ECONOMY & MARKETS

Shares of the following companies are actively trading in the pre-market hours Thursday on Nasdaq. The companies are Dendreon, Entropic Communications, Cadence Pharma, Zipcar, On Assignment, GT Solar and Randgold Resources.

The global economy is more sluggish than first thought, government bonds offer no real return, gold is super expensive and stock markets sell off at the slightest setback.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Thursday are: Kraft Foods, CIGNA, Teradata, NYSE Euronext, Davita, Tiffany, Alpha Natural Resources, Northrop Grumman, Carnival, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold and United States Steel Corp.

Jefferies believes Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry Enterprise Server/BlackBerry Internet Service (BES/BIS) infrastructure could be worth $5 billion to $10 billion in a sale. But who will buy it?

With signs emerging that the financial foundations of two of Euro Zone's founding members -- Italy and Spain -- are shaken badly by the worsening debt crisis, the continued existence of the euro area grouping has become doubtful, according to a major think tank.

The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Web.com Group, On Assignment, Zipcar, Allied Motion Technologies, Savient Pharmaceuticals, and The Andersons. The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Dendreon, Entropic Communications, comScore, Zumiez, Oncothyreon, and Career Education.

Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said on Wednesday he has been having discussions with his Group of 20 colleagues about the global economic situation, which has been hit by U.S. and European debt fears.

The world's largest economy was headed toward an unprecedented default, and all Washington wanted to talk about was the manner in which the president had left a room.

Is there one statistic that can provide a quick-read on the U.S. economy's health and outlook? Indeed there is: it's the price of oil.

South Africa has agreed to a 2.5 billion rand bailout for Swaziland to help it through a budget crunch that had prompted unprecedented protests against Africa's last absolute monarch, officials said on Wednesday.

South African government bonds rallied sharply on Wednesday and the yield on the benchmark note fell to 9-month lows as a gloomy global economic climate cast a shadow on the domestic outlook.

U.S. automakers reported higher sales for the month of July, but the ongoing weak economic environment doesn't bode well for the sector.

Authenticity of research company's Web site questioned.

The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Global Traffic Network, AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, InterDigital, and ZST Digital Networks. The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Smith Micro Software, MicroStrategy, OpenTable, Sonus Networks, Garmin, and Dunkin' Brands Group.

The world's economy moved closer to stagnation last month as firms in Asia and Europe reined back in the face of an ongoing debt crisis and signs of a new U.S. slowdown, business surveys showed on Wednesday.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Wednesday are: SuccessFactors, Genworth Financial, Juniper Networks, Rockwell Automation, MasterCard, Fiserv, Frontier Communications, Archer Daniels Midland, Urban Outfitters, Marathon Oil and Thor Industries.

With more than 14 million people out of work, consumer spending falling by the day, the GDP growth outlook remaining grim and rising inflation denting confidence of ordinary people, a massive spending cut of more than $2 trillion would be the proverbial last straw on the camel's back.

Jefferies said 3G wireless data will drive significant change in China Telecom landscape over the next two years.

The top after-market NYSE losers on Tuesday are: Ion Geophysical, Boston Beer Co, HFF, Orbitz Worldwide, Emdeon, Buckeye Technologies, Calgon Carbon, Arcos Dorados Holdings, Thor Industries and MetroPCS Communications.

The top after-market NYSE gainers on Tuesday are: Willbros Group, SuccessFactors, Zale Corp, Orient-Express Hotels, Pilgrim's Pride Corp, Modine Manufacturing, Quanex Building Products, KBW, Harris Corp and United Rentals.

The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: j2 Global Communications, Westell Technologies, Winn-Dixie Stores, Commercial Vehicle Group, and Merge Healthcare. The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Smith Micro Software, Liquidity Services, Cavium Networks, Black Box, and OpenTable.

If you thought that space exploration and zero-gravity experience is only for astronauts and celebrities, then think again.

Moody's Investors Service on Tuesday confirmed its Aaa rating of the United States, citing the decision to raise the debt limit, but assigned a negative outlook that could pressure lawmakers to cut the U.S. deficit.

Over the last seven consecutive days, the index has plunged 6.76 percent.

Zimbabwe needs an extra $73 million in humanitarian aid this year, mainly due to increased food needs for vulnerable groups despite improvements in the agriculture sector, United Nations agencies said on Tuesday.

Despite mining minister Susan Shabangu's reluctance to say it, South Africa is not going to nationalise its mines.

South African government bonds rose on Tuesday, boosted by an auction which saw the strongest demand in a year with foreign buying a key feature.

China's spot alumina prices have risen 7-9 percent since June due to increased demand and strong aluminium prices, and traders and analysts say prices could rise further in the second half on speculative buying.

Buyout firm Carlyle Group agreed to buy 9 percent of Haier Electronics Group Co Ltd (HEG) through convertible bonds, raising its stake in a Chinese company expanding into Japan and China's untapped markets.