ECONOMY & MARKETS

Consumers are feeling relatively upbeat about where the economy will be six months from now, but right now, after maxing out their credit card and perhaps purchasing a big-ticket item over the holidays, they're planning on sticking to a budget. Those are the main findings from a preliminary survey of February consumer confidence conducted by the University of Michigan and Thomson Reuters, which was released Friday morning.

Chinese authorities are investigating eggs which bounce after being boiled and may make men sterile, state media reported Friday, in the latest food safety scare to hit the country.

The U.S. trade deficit widened in December to its highest level in six months as imports outpaced exports, government figures showed on Friday.

The trade deficit widened slightly more than expected in December, and the bilateral trade deficit with China last year soared to a record high $295.5 billion.

LinkedIn Corp., Activision Blizzard Corp., PPL Corp. and Calpine Corp. are among the stocks that could be actively traded Friday.

The BSE Sensex closed down 0.46 percent on Friday, reversing early gains, after data showed the country's industrial output in December slowed sharply and Morgan Stanley cut its allocation for emerging market stocks.

Futures on major U.S. indices point to a lower opening Friday after eurozone finance ministers asked Athens for more cuts to release the second bailout package.

The top after-market NASDAQ gainers Thursday were: Sierra Wireless, Sangamo BioSciences, Brooks Automation, Novatel Wireless, Forrester Research, NXP Semiconductors, ViewPoint Financial Group, Akorn, Interface and Align Technology.

The top after-market NASDAQ Losers Thursday were: True Religion Apparel, Exide Technologies, Nuance Communications, Amyris, Unilife Corp, Theravance, Amtech Systems, Netease.com, Deer Consumer Products and Halozyme Therapeutics.

The top aftermarket NYSE Losers Thursday were: Leapfrog Enterprises, Overseas Shipholding Group, Gardner Denver, Roundy's, Flowers Foods, Lions Gate Entertainment, Eagle Materials, Sterlite Industries India, DAQQ New Energy Corp and Skilled Healthcare Group.

The top aftermarket NYSE gainers Thursday were: LinkedIn Corp, Cincinnati Bell, HyperDynamics, Genco Shipping & Trading, Cobalt International Energy, PulteGroup, C&J Energy Services, Office Depot and Protective Life Corp.

J.C. Penney Co is introducing a three-tier price model by which the retailer is essentially committing to a new markdown pricing strategy that will convince consumers that some items will not have price reductions (everyday fair price), thereby their risk of buying at current prices is low, according to a Stanford University business faculty.

The euro and Asian shares pulled back Friday as investors remained concerned about prospects of restructuring Greece's debt and global lenders demanded more steps even after it struck a long-awaited deal on fiscal reforms.

The Czech National Bank launched an iOS app that will help people tell if their cash is counterfeit or not. It's marketed to tourists who may not know what real Czech cash and coins look like. Using the camera on an iPad, iPod or iPhone, the app can tell if the security elements are in the right place or even there at all.

Hours after Greece's ruling coalition announced it had concluded an 11th-hour agreement on new austerity measures in an effort to satisfy foreign lenders, it seemed that everyone - from creditors abroad to political allies back home - was turning on the Greek leadership.

Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ:ATVI), the large video game maker, beat analysts' expectations as it retained more World of Warcraft subscribers and had massive retail sales for its Call of Duty title.

U.S. workers contributed more to their 401(k) plans in 2011, while average balances at year’s end also rose slightly, according to a quarterly survey by Fidelity Investments.

Stocks rose modestly for a third straight day on Thursday after Greece reached a deal to secure a financial bailout, but investors were cautious after weeks of gains.

Ford Motor Co. on Thursday named former 2012 Republican presidential candidate and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman to its board of directors. The appointment gives Huntsman another job as he backs out of the public spotlight back into the private sector. And it gives Ford another established, high-profile board member with political ties.

Negotiations on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, between Greece and its lenders and between big U.S. banks and the federal government, boosted the willingness of investors Thursday to move into risk assets, many of which posted gains.

A new contender for the world's tallest building has emerged. Avesta Group's Azerbaijian Tower is set to rise over a kilometer in height, to around 3,444 feet and 189 floors. It would surpass the 2,723-foot Burj Khalifa, currently the world's tallest building, as well as the planned Kingdom Tower.

Officials Thursday detailed a nationwide settlement with five large banks over foreclosure practices. Negotiators defended the deal as a way to give immediate relief to homeowners and victims of foreclosure abuses.

Stocks edged higher on Thursday after Greece reached a deal to secure a financial bailout, but investors took a wait-and-see attitude in a market that has become extended after weeks of gains.

The massive $26 billion mortgage settlement between states and banks is designed to help millions of American homeowners -- but not everyone is eligible.

Kodak announced Thursday it plans to stop making digital cameras, pocket video cameras and digital picture frames in the first half of 2012 in a bid to cut costs.

Two of Ford Motor Co.'s top executives are set to retire in April, but Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally brushed back speculation of his own retirement plans.

The plans underscore concerns in the eurozone about debt and a potential relapse into recession.

There is a debate that has been heating up recently, and it's likely to continue to split some of the smartest minds from coast to coast. This debate revolves around whether prices for goods in the United States are on the rise or not.

U.S. 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rates remained at a record low of 3.87 percent in the week ending Feb. 9, unchanged from the previous week, according to Freddie Mac.