IBT Staff Reporter

Walgreen Co posted a lower-than-expected quarterly profit on Wednesday as the largest U.S. drugstore chain's margins were hurt by lower reimbursement rates for prescriptions, fewer flu shots and its spat with pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts Inc .

Nokia's long-awaited Windows phones may be too little, too late in the smartphone war dominated by Apple and Google, despite positive reviews by handset critics.

Financial advisers in the United States are seeing fewer benefits from their use of social media, a survey by Aite Group showed on Tuesday.

Based on a preliminary vote count, 99 percent of shareholders of the Franklin, N.J.-based pharmacy benefit manager approved the merger.

Electronic Arts invested more money and firepower into Star Wars: The Old Republic than it has on any game in its 30-year history. Starting today, the company will find out if the bet pays off.

Walgreen Co posted a lower quarterly profit as the largest U.S. drugstore chain's margins were hurt by lower reimbursement rates for the prescriptions it fills, fewer flu shots and its spat with pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts Inc .

Susquehanna raised its price target on Apple Inc's stock and increased its iPhone shipment estimates as it sees the company ramping up smartphone production, now that Thailand-related constraints have been resolved.

Sales of previously owned homes surged in November, but revisions to data for the last four years showed the housing recession was deeper than previously thought.

Canada's main stock index was set to open lower on Wednesday as the initial enthusiasm faded about strong demand at European Central Bank's three-year tender

Activist hedge fund Starboard Value has taken a 4.5 percent stake in AOL Inc and requested a meeting with the Internet company's Chief Executive and board.

Stocks fell on Wednesday as hope faded that banks would use the European Central Bank's massive funding operation to buy regional sovereign debt and help mend the deep-rooted debt crisis.

Europe's highest court gave unreserved backing on Wednesday to an EU law that charges airlines for carbon emissions on flights to and from Europe, a decision likely to escalate tension with its trading partners, including the United States.

Barack Obama won an upset victory in Virginia in 2008, and many people believe he has no chance to win it again in 2012 with his approval ratings so low. But a new Quinnipiac University poll shows that Obama's position is stronger than one might think.

For most people, the holiday season is a time spent with family and friends, but for many it can be a time of intense loneliness. Scammers count on that.

Nokia's long-awaited Windows phones may be too little, too late in the smartphone war and investment in the shares will increasingly be driven by takeover speculation.

Applications for home mortgages slipped last week, led by a drop in purchase demand as low interest rates were not enough to entice home buyers, an industry group said on Wednesday.

Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wednesday as enthusiasm waned after strong bank demand for the European Central Bank's record funding operation and fears over the debt crisis resurfaced.

Banks took a huge 489 billion euros at the European Central Bank's first ever offering of three-year funding on Wednesday, raising hope a credit crunch can be avoided and that the money may be used to buy Italian and Spanish bonds.

Hackers in China broke through the computer defenses of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce last year and were able to access information about its operations and its 3 million members, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Research In Motion Ltd has turned down takeover overtures from Amazon.com Inc and other potential buyers because the BlackBerry maker prefers to fix its problems on its own, according to people with knowledge of the situation.

Stock index futures rose Wednesday, putting the benchmark S&P 500 index on track to extend the prior session's big gains as banks borrowed more than anticipated at the European Central Bank's record cash injection aimed at easing the debt crisis.

China became the world's top patent filer in 2011, surpassing the United States and Japan as it steps up innovation to improve its intellectual property rights track record, a Thomson Reuters research report showed on Wednesday.

China urged the United States on Wednesday to halt anti-subsidy investigations into Chinese tires and other products since Washington does not recognize China as a market economy.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.38 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.62 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.61 percent at 4:10 a.m. EST.

The European Union's highest court ruled on Wednesday that the EU can make all airlines flying to or from European airports pay to offset their carbon emissions from January 1.

Europe's banks borrowed nearly 490 billion euros from the European Central Bank at its first-ever offer of three-year loans on Wednesday, encouraging demand for the euro and stocks on hopes the funding will ease the two-year old debt crisis.

European stocks and the euro firmed on Wednesday, enjoying a brief surge after banks borrowed around $489 billion euros from the European Central Bank at its first-ever offer of three-year loans on hopes it will be a significant step toward easing the region's two-year old debt crisis.

The International Business Times has compiled comprehensive profiles of the top seven Republican presidential candidates, with complete rundowns of their political positions, from Rick Santorum on abortion to Newt Gingrich on taxes. These profiles will be updated as the primary campaign continues.

Dozens of black-suited investigators, marching double-file, raided the office building of three small Olympus Corp subsidiaries Wednesday, one of 20 sites searched in a probe of a $1.7 billion accounting scandal that threatens the once-proud Japanese medical device maker's survival.