IBT Staff Reporter

Bang & Olufsen missed analysts' expectations despite a rise in third quarter profits, dragged down by static audio-visual sales as well as a one-off payment associated with the departure of its former CEO.

Deutsche Bank will change the legal status of its main U.S. subsidiary to avoid having to endow it with up to $20 billion in fresh capital, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Oil crept back above $121 on Wednesday, partly reversing a deep sell-off as foreign ministers met for talks on Libya's future and the market awaited U.S. inventory data for possible signs of demand attrition.

There are no links so far between recently found human remains in a miles-long stretch of beaches east of New York City, but their close proximity along southern Long Island has raised speculation that a serial killer may be responsible.

Following the announcement by Microsoft about its new updated version of Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac previous week, the MS Office for Mac SP1 is available for download. It has improved security and stability. Printing errors that cause wrong pages to print has been corrected.

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

Foxconn Technology Group, maker of Apple Inc's iPhone and iPad, said it is looking at investment opportunities in Brazil in line with its strategy of being where the market is, a plan that would boost its presence in a fast-growing market for electronic devices.

Russian hacker attacks on the country's biggest blog site and a spy agency's warning to Gmail and Skype have raised fears that authorities are tightening their grip on dissent in a China-like assault on free speech.

Apple used the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) conference in Las Vegas to unveil the next version of its video-editing software, the Final Cut Pro X.

World stocks put in modest gains on Wednesday after recent declines, while oil prices also rebounded as investors sought fresh opportunities to bet on risky assets.

Natural gas extracted from shale formations has a greater greenhouse gas footprint - in the form of methane emissions - than conventional gas, oil and coal over a 20 year period. This calls into question the logic of its use as a climate-friendly alternative to fossil fuels, says a new study.

Brent crude rebounded to above $122 on Wednesday, halting a two-day decline, on fears that the Libya conflict could settle into a bloody stalemate, while a sudden disruption in Kuwaiti oil exports boosted sentiment.

SINGAPORE The yen weakened and Asian stocks headed higher on Wednesday, with investors looking for fresh opportunities to bet on risky assets after a sharp drop in oil the previous day caused an unwinding of positions.

It's been a month since a massive earthquake triggered off a tsunami and a severe nuclear crisis at Fukushima Nuclear reactor hit Japan, killing thousands of people, rendering millions homeless and leaving scores of people exposed to nuclear radiation and life threatening injuries.

Japan may ask domestic utilities to share the compensation costs stemming from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant and cap the burden on plant operator Tokyo Electric Power <9501.T> to $24-45 billion to save the company from financial ruin, a newspaper reported.

JPMorgan Chase & Co is expected to post an increase in first-quarter profit of more than 50 percent on Wednesday, as the bank weathers a slowdown in trading and fewer borrowers default on credit card loans.

At an extra-credit seminar on business ethics in La Salle University, three bikini-clad mini-skirted women were hired to give the teacher facing the class a lap dance!

Updates on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other real-time content sites could be worth more than $30 million a day, or nearly $10.9 billion a year, to advertisers, researchers say.

Lionel Messi's 48th goal of the season saw Barcelona beat Shakhtar Donetsk by an aggregate of 6-1 in Ukraine.

The International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) Rating on the Events in Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station by the Tohoku District - off the Pacific Ocean Earthquake.

German luxury automaker Daimler AG and auto part manufacturer Robert Bosch GmbH plan to establish a 50:50 joint venture in the development and production of electric motors for all-electric vehicles in Europe.

Japan may cap Tokyo Electric Power's <9501.T> liability to as little as $24 billion for damages stemming from its crippled nuclear plant, the Yomiuri newspaper reported, citing a draft plan being considered by the plant operator and the government.

Brent crude rose above $121 on Wednesday, halting a two-day decline, as traders focused on the stalemate in Libya and a sharp fall in U.S. gasoline stocks ahead of peak demand season, while global agencies warned high prices could erode demand.

Japanese Economics Minister Kaoru Yosano said on Wednesday that the effects of last month's devastating earthquake and tsunami would be relatively short-lived, with the economy expected to recover toward the end of the year.

The judge overseeing the liquidation of Bernard Madoff's investment firm on Tuesday rejected requests by banks to keep secret the names of current and former employees mentioned in lawsuits seeking to recover alleged improper profits tied to the imprisoned Ponzi schemer.

French engineering giant Schneider Electric has held early talks with Tyco International Ltd about buying the U.S. industrial conglomerate, a person with knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday.

U.S. companies would be largely spared from increases in the costs of using derivatives when they hedge against price fluctuations, under U.S. regulatory proposals issued on Tuesday.

Dutch chip equipment maker ASML kicks off the European technology stocks first-quarter earnings season on Wednesday, when it is expected to report a profit surge due to strong demand for smartchips.

A senior U.S. Treasury Department official said on Tuesday the G20 expects to make progress on guidelines for identifying economic imbalances this week and soon will be able to list countries with problems.