ECONOMY & MARKETS

World stocks and the euro rose on Friday, boosted by expectations that Greece will avoid a referendum on a new bailout package, easing imminent concerns of a Greek default and its potential shockwaves through the euro zone.

European shares extended the previous session's strong gains Friday as signs Greece would seek political consensus on a new aid package and dump a referendum helped cap some fears of an imminent default, although the outcome remains uncertain.

Asian shares rallied more than 3 percent and the euro steadied Friday on hopes that Greece will abandon a proposed referendum on a European Union bailout, but investors remained cautious over a confidence vote scheduled for later in the Greek parliament.

The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Openwave Systems, GTX, Skullcandy, EV Energy Partners, and Arris Group. The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Optimer Pharmaceuticals, Keynote Systems, Entropic Communications, Glu Mobile, and Skyworks Solutions.

The top after market NYSE Losers on Thursday were: MasTec, Linkedin, Venoco, Rosetta Stone, Frontier Communications, International Rectifier, Mohawk Industries, Booz Allen Hamilton Holding, GenOn Energy and Health Care REIT.

The top aftermarket NYSE gainers on Thursday were: Jefferies Group, Con-way, Genpact, Suntech Power Holdings, American Vanguard, Global Cash Access Holdings, CenturyLink, Chesapeake Energy and Alliant Techsystems.

The companies that are expected to see active trade on Friday are: Washington Post, Windstream, MasTec, Aes Corp, Linkedin Corp, Northeast Utilities System, Pepco Holdings, Genpact, Ameren and DTE Energy Co.

Daily deals website Groupon announced late Thursday its initial public offering of 35 million Class A shares Thursday at the price of $20 per share, giving the company a market value of $12.7 billion. The company also granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 5.2 million shares of the Class A stock to cover over-allotments.

Asian shares rose more than 2 percent and the euro steadied Friday on hopes that Greece will abandon a proposed referendum on a European Union bailout, but investors remained cautious over a confidence vote planned in the Greek Parliament.

U.S. employment growth was likely too weak in October to pull down the nation's lofty jobless rate, though it may have been strong enough to suggest some economic momentum is building.

Kenya Airways used fuel hedges to protect its bottom line from an escalation in direct costs in its first-half ended September, it said on Thursday, as it prepares to raise funds to finance its expansion.

South African stocks ended a see-saw session flat on Thursday as an upbeat mood in Europe was offset by a sharply stronger currency at home.

Britain's GlaxoSmithKline has agreed to pay billions of dollars to settle multiple U.S. pharmaceutical investigations.

CVS Caremark Corp.'s third-quarter earnings jumped 7.3 percent, off a boost in pharmacy services and retail pharmacy revenues.

Just when you think the United States economy is about to tip back into a recession -- the dreaded double-dip -- up pops the unexpected -- modestly encouraging economic news, in the form of worker productivity and unit labor costs.

In spite of facing a collapse in interest within the domestic market, having to deal with cross-marketing limits imposed by the airlines and booking less flights and hotels overall, the $202.92 net revenue figure represented a jump of 4.34% from quarterly net revenue a year ago. The company's net earnings, however, were down 26.73 percent from a year ago, as a substantial spike in marketing costs, payroll and Other Expenses ate into the bottom line.

Viktor Bout was busted in a sting operation attempting to sell weapons to a Colombian rebel group, FARC.

Productivity rose this summer in its biggest gain since last winter, a sign the economy's current modest growth will last.

The number of people seeking state unemployment benefits fell for the third straight week, government data showed on Thursday, signaling some hopeful progress in the labor market.

UBS has updated its Tech 10 portfolio by adding semi-packaging/assembly equipment provider ASM Technologies as a least preferred stock.

Canada's central bank is particularly vigilant in monitoring the effects of currency moves on inflation in times of great volatility, Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney said on Wednesday.

The Canadian dollar is expected to hold steady just below parity with its U.S. counterpart in the next few months before regaining equal status in 6 months and edging higher than the greenback a year from now.

The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Medivation, Qualcomm, THQ, Qiagen, and Tesla Motors. The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Dendreon, WebMD Health, Gentiva Health Services, Encore Capital Group, Fushi Copperweld, and Savient Pharmaceuticals.

Canadian utility Fortis Inc's (FTS.TO: Quote) posted a 29 percent rise in quarterly profit, helped by the termination fee it received in relation to its failed merger with Central Vermont Public Service Inc.

Husky Energy Inc's (HSE.TO: Quote) third-quarter profit doubled on robust production and higher realized crude prices.

Dutch financial services group ING is to cut 2,700 staff and contract jobs, it said on Thursday in announcing third-quarter results, slashing the headcount at its Dutch retail banking operations by 10 percent in the face of deteriorating markets.

Barclays Capital said Apple Inc.'s capital expenditure (capex) projection is really the only major figure it forecasts for investors on an annual basis in every 10Q and 10K filings. The brokerage said capex guidance of $8 billion could mean something for iCloud and revenue.

Stock index futures pointed to a slightly higher opening for equities on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500, for the Dow Jones and for the Nasdaq 100 up 0.1 to 0.2 percent.

The top aftermarket NYSE gainers on Wednesday were: NetQin Mobile, Fusion-io, CACI International, UBS AG, AMR Corp, Thor Industries, American Eagle Outfitters, Northstar Realty Finance, CoreLogic and Triangle Capital Corp.