IBT Staff Reporter

U.S. stock index futures fell on Wednesday as policymakers warned Europe's debt crisis posed dangers to the global economy and on growing signs the contagion was starting to spread to larger European nations.

Target Corp posted a higher quarterly profit on Wednesday as selling more food and offering card holders a 5 percent discount appealed to shoppers.

Britain is on the brink of a contraction as the euro crisis weighs heavy, and inflation w ill fall well below target, Bank of England forecasts showed on Wednesday, leaving the door wide open for more stimulus to boost growth.

U.S. stock index futures fell on Wednesday as policymakers warned that Europe's debt crisis posed dangers to the global economy and Italian bond yields remained at elevated levels in a sign of ongoing risk aversion.

President Barack Obama said on Wednesday he was deeply concerned about the continued euro zone crisis, blaming it on a lack of political will, and that market turmoil would continue until Europe has a concrete plan to deal with its debt woes.

Applications for U.S. home mortgages dropped last week, erasing the gains of the week before as demand for refinancing evaporated, an industry group said on Wednesday.

Japan's disgraced Olympus Corp is preparing to take legal action, including possible criminal complaints, against any executives found responsible for the accounting scandal engulfing the firm, according to an internal staff email.

Newt Gingrich is the latest of the anti-Romneys: the constantly churning field of candidates who, for a few days or weeks, are trumpeted as the definitive conservative challenger to Mitt Romney before falling back into the abyss. But can he maintain his lead where others didn't?

Cellphone maker Nokia plans to launch a tablet that runs on Microsoft's Windows operating system in the summer of 2012, the head of Nokia France told Les Echos newspaper in an interview published on Wednesday.

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has told Spurs' that Gareth Bale is overpriced and the he wouldn't pay over the odds for the player.

President Barack Obama on Wednesday said he was deeply concerned about the euro zone crisis and market turmoil would continue until Europe has a concrete plan to deal with its sovereign debt woes.

President Barack Obama on Wednesday said he was deeply concerned about the euro zone crisis and market turmoil would continue until Europe has a concrete plan to deal with its sovereign debt woes.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.4 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.3 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.4 percent at 1007 GMT.

What do the International Monetary Fund, Louis Vuitton and Unilever have in common?

A European Union plan to impose tougher rules on credit rating agencies is "dangerous" as it is bound to limit the "quality and independence" of the rating process, the president and chief operating officer of Moody's Investor Services told Le Figaro newspaper.

A European Union plan to impose tougher rules on credit rating agencies is dangerous as it is bound to limit the quality and independence of the rating process, the president and chief operating officer of Moody's Investor Services told Le Figaro newspaper.

Telecoms and entertainment group Vivendi said on Wednesday the current economic gloom was not hurting its business as it posted higher adjusted profits for the first nine months, driven by growth in Brazil and in video games.

Japan's disgraced Olympus Corp is preparing to take legal action, including possible criminal complaints, against any executives found responsible for the accounting scandal engulfing the firm, according to an internal staff email.

Telecoms and entertainment group Vivendi said on Wednesday it had yet to see an impact from the current economic gloom on its business as it posted higher 9-months profits, driven by fast-growing demand in Brazil and in its video games business.

An experimental England side were 1-0 winners against Sweden for the first time in 43-years at the Wembley Stadium in London.

Japan's disgraced Olympus Corp is preparing to take legal action, including possible criminal complaints, against any executives found responsible for the accounting scandal engulfing the firm, according to an internal staff email.

Germany sent out a subtle message to their contenders for Euro 2012 with a 3-0 thrashing of world cup finalists Netherlands at Hamburg on Tuesday.

Teenagers who spend a lot of time on video-games have different structures and activity levels in areas of the brain that are linked to reward, scientists have found, suggesting they get more out of gaming than people who tend to play less.

Foreign direct investment into China climbed nearly 16 percent in the first 10 months of 2011 from a year earlier as foreign investors continued to flock to the world's fastest-growing major economy despite the global economic malaise.

Foreign direct investment into China climbed nearly 16 percent in the first 10 months of 2011 from a year earlier as foreign investors continued to flock to the world's fastest-growing major economy despite the global economic malaise.

A Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Portugal stormed into the Euro 2012 Finals after thrashing Bosnia-Herzegovina 6-2 in the second-leg of the playoffs at Lisbon.

Given how Lindsay Lohan has fallen from grace due to her alcohol and drug problems, it's no wonder the ex-jailbird would probably be worth more dead than alive, according to the author of Celebrity Inc.

Asian shares and the euro fell on Wednesday as signs that rising borrowing costs were affecting AAA-rated France stirred fears that even core euro zone members may not escape contagion from the region's debt crisis.

The United States reserves the right to retaliate with military force against a cyber attack and is working to sharpen its ability to track down the source of any breach, the Pentagon said in a report made public on Tuesday.