EQUITIES

Stock index futures added gains in late after-hours trading on Wednesday as investors took President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech as toning down some of the rhetoric that unnerved investors last week when he unveiled new restrictions on U.S. banks.

The S&P 500 Index closed higher today, adding 5.33 points or 0.49 percent. It recovered to 1,097.50 from a downward spike minutes after the FOMC statement that took the index to a low of 1,083.11.

Stocks rose on Wednesday after the U.S. Federal Reserve said it will keep interest rates near zero and ahead of President Barack Obama's State of the Union address tonight.

Stocks rose on Wednesday after the U.S. Federal Reserve said it will keep interest rates near zero and ahead of President Barack Obama's State of the Union address tonight.

The S&P 500 recovered from a low of 1,083.11, downward spike that occurred minutes after the Federal Open Market Committee statement, to trade at 1,093.54, up 0.12 percent at 3:27 p.m. in New York.

The Dow and the S&P 500 slipped on Wednesday after the U.S. Federal Reserve said it will keep interest rates near zero and investors remained cautious before President Barack Obama's State of the Union address tonight.

The S&P 500 Index dropped 4.98 points, or 0.46 percent in afternoon to trade at 1,087.19.

U.S. stocks declined on Wednesday as investors braced for the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy statement, which may provide clues about how long it will keep in place policies that have boosted markets.

The S&P 500 Index paired some its earlier losses to trade down 0.18 percent at 12 p.m. in New York. It briefly dropped to 1085.55, before recovering to trade at 1,090.18. The Nasdaq Composite Index is slightly positive, gaining 0.03 percent.

The S&P 500 and the Dow fell on Wednesday after a report showed new home sales dropped unexpectedly in December, while Caterpillar Inc and United Technologies Corp gave guarded outlooks for the months ahead.

U.S. stocks fell on Wednesday after data showed new home sales dropped unexpectedly in December, as investors remained wary ahead of the U.S. president's State of the Union speech and the end of the Federal Reserve policy meeting.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 0.35 percent, the S&P 500 Index has fallen 0.27 percent, and the Nasdaq Composite Index slipped by 0.17 percent at 10:54 a.m. in New York as investors wait for answers from Washington.

Shares of Berkshire Hathaway Inc surged on Wednesday after Standard & Poor's said it will add the company run by billionaire Warren Buffett to its S&P 500 stock index .

The Dow industrials and the S&P 500 added to earlier losses and the Nasdaq turned negative on Wednesday after data showed sales of new homes fell unexpectedly in December, indicating the housing recovery might be losing some steam.

Health insurer WellPoint Inc said quarterly profit, excluding huge gains from a sale, fell on lower enrollment and higher medical costs, but the results topped Wall Street estimates.

U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Wednesday as investors awaited the outcome of a two-day Federal Reserve policy meeting, though earnings results from Boeing Co and Caterpillar Inc limited gains.

BlackRock Inc's fourth-quarter earnings report gave investors an indication of the jolt the world's biggest asset manager may get from its move into exchange-traded funds following its December 1 acquisition of Barclays Global Investors.

Stock index futures pointed to a mixed opening on Wall Street on Wednesday, following declines in Europe and Asia, with some caution expected ahead of the Federal Reserve interest rate decision later in the day.

Global stock markets fell again on Wednesday, hitting their lowest in two months as investors fretted about a monetary squeeze from central banks around the world and also the impact of tightening U.S. banking regulation.

Asian stocks fell for the ninth straight day on Wednesday on fears that China's heightened efforts to rein in soaring credit growth could hamper the global economic recovery.

(Corrects in first line and in text that Asia stocks ex-Japan fell for the 9th straight day, not the 8th)

Standard & Poor's said it will add Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc to its flagship S&P 500 stock index , as the company prepares to acquire railroad operator Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp .

The financial sector led a stock market drop in late trading today, after expectations that new government policies could force major banks to divest themselves of some of their operations.

Stocks slipped late on Tuesday due to trepidation over churning political and regulatory developments, offsetting solid earnings and improved consumer confidence data.

U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday as consumer confidence data lifted optimism about the economy's improvement and results from Travelers Cos and Apple Inc added to a stream of strong profit reports.

Financial and basic materials stocks closed lower on Tuesday, sending the S&P 500 Index, Nasdaq Composite Index, and Dow Jones Industrial Average into negative territory after posting gains earlier in the day.

Pharmaceuticals are mixed in mid-day trading as two major firms reported earnings in pre-market hours.

U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday as consumer confidence data bolstered views the economy's recovery is on track and results from Travelers Cos and Apple Inc strengthened the fourth-quarter earnings picture.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average managed to gain 27.36 points, or 0.27 percent at 11:10 a.m. ET, as several of its components made big gains. The stocks that lifted the index into positive territory include Travelers (NYSE:TRV), Alcoa (NYSE:AA), Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT), and American Express (NYSE:AXP).