lawyers have advised the social networking giant to stop trading shares on private exchanges, which could foreshadow the company’s long-awaited initial public offering.

European shares rose on Thursday, halting two-days of losses, after the U.S. Federal Reserve said interest rates would remain low for a considerably longer period than expected and it is ready to offer additional stimulus to boost economic growth.

Japan's Nikkei average retreated from a three-month high on Thursday as disappointing results from Fanuc and Fuji Electric weighed, though the Federal Reserve's signal of its readiness to further stimulate the U.S. economy provided support.