IBT Staff Reporter

Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline said on Wednesday its $2.6 billion bid for long-time partner Human Genome Sciences was full and fair and it was the only obvious owner for the biotechnology firm.

Coca-Cola Co's board of directors recommended a two-for-one stock split on Wednesday, the first split in 16 years.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc on Wednesday said the internal lawyer serving as its global compliance officer on foreign corrupt practices act issues is Tom Gean, and gave details on the external teams helping with its ongoing investigations.

The Federal Reserve resumed a two-day meeting on Wednesday that is expected to yield upward revisions to its growth forecasts but not enough for officials to take off the table the option of a further easing of monetary policy.

Caterpillar Inc reported a 29 percent rise in first-quarter profit on Wednesday and beat analyst expectations as the company relied on its growing mining business and sales to buyers looking to replace aging equipment.

Standard & Poor's cut India's credit rating outlook on Wednesday to negative from stable, reflecting the toll that hefty fiscal and current account deficits and political paralysis are exacting on Asia's third-largest economy.

Demand for long-lasting manufactured goods was the weakest in three years in March and a gauge of business spending plans fell, suggesting the economy lost momentum as the first quarter drew to a close.

Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline said on Wednesday its $2.6 billion bid for long-time partner Human Genome Sciences was full and fair and it was the only obvious owner for the U.S. biotechnology firm.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wednesday after forecast-beating results from Apple removed a weeks-old market overhang and lifted optimism in a corporate earnings season that is already far outstripping expectations.

Demand for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods dropped by the most in three years in March and a gauge of business spending plans fell, suggesting factory activity lost momentum as the first quarter ended.

Britain's economy has fallen into its second recession since the financial crisis after an shock contraction at the start of 2012, heaping pressure on Prime Minister David Cameron's government as it reels from a series of political missteps.

Caterpillar Inc reported a 29 percent rise in first-quarter profit on Wednesday and beat analyst expectations thanks to continued demand for replacement machinery in North America and growth in its mining business.

Caterpillar Inc reported a 29 percent rise in first-quarter profit on Wednesday and beat analyst expectations thanks to continued demand for replacement machinery in North America and growth in its mining business.

Stock index futures rose on Wednesday after forecast-beating results from Apple removed a weeks-old market overhang and lifted optimism in a corporate earnings season already outstripping expectations by a wide margin.

The Federal Reserve may appear slightly more upbeat on the economy on Wednesday, though investors should not mistake this cautious optimism for any desire to raise interest rates soon.

Thousands of Canadian retailers already have equipment in place to let customers pay for purchases with a swipe of their mobile phones, putting the country in the lead in developing a system that could one day make cash obsolete.

World number one mobile network gear maker Ericsson beat expectations for earnings and margins in the first quarter raising hopes that recent market weakness has bottomed out.

Communications equipment maker Motorola Solutions Inc reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit, helped by an 11 percent jump in sales to government customers, and forecast second-quarter results in line with estimates.

Stock index futures rose on Wednesday after forecast-beating results from Apple removed a weeks-old market overhang and lifted optimism in a corporate earnings season already outstripping expectations by a wide margin.

The Federal Reserve began a two-day meeting on Tuesday that will likely show the central bank is slightly more upbeat on the economy but in little hurry to raise borrowing costs.

Britain's economy is in its second recession since the financial crisis, data showed on Wednesday, heaping pressure on Prime Minister David Cameron's coalition government as it battles a series of political embarrassments.

The Dow and the S&P 500 rose on Tuesday after strong earnings and upbeat outlooks from big manufacturers like 3M Co , but Apple's slide ahead of its results drove the Nasdaq down.

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi gave no indication on Wednesday that the ECB was poised to provide more support for banks or governments but also said the time was not right to consider rolling back its crisis-fighting measures.

The euro hovered near a three-week high and global shares rose on Wednesday ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy meeting, due mainly to signs of good demand for euro zone sovereign debt before a German bond sale, and some strong corporate earnings.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet passed a revised deal to tax secret deposits in Swiss bank accounts on Wednesday, betting that the opposition Social Democrats will drop their objections and back the accord in parliament.

Huawei Technologies Co Ltd , the world's No.6 mobile phone maker, said on Wednesday that it expects to ship more than 100 million mobile phones this year including 60 million smartphones as it aims to increase its global market share.

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi gave no indication on Wednesday that the ECB was poised to provide more support for banks or governments but also said the time was not right to consider rolling back its crisis-fighting measures.

World number one mobile network gear maker Ericsson beat expectations for earnings and margins in the first quarter, sparking hopes a period of market weakness has bottomed out and sending its shares up more than 3 percent.

It's early days, but powerful political currents could be sweeping Europe away from its hair-shirt obsession with reducing debt and deficits regardless of the economic cost.