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The top after-market NYSE gainers Thursday were American Greetings Corp, First Horizon National, KBR, Inc, Rio Tinto and Dole Food Co. The top after-market NYSE losers were VOC Energy Trust, El Paso Electric, Capital One Financial, Advanced Micro Devices and Yingli Green Energy.

Alon USA Partners, Magic Software Enterprises, ArcelorMittal, Amazon.com Inc, Bank of America Corp, Rio Tinto Plc, Apache Corp and Nokia Corp are among the companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trading Monday.

Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Dell, Rio Tinto, Boston Scientific, Facebook, Dynavax Technologies, Research In Motion and Bankrate Inc. are among the companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trading Monday.

Infoblox Inc, Gold Fields, Rio Tinto, Nokia Corp, Transocean Ltd, BHP Billiton, ASML Holding, Frontline and Retalix Ltd. are among the companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trading Thursday.

Nokia Corp, eBay Inc, Deutsche Bank, Carnival Plc, Facebook, Rio Tinto, Dynavax Technologies and Frontline Ltd. are among the companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trading Tuesday.

Rio Tinto Plc, Nokia Corp, Netflix Inc, Arch Coal Inc, Deutsche Bank AG, Apple Inc, France Telecom SA and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. are among the companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trading Tuesday.

Deutsche Bank AG, Anheuser-Busch InBev NV, ON Semiconductor Corp, Rio Tinto, Alcatel Lucent SA, Groupon Inc, Silver Standard Resources and JPMorgan Chase & Co. are among the companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trading Tuesday.

European markets fell Tuesday as investor confidence was weighed down by increasing concerns of the debt crisis affecting the euro zone.

Growing global demand for electric cars could drive demand for lithium up by as much as 20 percent per year, benefiting chemical and mining companies such as the FMC Corp. (NYSE: FMC), Rio Tinto PLC (NYSE: RIO) and Rockwood Holdings Inc. (NYSE: ROC), according to Standard & Poor's Capital IQ.

After seizing minority control of Quebec's legislature and premiership on Tuesday, the separatist Parti Quebecois is seeking to increase mining royalties and individual taxes, which could impact companies like Cliffs Natural Resources (NYSE: CLF), Rio Tinto Group (NYSE: RIO) and Xstrata Plc (London: XTA).

European markets fell Thursday as investor sentiment was weighed down by concerns of economic and financial instability in Spain worsening the euro zone economy.

Asian shares hit a one-month low on growth concerns Thursday as investors await indications of further U.S. stimulus from the U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s on Friday. Meanwhile, the major currencies were range-bound.

Most European markets fell Wednesday as investors remained watchful waiting for the euro zone policymakers to come up with stimulus measures to rejuvenate the faltering economy.

Glencore International PLC (LON: GLEN), a commodity trading company based in Baar, Switzerland, has said it is prepared to bow out of talks to buy Xstrata PLC (LON: XTA) rather than give in to a demand for more money from a major shareholder of the giant mining company.

Most European markets fell Monday as investors continued to have concerns about the faltering global economy and mounting debt crisis in the euro zone.

Most European markets rose Friday as investor sentiment turned positive on hope that China will announce stimulus measures after it reported that its economy continue to weaken.

Among the companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trading Friday are: Molina Healthcare, China TransInfo Technology, Strategic Hotels, France Telecom, Barrick Gold, Rio Tinto, Randgold Resources, Alcoa and Bank of America Corp.

The new law, which has been the source of fierce battles between industry and government officials for two years, will affect around 30 companies, including international mining giants BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Xstrata.

Rio Tinto PLC, the world's second largest iron ore miner, is set to spend more than half a billion dollars automating cars, trains and trucks at one of its Western Australia mines so that they can be operated remotely.

Ivanplats, controlled by Ivanhoe Mines founder Robert Friedland, expects to produce platinum at negative cost at its giant Platreef complex in South Africa, potentially shaking up an industry squeezed by stoppages, rising wages and power charges.

European stocks were up around midday on Friday, hitting a six- month high as investors cheered data that hinted the euro zone may avoid slipping back into recession, eclipsing a disappointing start to the earnings season.

Global miner Rio Tinto has raised its stake in Canada's Ivanhoe Mines, owner of Mongolia's massive Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold project, to a majority holding but said on Tuesday it had no current plans to buy more shares.

Global miner Rio Tinto is clear to take over Mongolia's coveted Oyu Tolgoi project, which promises to be one of the world's largest copper-gold mines, after project owner Ivanhoe Mines decided to scrap a controversial poison pill.

Miner Rio Tinto, which owns a 49 percent stake in Ivanhoe Mines, welcomed a decision by the owner of the massive Oyu Tolgoi copper mine to scrap a poison pill provision, and said it was now free to raise its holding.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper plans to visit China next month as his government looks to open new markets for oil sands crude in the wake of Washington's decision to delay approval of a major pipeline from Alberta to Texas.

European stocks were higher early Tuesday afternoon, hitting a two-month high on sharp gains in cyclical mining shares, while simmering concerns over the Eurozone crisis sent French and Spanish markets lower.

Rio Tinto Alcan will shut down about a third of the production at its 438,000-tonne Alma aluminum smelter in the Canadian province of Quebec after locking out hundreds of unionized workers in a contract dispute, it said on Sunday.

European shares rose on Tuesday, bouncing from a steep sell-off in the previous session, though strategists said investors would need to feel more confident about a resolution to the Eurozone crisis before the market could break out of a recent range.

An independent arbitrator cleared the way on Tuesday for mining group Rio Tinto Plc/Ltd to take over Ivanhoe Mines Ltd, saying the $16 billion Canadian group's poison pill defense was not valid.