ECONOMY & MARKETS

The euro zone may increase the lending capacity of its bailout funds to almost €700 billion, $914.6 billion, even as Spain faces increasing levels of debt, reports said Friday.

The prominent economist's main fear isn't the European debt crisis, a hard landing in China or faltering U.S. economic growth but a possible military showdown between Iran and Israel. A war in the Middle East could send oil prices soaring and cause a global recession.

The cost of living in the U.S. rose to a 10-month high in February on the back of soaring gasoline prices, government data showed Friday.

The top after-market NASDAQ losers Thursday were: Primo Water Corp, Deer Consumer Products, Star Scientific, TICC Capital Corp, SciClone Pharmaceuticals, Hercules Offshore, BGC Partners, Sky-mobi Ltd, First Financial Bancorp and KIT digital.

The top aftermarket NYSE gainers Thursday were: Frontline Ltd, Excel Maritime Carriers, Glatfelter, Oxford Resource Partners, Dole Food Co and Peabody Energy Corp. The top aftermarket NYSE losers were: Winnebago Industries, RealD Inc, Capital One Financial Corp, Teekay Corp, E.W. Scripps Co and New York Times Co.

The top after-market NASDAQ gainers Thursday were: Cogo Group, Perfect World Co, Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Pantry, Halozyme Therapeutics, Consolidated Water Co, Neurocrine Biosciences, Merge Healthcare Inc, Cleantech Solutions International and Ituran Location and Control.

The positive reports on the U.S. economy are seen as the major cause of the stocks rallying.

Shares of Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) jumped as much as 21 cents Thursday after the video game maker announced the release date of Diablo III, the latest release in its popular roleplaying game series.

The S&P 500 Index rallied above 1,400 for the first time since June 2008 on the back of improvements in the U.S. jobs market.

Stocks surged Thursday, with the S&P 500 topping the 1,400 mark for the first time in nearly four years, propelled by firm readings on the jobs market and manufacturing activities.

Greece's nearly $270 billion debt restructuring was deemed a default last week, bringing relief to creditors that had hedged their bets by buying credit default swaps. But the default declaration could send a wave of unintended consequences throughout Europe, further weakening some already-fragile economies.

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (NYSE: FCX) said Thursday that it has resolved a labor dispute with PT Freeport Indonesia workers at its Grasberg mining and milling operations, but that the work stoppage will cost the company production and sales of a significant amount of copper and gold.

They are determined to continue with the occupation as a form of protest against the Cuban government.

The recent round of warm talks between U.S. and U.K. heads of government has yielded a huge political bonus for U.S. President Barack Obama, as the two leaders are set to announce a cooperative plan to released strategic oil stocks, something that is likely to help bring down the sky-high price of crude.

The U.S. cost of living probably increased last month on higher gasoline prices, economists said before Friday's CPI report. But the Federal Open Market Committee said earlier this week that the surge in energy prices is temporary and inflation will stay below the Fed's 2 percent target in 2012.

In August 2011, famed economist Nouriel Roubini put the probability of a U.S. double-dip recession in 2012 at 60 percent.

The retirement letter from Goldman Sachs Executive Director Greg Smith, which was published as an op-ed in the New York Times on Tuesday, has been the talk of the town and likely reason the company lost market value on Wednesday.

Vice President Joe Biden Thursday launched a series of four campaign events with remarks at a United Auto Workers local's union hall in Toledo.

Experts are blasting U.S. Treasurys as bad investments because of their limited upside potential and serious downside risk.

Paris-based credit rating agency Fitch warned the government of the United Kingdom Thursday that the country still stood to lose its sterling AAA rating were the economic situation in Europe to deteriorate further. The action came at a politically sensitive time for Britain.

The pace of manufacturing growth in the Philadelphia region slowed in March but remained positive, as new orders dipped substantially, according to a Philadelphia Fed survey released Thursday.

Expectations that the euro zone will fall into recession this year or, at best, post anemic growth, are growing.

U.S. mortgage rates rose with the improving economy, but remained near historic lows in the week ending March 15, Freddie Mac reported Thursday.

Why did Greg Smith's resignation letter go viral on the Internet?

Manufacturing in the New York region increased in March at its fastest pace since June 2010, a New York Fed survey revealed Thursday, but a mixed bag of indicators in the survey showcased the still-tepid state of U.S. factory activity.

The Indian Budget, which will be tabled in the Parliament Friday, is expected to incorporate same features as the previous budget, as the country faces challenging economic conditions and uncertain political scenario.

Surging gasoline prices raised wholesale prices in February by 0.4 percent, less than economists expected but generally in line with the U.S. central bank's broader outlook for inflation, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

The top after-market NASDAQ gainers Wednesday were: Online Resources, Tessera Technologies, NxStage Medical, Digital River, Washington Federal, Monolithic Power Systems, iGATE Corp, Theravance, Transcept Pharmaceuticals and Shuffle Master.

The top aftermarket NYSE gainers Wednesday were: Callon Petroleum, Newcastle Investment, Covanta Holding, Rite Aid Corp, Office Depot and Basic Energy Services. The top aftermarket NYSE losers were: Guess?, YPF SA, SandRidge Permian Trust, Monster Worldwide, WMS Industries and Primus Telecommunications Group.