GLOBAL MARKETS

Stocks gained for the second day running on Wednesday with Vodacom among the top gainers on upbeat quarterly results while metal prices boosted miners.

ThinkEquity has outlined its top technology stock picks for 2011. The stocks include AMD, Spansion, Entropic, Micron Technology, Nvidia, Aruba Networks, Mellanox, Stec, Google and Priceline.

The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: EDAP TMS, iGo, Electronic Arts, Matrixx Initiatives, and Acme Packet. The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market losers are: Key Tronic, Axcelis Technologies, Intevac, Alvarion, Nuance Communications, and Broadcom.

Gold prices eased a touch in Europe on Wednesday after well received U.S. economic data and a spate of upbeat corporate earnings deflected interest away from bullion on to higher-risk, higher-yielding assets.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Wednesday are: Electronic Arts, Anadarko Petroleum, Freeport-McMoRan, CME Group, Broadcom, Whirlpool, Boston Scientific and Netflix.

Credit Suisse said the civil unrest in Egypt and Tunisia could have positive implications on nitrogen and phosphate prices, as Egypt is a key supplier of urea while Tunisia is a major supplier of phosphate rock and fertilizer products.

Intel's design issue could have a ripple effect throughout the IT Hardware food chain, said an analyst at Barclays Capital.

Futures on major U.S. indices point to a mixed opening on Wednesday, after Dow and S&P finished at two year highs in the previous session.

China may speed up its soybean imports after the Lunar New Year and slow its vegetable oil buys as floods cut off palm oil supply in Malaysia and if port strikes further stall Argentine soyoil exports.

The top after-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: Electronic Arts, Acme Packet, Verigy, Independent Bank, and Concurrent Computer. The top after-market NASDAQ stock market losers are: Key Tronic, Intevac, Axcelis Technologies, Broadcom, and Quality Distribution.

The top after-market NYSE gainers on Tuesday are: First Marblehead, Hershey Foods, MEMC Electronic, Timberland, Elan Corp, United Microelectronics, Bank of Ireland, NRG Energy and RSC Holdings

The top after-market NYSE losers on Tuesday are: North American Energy Partners, United Rentals, Global Cash Access, Statoil ASA, Liz Claiborne, ProLogis, Boston Scientific, Mechel Steel Group and Cash Store Financial Services.

China's oil demand growth in 2011 may slow to half of last year, as Beijing's moves to rein in excessive credit are expected to slow economic growth and energy use.

Company announces a quarterly cash dividend increase while saying its revenue will sink in the first quarter of 2011.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 finished above 12,000 and 1,300 points, resepctively, for the first time since mid-2008.

U.S. stocks, led by Pfizer and Bank of America, surge.

BP, which announced it would pay dividends on its stock this morning, won't be able to this month due to a move by the Alfa-Access-Renova consortium

The ramp-up to full production at Areva's Trekkopje uranium mine in Namibia has been delayed by a year to late 2013, the company said on Tuesday.

The bull market in Gold is in its 12th year (globally it began in 1999) but has yet to exhibit any bubble-like conditions. Institutional accumulation began in 2009 (e.g. Paulson, Einhorn) and we know that phase lasts at least a few years before a bull market gives birth to a bubble.

US stocks extend gains in early trade on Tuesday after a report showed that manufacturing activity rose at a faster pace than expected in January.

Mary Buffett and David Clark said they revealed Warren Buffett's investment secrets in their recently published book Warren Buffett and the Art of Stock Arbitrage.

RBC Capital Markets said it has analyzed potential outcomes for global grain market conditions through 2015/2016 using Monte Carlo simulation analysis. The brokerage said Monte Carlo simulation suggests favorable odds for fertilizer investors.

Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim, who is considered by some to be the world’s richest person, said he will invest $8.3-billion in nineteen countries, primarily in Latin America.

Job growth still slow despite upward earnings, GDP growth

BP, despite its announcement to pay a dividend once again, has seen its shares drop in early morning trading.

Whatever your finance advisor, economics professor, banker or coin dealer might tell you, no single asset class - bought today - can promise to hold or grow its value, year after year, until precisely the day when you need to sell it and spend.

The Gold Price ticked higher for Dollar investors Tuesday morning in London, but slipped against other currencies as world stock markets rose and government bonds edged back.

RBC Capital Markets downgraded rating of ProLogis (NYSE: PLD) to "sector perform" with above average risk qualifier from "outperform" and lowered its price target to $15.25 from $16.

The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: Silicon Motion Technology, Kulicke & Soffa Industries, Baidu, American Superconductor, ARM Holdings, Corinthian Colleges, and Biogen Idec. The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market losers are: Orexigen Therapeutics, China MediaExpress Holdings, VIVUS, DepoMed, and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries.