IBT Staff Reporter

U.S. manufacturing growth accelerated in January to its highest level in seven months, though a measure of employment faded and private-sector employers added fewer jobs than expected, data showed on Wednesday.

Chrysler Group LLC posted a 44 percent rise in U.S. auto sales in January, led by gains for its Jeep brand, while its largest rival General Motors Co lost ground in a month marked by modest growth.

Stocks extended January's rally, climbing more than 1 percent, on Wednesday after upbeat global manufacturing data and as Greece neared a long-delayed deal on its debt.

The websites of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich and the former Soviet republic's interior ministry were put out of action on Wednesday as disgruntled Internet users hit back at the government after it shut down a popular file sharing site.

EU regulators have blocked the tie-up of exchange operators Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext to stop them taking a stranglehold on the European futures market.

A former Credit Suisse employee surrendered to the FBI on Wednesday on criminal charges, an FBI spokesman said, in a U.S. government probe on writedowns on subprime mortgage derivatives at the height of the financial crisis.

A top Federal Reserve official sharply criticized the U.S. central bank's decision last week to telegraph ultra low interest rates for nearly three more years, saying on Wednesday the move undermined confidence and caused confusion.

Investment bank JP Morgan is bulking up its metal warehousing facilities in Rotterdam and Chicago, industry sources say, in a business that consumers complain deliberately delays delivery of metals to boost revenues from rent.

Chrysler Group LLC posted a 44 percent rise in U.S. auto sales in January, led by gains for its Jeep brand, while its larger domestic rival General Motors Co lost ground in a month marked by modest growth.

Stocks rallied on Wednesday as upbeat economic data out of China and Germany eased concerns about the global economy and Greece neared a long-delayed deal on a debt swap.

Nasdaq OMX Group Inc's quarterly profit declined due to a number of expenses, but when stripping out the one-time charges, the Nasdaq stock market parent beat analysts' expectations.

Crumbling global demand restrained factory output in Asia and most of Europe in January, business surveys showed on Wednesday, putting pressure on policymakers to shore up growth and counter a spreading malaise.

After shares of Netflix hit rock bottom following an ill-fated business decision last September, the Los Gatos, Calif-based company has seen its shares go back up rather quickly.

Chrysler Group LLC reported a hefty 44-percent gain in U.S. auto sales in January, led by its Jeep brand, while Ford Motor Co posted a 7 percent gain, falling short of some analyst estimates.

Katherine Hooker has been the Duchess of Cambridge's favourite designer for the past several years.

The pace of job creation by private employers slowed more than expected in January after a sharp gain the month before, a report by a payrolls processor showed on Wednesday.

Applications for U.S. home mortgages slipped last week, even as interest rates also eased, an industry group said on Wednesday.

Italian carmaker Fiat-Chrysler surprised the market with lower 2012 profit targets that were still better than expected, sparking a share rally as investors shrugged off the threat of a weakening European economy that saw it cut its revenue outlook.

Stock index futures suggested a higher open on Wednesday after better-than-expected data out of China and Germany and as Greece inched closer to a debt deal, though recent market action suggested gains could be ephemeral.

Stock index futures jumped on Wednesday after better-than-expected data out of China and Germany and as Greece inched closer to a debt deal, but recent market action suggested gains could be ephemeral.

Consumer price inflation in the euro zone remained at 2.7 percent for the second straight month in January, data showed on Wednesday, off last year's peak and supporting bets that the European Central Bank will cut rates to help revive the economy.

Sharp Corp forecast a record 290 billion yen ($3.8 billion) net loss for the year to March after posting surprise quarterly losses as a slump in TV sales forced it to halve output at a western Japan LCD plant.

Sony Corp named Vice President Kazuo Hirai as president and CEO, replacing Howard Stringer who will step down from day-to-day management in a long-expected change for a company struggling to regain its driving force in consumer electronics.

The biggest oil companies in the world have calculated that few, if any, of today's drivers will see electric cars outnumber gasoline and diesel models in their lifetimes.

AOL Inc. posted a drop in fourth-quarter profit, but beat Wall Street forecasts as a rise in display advertising offset an ongoing decline at its Internet dial-up business.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.6 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.6 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.4 percent at 4:38 a.m. ET.

U.S. automaker Chrysler Group LLC swung to a full-year net income of $183 million on Wednesday, and made the bold prediction that profit would be eight times higher in 2012, on strong sales in its main U.S. market.

Greece's prime minister is seeking backing from the country's political leaders for more austerity measures, with the International Monetary Fund warning that long-term commitment to reforms is key to securing a new bailout.

European Union regulators have blocked the merger of exchange operators Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext to avoid giving them a stranglehold on the European futures market.