IBT Staff Reporter

Wells Fargo Advisors recently vaulted past Wall Street rivals to become one of the largest U.S. brokerages. Just don't tell its chief executive.

IBTimes had an interview with James Turk, Founder & Chairman of GoldMoney.com. Who is your target audience? We have around 15,000 clients all over the world, and they share one common aim. They want to protect their wealth from the turmoil of national currencies and the uncertainty surrounding the ongoing financial crisis. So they want to own gold and find GoldMoney a convenient, economical and most importantly, a safe way of doing that. There is over $1 billion of customer assets in GoldMoney...

The European Commission welcomed German and French calls for new measures to clamp down on speculators in government debt on Wednesday but the likelihood of a bloc-wide ban still appears remote.

U.S. healthcare IT firm Allscripts said Wednesday it was to buy rival Eclipsys in a $1.3 billion all-share deal, creating a leader in electronic healthcare records.

Wall Street advanced on Wednesday after unofficial data showed Chinese exports topped expectations, boosting hopes for a global recovery.

British energy giant BP Plc's stock price tumbled on Wednesday as it faced more U.S. government and congressional scrutiny over its handling of the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Corrects reserves increase figure in paragraph 4, inserts word drop in 1st paragraph

British students might soon have the chance to take college exams in their own bedrooms at any time of the day or night -- without being able to cheat.

The European Commission welcomed German and French calls for speedy measures to clamp down on speculators in government debt on Wednesday, though the likelihood of a bloc-wide ban still appears remote.

Spain's Santander shrugged off concerns of a debt crisis at home and showed its overseas expansion ambitions are still intact with the buyout of its Mexican division for $2.5 billion.

IBTimes had an interview with James Turk, Founder & Chairman of GoldMoney.com. Who is your target audience? We have around 15,000 clients all over the world, and they share one common aim. They want to protect their wealth from the turmoil of national currencies and the uncertainty surrounding the ongoing financial crisis. So they want to own gold and find GoldMoney a convenient, economical and most importantly, a safe way of doing that. There is over $1 billion of customer assets in GoldMoney...

Wall Street was set for a higher open on Wednesday as Wall Street looked to build on gains in the prior session after unofficial data showed Chinese exports topped expectations, easing global recovery concerns.

Banco Santander said it was to pay $2.5 billion for the 24.9 percent of Santander Mexico it does not own, showing the Spanish bank's expansion ambitions have not been dampened by a raft of buys in the past 18 months.

Stock index futures rose on Wednesday as Wall Street looked to build on gains in the previous session after unofficial data showed Chinese exports blew past expectations, easing concerns about a global recovery.

Wall Street investment strategists are buckling up for a bumpy ride and keeping a wary eye on Europe, but there are some stock market bulls who expect their forecasts for the U.S. stock market to be vindicated.

Is platinum outperforming gold as far as hallmarking is concerned in the United Kingdom? It looks so. Recent data shows that demand for platinum hallmarking is surging while the same for gold is coming down.

Stock index futures were higher on Wednesday as Wall Street looked to build on gains in the previous session after unofficial data showed Chinese exports blew past expectations, easing concerns about a global recovery.

Gold prices have surged to the record highs on the Indian commexes hitting Rs.19,198 per ten grams on Multi-Commodity Exchange (MCX) on Tuesday. However, owing to the profit bookings at the upper levels, prices remained weak on Wednesday trading between Rs.18900 to Rs.18999 per ten grams on MCX.

Exports and a slight pickup in domestic demand fueled growth in Hungary and the Czech Republic in the first quarter, though analysts said fiscal tightening in the euro zone will slow the pace of recovery later this year.

Shares in British oil company BP fell 4.9 percent on Wednesday on concern over its dividend payment, as it continued battling to contain an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Two top Federal Reserve officials on Tuesday offered opposing signals on the direction of interest rates, highlighting an increasingly salient split within the central bank.

Stock index futures pointed to a mixed open on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.39 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.26 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.36 percent at 0945 GMT.

A third strike in four weeks hit Honda Motor Co's Chinese suppliers on Wednesday, fuelling concerns that unrest among workers in the world's manufacturing hub is spreading.

* New finmin shares PM's view inflation above 1 pct needed * Says BOJ has taken appropriate, flexible steps on deflation * Won't guide currency rates in certain direction -Noda * Says Japan to report fiscal reform plans to Toronto G20

Japan's new Prime Minister Naoto Kan has vowed to tackle the country's huge public debt, but his commitment to fiscal austerity could be tested with the economic recovery still fragile.

ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND (RBS.L) Mandate: The bank has opened books on a debut three-year covered euro bond, an official with one of the banks managing the sale said. Guidance: Mid-swaps plus 125 bps area.

World oil consumption fell by 1.2 million barrels per day in 2009, the second consecutive annual decline and the largest volume since 1982, BP said in its annual Statistical Review of World Energy released on Wednesday.

Apple's iPad, initially viewed as a Web entertainment gadget for consumers, is quickly making inroads across businesses in Asia as wedding planners, luxury hotels and airlines hook up to the tablet computer.

Japan's Hitachi Ltd said on Wednesday it still expects to win an order for a large train project in Britain, but it acknowledged that some modifications to the $11 billion deal were likely.