IBT Staff Reporter

Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Richard Fisher had a message for Wall Street on Wednesday: don't expect more from the U.S. central bank.

Working conditions at Chinese manufacturing plants where Apple Inc's iPads and iPhones are made are far better than those at garment factories or other facilities elsewhere in the country, according to the head of a non-profit agency investigating the plants.

Industrial output was unexpectedly flat in January, but the second straight month of gains in manufacturing pointed to underlying strength in the economy.

Angela Merkel has come under fire in Europe for failing to provide leadership in the euro zone crisis, but at home she is now riding a tidal wave of popularity that would make her fellow leaders envious.

Comcast Corp posted a better-than-expected rise in quarterly profit driven by strong subscriber additions, though it was tempered by weak performances at its NBC Universal broadcast and movie units.

Facebook's popularity in Brazil has exploded over the past year, and the company may have its biggest competitor to thank for it.

The S&P 500 index hit a fresh 7-month high before giving up some gains on Wednesday after mixed data on the U.S. economy and news of a possible delay in Greece's bailout.

A gauge of manufacturing in New York State picked up in February to its highest level in more than 1-1/2 years, though the pace of new orders slowed, the New York Federal Reserve said in a report on Wednesday.

Zynga Inc's shares fell 16 percent on Wednesday, amid heavy volumes, after the social gaming company warned of a slowdown in bookings, indicating paying players may be spending less than expected.

Euro zone ponders delay of 2nd Greek program

LightSquared, a closely held firm based in Reston, Va., had invested $4 billion in airwaves in order to offer wireless Internet service at higher speeds to as many as 260 million customers. The company received conditional approval from the FCC in early 2011.

The head of Airbus said he had ordered an internal investigation into how the company allowed wing cracks to develop on its flagship A380 passenger jet as the world's largest planemaker sought to draw a line under weeks of embarrassing publicity.

Samsung Electronics Co said on Wednesday it was considering spinning off its loss-making LCD flat-screen business in a surprise move as it seeks to orient its components business towards OLED displays, touted as the next-generation technology that will replace LCD TVs.

Zynga Inc shares fell 7 percent in premarket trade, suggesting investors were wary of the social game maker's weak bookings outlook and expensive valuations, and at least three brokerages downgraded the stock.

A former head of Turkey's armed forces is to go on trial after judges agreed on Wednesday there were sufficient grounds to prosecute him on charges of attempting to overthrow the government.

Oil hit a six-month high near $120 a barrel on Wednesday as concern about supply from Iran, other Middle East producers and Africa outweighed those about the health of the global economy.

Applications for home mortgages slipped last week, pulled lower by a steep drop in demand for home purchases, an industry group said on Wednesday.

Wall Street stocks were set for a higher open on Wednesday after better-than-expected N.Y. manufacturing data and remarks reiterated China's commitment to investing in euro zone debt.

The euro zone economy's shrunk at the end of 2011 and will flirt with a mild recession under the weight of the sovereign debt crisis, but strength in France and resilience in Germany may keep it above water.

Stock index futures rose on Wednesday, buoyed by comments from China's central bank chief that the country would keep investing in euro zone debt and better-than-expected data from Germany and France.

Stock index futures rose Wednesday, buoyed by comments from China's central bank chief that the country would keep investing in euro zone debt and better-than-expected data from Germany and France.

Samsung Electronics Co said on Wednesday it was considering spinning off its loss-making LCD flat-screen business in a surprise move as it seeks to orient its components business towards OLED displays, touted as the next-generation technology that will replace LCD TVs.

Sean Stone, son of Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone, converted to Islam recently in Iran.

Deere & Co. reported a 4 percent rise in quarterly earnings on Wednesday due to growing demand for farming and construction machinery and higher prices.

Police officer was wounded in a shootout that resulted in the death of a suspect wanted in connection to a previous shooting.

Alibaba Group, which is 40 percent owned by Yahoo Inc has petitioned the United States Trade Representative office over the inclusion of Taobao, its consumer e-commerce platform, on USTR's notorious markets for piracy list, an Alibaba Group spokesman said on Wednesday.

After nearly a month of deadlock, a federal judge announced Tuesday that he would form a panel of judge to decide on changing the redistricting process in New York.

Rising costs, an uncertain regulatory environment and intellectual property rights violations are among the top challenges for U.S. companies in China, a survey showed.

Talks between Yahoo Inc and China's Alibaba Group over the U.S. Internet giant's Asian assets have hit an impasse, throwing their plans for a $17 billion tax-free asset swap into question, according to sources briefed on the situation.