IBT Staff Reporter

World stocks rose for the fourth session in a row on Wednesday on hopes the U.S. Federal Reserve will ride to the economy's rescue with another stimulus package, though global shares were still set to post their biggest monthly drop in 15 months.

European stocks were set to edge higher on Wednesday, poised to end a volatile month on a mildly stronger note, while the dollar struggled on heightened expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve would do more to stimulate the economy.

It has been called the saint-seducing metal, with good reason.

Bank of America Corp is looking to sell its correspondent mortgage business and the unit's employees could be notified as soon as Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

Telecommunications giant AT&T Inc, whose proposed buy of T-Mobile USA is under scrutiny by U.S. regulators, promised to bring 5,000 wireless call-center jobs back to the United States if the deal wins approval.

eBay Inc expects sales from large exporters in China to maintain growth at 30-40 percent annually, with the e-commerce giant seeking acquisition opportunities as part of efforts to expand its footprint in the fast-growing market.

eBay Inc expects sales from large exporters in China to maintain growth at 30-40 percent annually, with the e-commerce giant seeking acquisition opportunities as part of efforts to expand its footprint in the fast-growing market.

The regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as dozens of investors, on Tuesday lodged objections to Bank of America Corp's proposed $8.5 billion mortgage-backed securities settlement.

Bank of America Corp's mortgage practices came under fresh fire as state and federal regulators questioned whether the largest U.S. bank is doing what it must to address perceived harm to homeowners and investors.

The Free Speech Coalition announced Sunday night that an adult actor has contracted HIV, prompting Los Angeles' adult film industry to shut down. The industry uses a database that lists STD statuses of all performers.

The U.S. Federal Reserve could embark on a third round of quantitative easing depending on upcoming economic data but should first confirm that inflation has eased, a senior Fed official said in the Asahi newspaper on Wednesday.

A Global Exploration Roadmap that will introduce a 25-year scenario for visits beyond Earth orbit is being drawn up by Nasa and their counterparts around the world. The destination?

Hewlett Packard Co plans to crank out one last run of TouchPads, days after declaring it will kill off a line of tablets that failed to challenge Apple Inc's command of the booming market.

The porn industry in Los Angeles, CA. came to a screeching halt Saturday, after an adult entertainer tested positive for HIV. LA officials ordered an immediate shutdown of the multi-billion-dollar adult entertainment industry by Monday, forcing a number porn sets across the San Fernando Valley to close losing a substantial amount of revenue.

The world's largest beef producer, Brazil's JBS , will shift its meat packing operations to other locations where it operates in the country, to reap tax savings, the company said on Tuesday.

Returns at top banks will shrink two thirds unless they take action to limit fallout from tougher regulation, consultancy McKinsey said on Wednesday.

The regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as dozens of investors, lodged objections to Bank of America Corp's proposed $8.5 billion mortgage-backed securities settlement, while a group of borrowers separately sued to block the accord.

Pornography film shoots across the United States have been largely shut down after an industry trade group called for a moratorium because an adult-film performer tested positive for HIV, officials with the organization said on Tuesday.

Bank of America Corp was sued by the trustee of a $1.75 billion mortgage pool, which seeks to force the bank to buy back the underlying loans because of alleged misrepresentations in how they were made.

Stocks rose for a third straight day on Tuesday in a volatile session, after minutes from the latest Federal Reserve meeting boosted expectations the U.S. central bank will act again to stimulate the economy.

Harvard regained its top spot on a list of most talked-about U.S. universities on the Internet, beating its rivals just in time for a return to fall studies, according to a survey released on Tuesday.

The launch of a string of well-received BlackBerry smartphones helped Research In Motion stock gain 6 percent on Tuesday and almost 50 percent since hitting a five-year low on August 8.

Start-up companies using freemium business models, including Dropbox, SurveyMonkey, Animoto and Eventbrite, are thriving as the cost of computing power and storage falls.

President Barack Obama said on Tuesday there were a range of policy options available that could create up to a million new U.S. jobs, in remarks ahead of a major economic speech that he will deliver next week.

Exxon Mobil Corp and Rosneft signed an agreement to extract oil and gas from the Russian Arctic, in the most significant U.S.-Russian corporate deal since U.S. President Barack Obama began a push to improve ties.

Forget the struggling economy. There's one U.S. industry -- Big Politics -- that is looking ahead to a record year in 2012.

Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg, who dazzled fans in 2010 until injury ended his rookie campaign, is expected to make his first start in over a year next week, the team said on Tuesday.

The last of the reigning women's grand slam champions was shown the door at the U.S. Open Tuesday when error-prone French Open winner Li Na succumbed to unseeded Romanian teenager Simona Halep 6-2 7-5.

Given his genes and his famous name, the urge to jump the net must have been almost irresistible for the young man who just won his first grand slam match at the U.S. Open on Tuesday.