U.S.

Retail sales in October picked up pace, and brightened the outlook for year-end shopping as purchases rose 1.2%, the highest in the last seven months.

Shares of automaker General Motors opened at $35 in its first trading day on the NYSE after recovering from a government funded bailout. The opening price was an increase of 2 percent from its IPO price of $33.

S&P 500 Index gained 13.19 points, or 1.18 percent, to trade at 1,192.55 at 09:50 a.m. EDT. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 122.79 points, or 1.12 percent, to trade at 11,130.67. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 1.29 percent to trade at 2,508.13.

U.S. initial jobless claims rose less-than-expected for the week ended Nov. 13, after falling sharply to a four month low in the previous week.

GM will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange beginning today after a landmark intial public offering, from which GM is expected to raise as high as $23.1 billion.

Here’s a list of retailers luring Black Friday shoppers with tempting deals

Futures on the S&P 500 gained 11.80 points to 1,189.30, futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average are up 87.00 points to 11,082.00 and Nasdaq100 futures are up 25.50 points to 2,122.50.

General Motors Co is inching closer towards returning to the U.S. market in one of the biggest IPOs in the U.S. history and could even become the world's largest.

S&P 500 Index edged up 0.68 points, or 0.06 percent, to trade at 1,179.73 at 09:53 a.m. EDT. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 8.47 points, or 0.08 percent, to trade at 11,015.03. The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 0.24 percent.

Victoria Kolakowski became the first elected transgender judge in United States by defeating deputy district attorney John Creighton in a fiercely contested race for Alameda County Superior Court.

Construction of new homes touched an 18-month low in October, falling much more than expected, according to a report by the U.S. Commerce Department.

Futures on the S&P 500 gained 3.50 points, futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average are up 23 points and Nasdaq100 futures are up 7 points.

The US dollar dropped against its major counterparts on Wednesday after data showed October consumer price inflation was slower than expected with housing starts data for the same month also coming in at a weaker-than-expected level.

U.S. consumer prices rose lower than expected in October mainly driven by a rise in gasoline prices.

U.S. home loan demand fell sharply in the last week, as fixed mortgage rates rose from near all-time lows.

A new study has found that immigrant women, who toil in the US food industry, suffer sexual harassment, wage theft and other forms of abuse at work.

Restaurants in New York City that earlier refrained from Thanksgiving dining will welcome the festivities with “value-centric” menus on offer. Here’s a list of most celebrated restaurants in New York City that are offering exclusive Thanksgiving feasting at luring prices.

Proposals to reduce the US budget deficit would result in millions of job losses and less deficit reduction, delaying economic recovery for years, according to a report published on Tuesday.

U.S. industrial output remained unchanged in October, following a drop for the first time in September since the recession ended in June 2009, the Federal Reserve data showed on Tuesday.

S&P 500 Index is down 10.42 points, or 0.85 percent, to trade at 1,187.57 at 09:53 a.m. EDT. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 99.57 points, or 0.89 percent, to trade at 11,102.40. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell 0.72 percent.

The producer price index for finished goods rose for the fourth consecutive month in October, mainly pushed by gas price hikes, the U.S. Labor Department said in a report.