MARKETS / FINANCE

Commodity prices fell for a second day in a row on Wednesday, hurt by profit-taking and a stronger dollar and putting pressure on world equity markets.

Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.5 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.4 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.5 percent at 1000 GMT (5 a.m. ET).

People.com.cn, the online news portal run by People's Daily, the mouthpiece of China's Communist Party, aims to list in Shanghai this year, the state-run China Daily reported on Wednesday.

A sudden drop in commodity prices prompted investors to take profits on Asian stocks on Wednesday while the U.S. dollar held firm ahead of job data due later in the week, though the bull market in raw materials was seen as far from over.

Goldman Sachs is not giving its multimillionaire clients a lot of time or information to think about investing in a $1.5 billion Facebook private offering.

U.S. banking regulators have authorized lawsuits against 109 bank officials so far as they seek to recover at least $2.5 billion in losses connected to recent bank failures.

Gold and Silver Prices both fell as London traders returned to work from the New Year shutdown on Tuesday, dropping over 3 percent from yesterday's highs as world stock markets caught up with Wall Street's strong gains.

Retail gasoline demand fell 12.5 percent last week as Americans took days off work after the Christmas holiday, reducing commutes on the last week of the year, MasterCard Advisors' SpendingPulse report showed on Tuesday.

A top official at the U.S. futures regulator said on Tuesday he was now in favor of a stalled position limit plan, a key turnaround that would allow the controversial rules to advance to the public comment stage.

Hopes for a supermarket recovery have been pushed back yet again while Wall Street rethinks earnings expectations as food costs rise, unemployment remains high and consumer spending stays fragile.

Hopes for a supermarket recovery have been pushed back yet again while Wall Street rethinks earnings expectations as food costs rise, unemployment remains high and consumer spending stays fragile.

Some versions of Microsoft Corp's Windows operating system are vulnerable to attack from hackers exploiting a flaw in the software that could allow them to remotely take control of a personal computer.

The Federal Reserve felt at its December meeting that the U.S. economy still needed help despite signs of strength, according to minutes released on Tuesday that showed little appetite to trim bond-buying plans.

Stock market gains late last year helped put U.S. pension funds on a sounder footing, a new report released on Tuesday said.

Investors abandoned red-hot commodity shares on Tuesday, while fears of lower supermarket profits hit food retailers, sending the S&P and Nasdaq lower.

Investors abandoned red-hot commodity shares on Tuesday, while fears of lower supermarket profits hit food retailers, sending the S&P and Nasdaq lower.

Citigroup Inc is hoping that one of the country's most famous customer service gurus can help it rebuild its reputation -- one Tweet at a time.

Federal Reserve officials in December felt the U.S. economic recovery was still weak enough to warrant monetary support despite growing signs of strength, Fed meeting minutes released on Tuesday showed.

Morgan Stanley advised investors to cut holdings in Supervalu Inc and Safeway Inc as rising food costs threaten to dent results, sending shares of two down 6.8 and 3.4 percent, respectively.

New orders received by factories unexpectedly rose in November, and orders excluding transportation recorded their largest gain in eight months, according to a government report on Tuesday that pointed to underlying strength in manufacturing.

Stocks could post double-digit returns in 2011 for the third straight year and outdo global markets, said Bob Doll, chief equity strategist at BlackRock Inc.

Boeing Co said on Tuesday that it took an order for 38 Next-Generation 737 airplanes and purchase rights for seven additional 737s from leasing company CIT Aerospace.

Stocks fell on Tuesday as declines in oil and metals prices dragged down energy and materials shares, while concern about lower supermarket profits hit consumer stocks.

Morgan Stanley has named Jim Rosenthal, the bank's head of technology, as chief operating officer, according to an internal memo obtained by Reuters. A company spokeswoman confirmed the memo's accuracy.

Tiger Woods has lost some major sponsors after revelations of marital infidelities hurt his image, but Electronic Arts Inc said on Tuesday it remains in the professional golfer's corner with plans for the next version of its Woods' branded video game.

American International Group's protracted sale of its Taiwan unit was further complicated on Tuesday when a Taiwanese company proposed buying a stake in the business, an offer that may please regulators but runs counter to AIG's plans.

Tiger Woods has lost some major sponsors after revelations of marital infidelities hurt his image, but Electronic Arts Inc said on Tuesday it remains in the professional golfer's corner with plans for the next version of its Woods' branded video game.

Optimism about the state of the world economy lifted stocks on Tuesday and kept oil prices at a near 27-month peak.

Facebook has raised $500 million from Goldman Sachs and Russian investment firm Digital Sky Technologies, in a deal that values the world's No.1 Internet social networking company at $50 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter.