Balasubramanyam Seshan

The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: Photronics, Transition Therapeutics, Take-Two Interactive Software, Atmel, and Mercer International. The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market losers are: Smith Micro Software, Sierra Wireless, Motricity, WSB Holdings, and Zalicus.

Jefferies & Co. downgraded its rating on shares of Novatel Wireless Inc. (NVTL) to hold from buy and lowered its price target to $8.50 from $13.50.

RBC Capital Markets said banks with strongest capital and increased profitability are expected to get green light on dividends. The Federal Reserve is expected to approve dividend increases.

Robert W. Baird forecasts inflation to upswing during the course of 2011, while inflation overall is expected to remain rather benign by historical standards. The brokerage said food and gasoline are among the items poised to see upward price pressure this year.

The top after-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: Perceptron, Web.com Group, The Andersons, Deltek, and Amtech Systems. The top after-market NASDAQ stock market losers are: Sierra Wireless, Motricity, Innophos Holdings, BCD Semiconductor Manufacturing, and Pinnacle Airlines.

Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK) is teaming up with EADS unit Astrium to develop a new low-cost space rocket launch vehicle that could take tourists into orbit. ATK and Astrium are working together in response to NASA's Commercial Crew Development-2 (CCDev-2) procurement and is offering NASA launch services with the Liberty rocket.

The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: Conexant Systems, Herley Industries, Exide Technologies, Vical, and Motricity. The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market losers are: ADDvantage Technologies Group, PennantPark Investment, Breitburn Energy Partners, Allot Communications, and Glu Mobile.

Internet search giant Google Inc. is celebrating 183rd birthday of French science-fiction writer Jules Gabriel Verne by capturing '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' in its new interactive doodle.

The top after-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: Exide Technologies, Herley Industries, Conexant Systems, CSP, and WSB Holdings. The top after-market NASDAQ stock market losers are: Glu Mobile, SunPower, Breitburn Energy Partners, PennantPark Investment, and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions.

Jefferies & Co. said investors are uncertain about Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT) future in consumer technology and that they have chosen to discount all parts of the business until it becomes clearer what Microsoft’s competitive position in the key areas of tablets, smartphones and online search will be.

The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: Glu Mobile, Orexigen Therapeutics, Veeco Instruments, Progenics Pharmaceuticals, and InterDigital. The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market losers are: Questcor Pharmaceuticals, Yongye International, Kandi Technologies, China Agritech, and Cognizant Technology Solutions.

RBC Capital Markets said in the Plane Truth edition that it spoke to most of Boeing Co.'s (BA) 25 largest 737 customers (accounting for about 70 percent of the 737 backlog) to gauge their interest in a re-engined 737, a new clean-sheet-of-paper narrowbody plane, and their appetite for the Airbus A320 NEO (New Engine Option) offering.

ThinkEquity has outlined its top consumer stock picks for 2011. The stocks include: Life Time Fitness, PetSmart, Williams-Sonoma, Coach, and Advance Auto Parts.

The top after-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: Silicon Graphics International, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Shutterfly, Netlist, and Sangamo BioSciences. The top after-market NASDAQ stock market losers are: THQ, Intersil, SunPower, Tetra Tech, and Rightnow Technologies.

Internet company AOL, Inc. (AOL) reported better-than-expected fourth quarter results on the top-line, with in-line earnings. Management believes that 2011 is the come back year for AOL. Jefferies & Co. reduced its price target on shares of AOL to $26 from $27, while maintaining its hold rating.

The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: EDAP TMS, iGo, Electronic Arts, Matrixx Initiatives, and Acme Packet. The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market losers are: Key Tronic, Axcelis Technologies, Intevac, Alvarion, Nuance Communications, and Broadcom.

Credit Suisse said the civil unrest in Egypt and Tunisia could have positive implications on nitrogen and phosphate prices, as Egypt is a key supplier of urea while Tunisia is a major supplier of phosphate rock and fertilizer products.

Intel's design issue could have a ripple effect throughout the IT Hardware food chain, said an analyst at Barclays Capital.

The top after-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: Electronic Arts, Acme Packet, Verigy, Independent Bank, and Concurrent Computer. The top after-market NASDAQ stock market losers are: Key Tronic, Intevac, Axcelis Technologies, Broadcom, and Quality Distribution.

RBC Capital Markets said it has analyzed potential outcomes for global grain market conditions through 2015/2016 using Monte Carlo simulation analysis. The brokerage said Monte Carlo simulation suggests favorable odds for fertilizer investors.

RBC Capital Markets downgraded rating of ProLogis (NYSE: PLD) to "sector perform" with above average risk qualifier from "outperform" and lowered its price target to $15.25 from $16.

The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: Silicon Motion Technology, Kulicke & Soffa Industries, Baidu, American Superconductor, ARM Holdings, Corinthian Colleges, and Biogen Idec. The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market losers are: Orexigen Therapeutics, China MediaExpress Holdings, VIVUS, DepoMed, and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries.

The top after-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: Silicon Motion Technology, ICU Medical, Baidu, Hutchinson Technology, and Array BioPharma. The top after-market NASDAQ stock market losers are: Crescent Financial, Dataram, Extreme Networks, Parexel International, and Rudolph Technologies.

Protests in Egypt sparked a sell-off in Apache Corp. (NYSE: APA) shares as investors feared disruption in operations, said an analyst at RBC Capital Markets.

The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: NPS Pharmaceuticals, DepoMed, Xenoport, Sohu.com, and Glu Mobile. The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market losers are: Mattson Technology, Partner Communications, Savient Pharmaceuticals, Silicom, and CIENA.

Robert W. Baird said it have complied a brief recap of the initial fourth quarter big-cap wireless winners and losers. In the Smartphones division, the winners are Apple and HTC on strong results and guidance, while the losers are Nokia and Motorola Mobility.

NASA is remembering space shuttle Columbia that broke apart during re-entry on Feb. 1, 2003 over northeastern Texas, taking the lives of all seven crew members.

The space shuttle disaster is being remembered this year on its 25th anniversary. The service of Challenger, which was the first orbiter to launch and land at night on mission STS-8, ended in a tragedy on Jan. 28, 1986.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the loss of NASA's Challenger space shuttle. Just 73 seconds after the launch on Jan. 28, 1986, a booster engine failed and caused the shuttle Challenger to break apart, taking the lives of all seven crew members.