MARKETS / FINANCE

Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Wednesday following the previous session's rally, with futures for the S&P 500 down 1.0 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.9 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.9 percent at 4:33 a.m. EDT.

Standard & Poor's, whose unprecedented downgrade of U.S. debt triggered a worldwide stocks sell-off, is pushing back against a U.S. government proposal that would require credit raters to disclose significant errors in how they calculate their ratings.

Stock index futures fell on Wednesday after a sharp snap-back rally in the last session and as investor fears about the economy and high levels of public debt looked set to generate more volatile trading.

To say it's been an unsettling time for U.S. stock investors would be an understatement. The Dow has been on a wild ride, with plunges followed by sudden reversals. Look for market choppiness to continue until investors determine whether the Fed's latest monetary policy decision -- low interest rates for two years -- will be enough to rev-up U.S. GDP growth.

Gold held steady Wednesday, hovering near a lifetime high around $1,778 an ounce struck in the previous session, but further gains could be capped by a rebound in equities after the U.S. Federal Reserve's vow to keep rates near zero.

Stock index futures fell on Wednesday after a sharp snap-back rally in the last session as investor fears about the economy and high levels of public debt looked set to generate more volatile trading.

The Swiss National Bank launched new measures on Wednesday to fight a surge in the franc that is strangling the export-dependent economy but will probably have to resort to more drastic steps as investors seek a safe haven from global woes.

Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Wednesday following the previous session's rally, with futures for the S&P 500 down 1.0 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.9 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.9 percent at 4:33 a.m. EDT.

The Swiss National Bank said on Wednesday it would significantly boost Swiss franc supply in coming days and conduct swap transactions to counter a new jump in the safe-haven currency, but it stopped short of direct intervention.

China's exports hit a record high in July as shipments to Europe and the United States proved surprisingly buoyant, allaying concerns that debt problems abroad may hold back the world's No. 2 economy.

Goldman Sachs said on Wednesday a third round of quantitative easing from the Federal Reserve is likely after the U.S. Federal Reserve promised to keep rates at extraordinarily low levels for at least two more years.

Asian stocks clawed back some lost ground on Wednesday, following a rebound in U.S. shares, after the Federal Reserve made an unprecedented pledge to keep interest rates near zero for at least two years, stemming a global equity rout for the time being.

HSBC is selling its $30 billion U.S. credit card arm to Capital One Financial Corp for a premium of $2.6 billion, as Europe's top bank streamlines its mammoth operations by getting rid of unwanted businesses.

World shares bounced back strongly from recent losses on Wednesday as investors took comfort from the Federal Reserve's pledge to keep interest rates near zero for two more years.

China's exports were surprisingly buoyant in July as shipments to top trade partner Europe jumped by the most in at least a year, allaying concerns that debt problems abroad may hold back the world's No. 2 economy.

HSBC Holdings plc has agreed to sell its U.S. credit card and retail services unit to Capital One Financial Corp for a premium of about $2.6 billion, as Europe's top bank streamlines its mammoth operations by shedding non-core businesses.

HSBC Holdings plc has agreed to sell its U.S. credit card and retail services unit to Capital One Financial Corp for a premium of about $2.6 billion, as Europe's top bank streamlines its mammoth operations by shedding non-core businesses.

BHP Billiton , the world's biggest miner, expects weak growth on both sides of the Atlantic to persist for many years as Europe and the United States deal with their debt crises, heightening the reliance on China's fast-growing economy.

The United States could launch a new round of quantitative monetary easing, China's top economic planner said on Wednesday in a statement addressing the country's future inflation risks.

Communications regulators were adamant on Tuesday that hedge fund manager Philip Falcone's satellite broadband start-up would not be allowed to operate if it posed a risk to GPS services.

Raj Rajaratnam, the Galleon Group hedge fund founder convicted of insider trading in May, asked a federal judge to impose a sentence substantially below what U.S. guidelines recommend, saying a long prison term would be tantamount to a death sentence.

Demand Media Inc beat revenue expectations, pointing to a possible sign that search engine changes at Google Inc have not affected the company as much as feared.

Extreme market volatility has sparked comparisons to the 2008 global credit crisis, but Washington's ability to help out weak financial firms is dramatically different.

The Federal Reserve on Tuesday took the unprecedented step of promising to keep interest rates near zero for at least two more years and said it would consider further steps to help growth, sparking a rebound in stocks.

Three initial public offerings were postponed on Tuesday, the latest casualties of volatile market conditions.

The U.S. Federal Reserve on Tuesday it will maintain monetary policy stimulus for at least another two years, but the lack of concrete action was met with selling in stocks and commodities.

The Federal Reserve on Tuesday took the unprecedented step of promising to keep interest rates near zero for at least two more years, adding it was considering further action, sparking a rebound in stocks.

Stocks rallied on Tuesday in a volatile session as investors struggled to decipher the Fed's signals on the economy after a dizzying two-week slide.

The Federal Reserve, in an unprecedented move, said on Tuesday it will keep interest rates near zero for at least two more years and is considering further action, bolstering battered stock markets.