Demand for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods fell in June and a gauge of business spending plans slipped, supporting views that the economy will not emerge quickly from its current soft patch.
Health insurers WellPoint Inc
and Aetna Inc posted quarterly profits above Wall Street targets and raised their full-year forecasts on Wednesday, but WellPoint warned costs for its Medicare plans for seniors were higher than it expected this year.Fund managers are weighing up their defensive investment options as a litany of poor economic indicators from the UK, Europe and the United States hammers home fears another global recession is on its way.
New orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods fell unexpectedly in June, weighed down by weak receipts for transportation equipment, a government report showed on Wednesday.
Stocks dropped for a third straight day on Wednesday, with the Nasdaq off 2 percent, as a political deadlock over the debt ceiling and a decline in durable goods orders kept investors away from risky assets.
Amazon.com Inc will use its surging revenue to boost growth and drive expansion into areas such as Web content and cloud computing rather than boost its margins.
For more than three years, U.S. securities regulators investigated allegations of accounting fraud at a small telecom firm called China Voice Holding Corp, but could not make a case.
The Obama administration is in talks with General Motors (GM) and Ford (F) for the framework of an agreement that would raise the U.S. fuel economy average to 54.5 mile per gallon (mpg) in 2025.
The U.S. Congress and world markets faced more uncertainty on Tuesday as Republican leaders delayed action on a plan to raise the government's $14.3 trillion borrowing limit, narrowing the chances for a deal to avert a debt default.
Netflix Inc's star darkened briefly this week after a rare stumble on pricing incensed investors and triggered an unusually dim growth projection.
Stocks were set for a third straight day of declines as the political deadlock over raising the debt ceiling and a decline in durable goods orders kept investors away.
Delta Air Lines reported a lower quarterly profit on Wednesday as fuel expenses topped $1 billion despite rising revenue.
WellPoint Inc posted a second-quarter profit slightly ahead of Wall Street estimates on Wednesday, helped by administrative cost savings, and the health insurer raised its full-year forecast.
There was little good news on the debt deal front early Wednesday: Democrats and Republicans are working on separately debt reduction plans, neither of which is likely to pass both chambers. A debt deal at this late stage is looking increasingly less likely.
Stocks were slightly lower on Wednesday as concerns over a possible debt default by the United States continued to weigh on investor sentiment.
Applications for U.S. home mortgages slipped last week after a sharp jump the week before and as interest rates edged up, an industry group said on Wednesday.
Stocks were slightly lower on Wednesday as concerns over a possible debt default by the United States continued to weigh on investor sentiment.
Nasdaq OMX Group said on Wednesday its quarterly income fell 4 percent, still beating expectations, as weaker U.S. and European volumes offset market share gains in U.S. options and stocks.
Contrasting statements by euro zone politicians to domestic audiences have underlined the fragility of last week's deal to rescue Greece and unsettled financial markets already on edge because of the U.S. debt impasse.
There may be a point at which global investors get indigestion from U.S. money printing.
Stock index futures pointed to a mixed opening on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.1 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.1 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.13 percent at 0940 GMT.
A new and bigger restructuring of Greek debt is likely within the next two years, an official from credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's said on Tuesday, adding a further downgrade of Greece's sovereign debt rating was pretty certain.
China should gradually make real bank deposit rates positive and continue to use open market operations and bank reserve requirements to slow money supply, an academic adviser to the People's Bank of China said in comments published on Wednesday.
Senator Al Franken called on federal regulators on Tuesday to reject AT&T Inc's proposed buy of rival T-Mobile, saying it would mean pricier wireless and could cost thousands of jobs.
Asian stocks and the U.S. dollar fell on Wednesday while gold hit a record high at more than $1,623 an ounce, as a drip feed of news out of Washington indicated politicians were making little progress on a plan to lift the U.S. debt ceiling.
Senator Al Franken called on federal regulators on Tuesday to reject AT&T Inc's proposed buy of rival T-Mobile, saying it would mean pricier wireless and could cost thousands of jobs.
Japanese policymakers are becoming alarmed at persistent yen rises and considering solo currency intervention as an increasingly viable option for the near term, sources with knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday.
Global giant BP and trading house Phibro joined the list of market titans wrong-footed by last quarter's oil volatility, while Deutsche Bank emerged with record commodity earnings.
Senator Al Franken called on federal regulators on Tuesday to reject AT&T's proposed buy of rival T-Mobile, saying it would mean pricier wireless and could cost thousands of jobs.
Video game publisher Electronic Arts Inc, reported a narrower-than-expected loss and raised its second-quarter earnings forecast, as it sold more copies of the puzzle game Portal 2 than expected and pocketed more money on digital games.
