GLOBAL MARKETS

Shares of technology company Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) fell Wednesday, a day after the firm gave a mild forecast for its upcoming quarter.

Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) rallied on Wednesday after Prudential Equity Group raised its earnings estimate for the firm's current quarter, expecting strong computer sales as well as cheaper parts.

E-Trade Financial (Nasdaq: ETFC) announced the launch of a global trading platform on Tuesday to provide its retail investors with online access to foreign markets for the first time.

Shares of Daimler Chrysler rose on Friday, after a report stated that General Motors could buy the German-American car maker's struggling Chrysler unit.

Shares of software giant Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) fell on Friday after Chief Executive Steve Ballmer, said analysts' revenue predictions for Windows Vista were a 'little overly optimistic.'

Shares of Network Appliance, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTAP) rose Thursday, following a strong third quarter and upgraded estimates from an investment bank.

GPS and consumer electronics maker Garmin Ltd (GRMN) soared today after reporting that fourth-quarter earnings more than doubled from a year ago.

Shares of technology company Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) edged slightly higher in Tuesday mid-day trading, after an analyst raised his price target for the company on strength from its core businesses.

Shares of aluminum industry leader Alcoa, Inc. (NYSE: AA) rose over six percent Tuesday on talk of a possible takeover bids from mining giants BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto.

Shares of memory makers fell on Monday as Micron Technologies Inc. (NYSE: MU) after management warned analysts on last week of steep memory price declines.

Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) shares rose Monday, following a Wall Street upgrade citing several product catalysts and potential upside from declining memory prices.

The U.S. is trying to see if a new set of dollar coins can catch on after previous attempts have fizzled.

Shares of MasterCard Inc. fell almost 10 percent Friday after the company declined to forecast additional profit growth.

Gateway Inc. (NYSE: GTW) shares fell almost 10 percent Friday after the personal-computer maker reported a drop in revenue.

Shares of the first publicly listed U.S. hedge fund soared in early trading Friday, doubling on their opening day.

Apple Inc. was removed from the 'convicted buy' list of investment banks Goldman Sachs this morning, as the firm cited 'negative speculation' ahead of the June release of the iPhone.

A strong quarterly report by network equipment maker Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) provided strength in the technology sector Wednesday, and German chipmaker Infineon's (NASDAQ: IFX) deal with Nokia made it one the top tech movers of the day.

Boeing Co. (BA) shares continued to rally on Wednesday after air transport firm FedEx announced Tuesday that it had switched to Boeing freighters in response to the delay of the Airbus A380 Super Jumbo Jet.

Technology stocks rose in Tuesday noon trading, as industry titans Intel Corp. (INTC) and International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) lead the way with better than expected quarterly earnings.

Technology stocks fell in Tuesday noon trading.

The dollar hit a 5- month high against the yen on Monday as investors dumped the Japanese currency after it failed to hold on to gains following the BOJ tankan survey, which showed confidence at big manufacturers hitting a two-year high.

The dollar rose against major currencies on Friday as a slew of economic data eased investors' concerns about a sharp slowdown in the U.S. economy.

U.S. stocks may test record highs next week as muted oil prices take center stage. But the September jobs report on Friday could keep traders cautious and upend a rally.

Fixed income is likely to be less of an engine for profit growth for Wall Street firms as the United States housing market growth shows signs of slowing after two years of Federal Reserve interest rate hikes.

Instead of borrowing cheaply in global markets, Gulf oil and gas firms are seeking to promote Islamic finance, according to a report from Reuters.

The Ministry of Finance of Japan issued a business improvement administrative order to Fukuoka Stock Exchange and Sapporo Stock Exchange on Friday, questioning the operation of their market monitoring systems to prevent illegal trading and the quality of troubleshooting aids.

Wal-Mart said on Friday it will launch a 5-year plan to reduce the amounts of natural resources it uses for packaging by 5 percent.

Mortgage rates remained unchanged following the Federal Open Market Committee's decision to hold interest rates steady for a second straight month. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate remains 6.44 percent.

Britain's FTSE 100 pushed ahead on Thursday, buoyed by strong results and bullish earnings forecasts, but gains were capped by continued weakness in crude prices, hitting oil heavyweights and utilities.