UNITED STATES

After a tumultuous year that saw General Electric Co stock tumble to 18-year lows, then whipsaw back to triple that level, shareholders of the largest U.S. conglomerate may be in for a year of few, if any, gains.

Lockheed Martin Corp on Wednesday said it was continuing work to sharply reduce the costs of the F-35 fighter and did not believe the program was in trouble despite a report that the Pentagon will cut production of 122 airplanes through 2015.

A study in mice suggests using cellphones may help prevent some of the brain-wasting effects of Alzheimer's disease, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.

Network equipment maker Cisco Systems Inc plans to begin selling later this year a long-awaited, affordable home version of its TelePresence videoconferencing system for corporations.

Brutal winter weather across the much of the United States has helped rally commodity markets as energy demand rises, crops are hit with snow or frost and livestock movement is slowed.

AT&T Inc plans to sell seven new smartphones in the first half of this year, including two from Palm Inc and five Android handsets from vendors such as Dell Inc.

U.S. President Barack Obama is not patient and is demanding immediate changes in airline security, the top U.S. military officer said on Wednesday, as a grand jury indicted the Nigerian man for trying to blow up a Detroit-bound plane on Christmas Day.

The U.S. Justice Department will conduct an antitrust review of the proposed $30 billion joint venture between Comcast Corp and NBC Universal, department spokeswoman Gina Talamona said on Wednesday.

The Dow and S&P 500 inched higher, while the Nasdaq dipped on Wednesday after Federal Reserve officials said they were still worried about labor market weakness and a report on the services sector showed only slight improvement in the economy.

The harrowing tale of a struggling Harlem teen in Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire earned a leading eight nominations for the NAACP Image awards on Wednesday.

The Australian Dollar opens at a 5-week high against the greenback on Thursday at 0.9200.

The U.S. Justice Department will conduct an antitrust review of the proposed $30 billion joint venture between Comcast Corp and NBC Universal, department spokeswoman Gina Talamona said on Wednesday.

Tianjin Qingyuan Electric Vehicle Co, the first Chinese automaker to break into the United States, hopes to significantly boost sales of its self-developed electric models in the world's second-largest market this year, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday.

LG Electronics Inc said it is gaining share in the U.S. television market and that mobile phones have been key to increasing the South Korean company's brand recognition last year.

U.S. stocks slipped on Wednesday after ISM data showed the U.S. services sector grew in December, but at a marginal pace, and a report said the rate of job losses slowed at U.S. private employers.

U.S. online spending rose 4 percent to $29.1 billion in November and December with sales showing particular vigor over the Black Friday weekend and the week leading up to Christmas, according to data released on Wednesday by comScore.

(Corrects paragraph 6 to show ADP report said private-sector job losses slowed in December from November, but were not smaller than expected)

The rate of job losses at U.S. private employers slowed in December and the services sector showed marginal growth, according to reports on Wednesday that pointed to a steady if unspectacular recovery.

President Barack Obama will announce a $250 million public-private partnership on Wednesday expanding a program to improve U.S. math and science education, the White House said.

AT&T Inc plans to sell seven new smartphones in the first half of this year, including two phones from Palm Inc and five Android phones from vendors, including handset newcomer Dell Inc.

The Dow and the S&P 500 ended little changed on Wednesday and the Nasdaq dipped after a report on the vast services sector showed only slight improvement in the U.S. economy.