IBT Staff Reporter

Netflix on Wednesday announced fourth quarter earnings of $40.7 million, or 73 cents a share, beating out Wall Street expectations of 55 cents a share.

The arrival of the man known as the Warren Buffett of North on Research In Motion's board this week offers a ray of hope to the BlackBerry maker's impatient shareholders after their disappointment that an insider was named new chief executive.

Symantec Corp took the rare step of advising customers to stop using one of its products, saying its pcAnywhere software for accessing remote PCs is at increased risk of getting hacked after blueprints of that software were stolen.

Motorola Mobility, which is seeking regulatory approval to be bought by Google Inc, has filed a new lawsuit against Apple Inc accusing the iPhone maker of infringing its technology patents.

The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday said it will not raise interest rates until at least late 2014, even later than investors expected, in an effort to support a sluggish economic recovery.

When Apple Inc set up its customer service plan for the iPhone, it seems to have had the best intentions of humanity in mind -- any phone under warranty can get serviced because it's the phone that's tied to the warranty, not the owner.

Sometimes Maggie Smith worries that she may outlive her savings.

Following is the Federal Open Market Committee's statement on interest rate policy issued at the close of its meeting on Wednesday:

Europe proposed strict new data privacy rules on Wednesday, putting greater responsibility on companies such as Facebook to protect users' information, and threatening those who breach the code with hefty fines.

The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday said it will not raise interest rates until at least late 2014, even later than investors expected, in an effort to support a sluggish economic recovery.

Merrill Lynch agreed to pay a $1 million fine for failing to arbitrate disputes with employees about retention bonuses related to its 2009 merger with Bank of America Corp , the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority said on Wednesday.

Beyond Oblivion, a digital music startup backed by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp and investment bank Allen & Co Director Stanley Shuman has filed for bankruptcy protection after spending millions of dollars building a service that never saw the light of day.

More than half the recent global investment in commercial real estate found a home in just 30 cities with a quarter spent in London, Tokyo, New York, Hong Kong and Paris, according to real estate services company Jones Lang LaSalle .

Global growth is slowing rapidly and the possibility of ample economic slack means risks of damaging deflation are rising in some G20 member economies, the International Monetary Fund said in a paper published on Wednesday.

The deal could help USA Today become one of the most-visited sports properties online.

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday pushed back the likely timing of an eventual interest rate hike until late 2014, much later than it had previously said, as it nurses a still-sluggish economic recovery.

The Nasdaq rose on Wednesday, powered by a strong earnings report from Apple, while the Dow and S&P 500 turned higher after the Federal Reserve said it would keep interest rates near zero through at least 2014.

Danny Robbie Hembree Jr., a death row inmate in North Carolina, sent a chilling letter to his hometown newspaper on Wednesday, mocking the legal system for allowing him to live a life of leisure in prison.

- HSBC Holdings PLC is under investigation by a U.S. Senate panel in a money-laundering inquiry, the latest step in a long-running U.S. effort to halt shadowy money flows through global banks, according to people familiar with the situation and a company securities filing.

Signed contracts for the sale of existing U.S. homes retreated from a 1-1/2-year high in December and demand for home loans fell last week, pointing to a moderation in home sales after recent hefty gains.

Capital markets in 2012 are better than they were in 2011, Morgan Stanley Chief Executive James Gorman said on Wednesday, adding that his bank is in a very good position for Basel III standards.

The Dow and S&P 500 fell on Wednesday on concerns over Greek debt talks, stalling a strong rally from last year, but the Nasdaq rose on Apple's forecast-beating results.

Are Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney the same? Vice President Joe Biden thinks so, and a side-by-side comparison of their positions shows more similarities than differences.

Three major U.S. manufacturers reported better-than-expected profit and stuck to their forecasts of earnings growth this year, with solid emerging market demand and a modest U.S. recovery offsetting weakness in Europe.

Delta Air Lines and US Airways Group reported much stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter results on Wednesday as both carriers raised fares, offsetting a surge in fuel prices.

Xerox Corp aims to increase earnings this year by potentially more than 9 percent after it reported fourth-quarter results in line with estimates on the back of solid growth in its services business.

Beginning in March, devices of Sprint customers will roam on other wireless networks in many parts of Kansas and all but the metropolitan areas of Oklahoma. AT&T is calling a foul on the plan.

Pending sales of existing U.S. homes fell more than expected in December, industry data showed on Wednesday, pointing to a moderation in home sales after recent hefty gains.

HSBC Holdings PLC is under investigation by a U.S. Senate panel in a money-laundering inquiry, the latest step in a long-running U.S. effort to halt shadowy money flows through global banks, according to people familiar with the situation and a company securities filing.