IBT Staff Reporter

Eli Lilly and Co posted better-than-expected profit on Wednesday, helped by higher sales of its Cymbalta anti-depressant and Alimta cancer drug, and raised its full-year forecast.

Merck and Co's failed AIDS vaccine may not have worked, but it probably did not raise the risk of infection either, doctors said Tuesday.

Months before Fed Tightens; Japan's Alternatives; Dell's Windows 7 Boost

Hooked on cocaine or cigarettes? The U.S. government wants drug companies to make a vaccine for that.

U.S. regulators are examining the growing number of nutrition claims found on the front of food packages after complaints that they give a misleading picture of their health benefits, officials said in a warning to food companies on Tuesday.

China on Wednesday voiced confidence that the economy has recovered from the global financial crisis, sending its clearest signal yet that it might gradually unwind its ultra-loose pro-growth policies.

Morgan Stanley reported better-than-expected third-quarter profit on Wednesday, ending a string of three straight losing quarters.

Morgan Stanley reported a better than forecast third quarter profit on Wednesday, helped by strong fixed income sales and trading revenues, ending a string of three straight losing quarters.

Media General Inc (MEG.N) reported a quarterly loss on Wednesday because of a writedown and said revenue fell 18 percent, but the newspaper publisher also said it sees signs that ad spending is improving.

Plains Capital Corp, a Dallas-based bank holding company and mortgage lender, said it expects its initial public offering of 15 million shares to be priced at $14 to $16 a share, in what could be the first IPO by a bank in more than two years.

For two decades, Aron Aronov has transported embroidered garments, oil portraits of rabbis and other examples of traditional Bukharian Jewish culture from his native Uzbekistan to a small museum in New York.

Oil fell to around $78 a barrel on Wednesday, extending the previous session's decline from a one-year peak after a bigger-than-expected rise in U.S. crude oil inventories.

Canada's currency fell againstthe U.S. dollar on Wednesday as traders overseas got a chanceto react to the Bank of Canada warning that a strong domesticcurrency was undermining economic recovery.

Boeing Co on Wednesday posted a quarterly net loss on charges related to the first three 787 flight-test planes and the 747 program.

A U.S. congressional committee is likely on Wednesday to endorse the creation of a financial watchdog agency to protect consumers, with large banks likely to feel its bite worst.

Eli Lilly and Co posted better-than-expected quarterly profit on Wednesday as sales of its top-selling prescription drugs beat projections, and the drugmaker raised its full-year earnings forecast.

Stock futures fell on Wednesday as growing concern about a market consolidation loomed despite another round of solid quarterly earnings.

* U.S. stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500 SPc1 down 0.24 percent, Dow Jones DJc1 futures down 0.1 percent and Nasdaq 100 NDc1 futures down 0.34 percent.

Britain's top share index was 1 percent lower in midday trade on Wednesday, as miners and energy stocks fell on weakness in commodity prices while banks fell after the BoE Governor said regulation would be tightened.

News, details on bond issues in the European markets on Wednesday:

European shares fell for a second day on Wednesday, with financial stocks taking most points off the leading index after Deutsche Bank unexpectedly released quarterly figures that knocked its stock.

Recent trading patterns broke at least temporarily on Wednesday with both the dollar and world stocks slipping, the latter weakened particularly by falling emerging markets.

Japanese automakers such as Honda and Nissan want to reduce their reliance on the U.S. market, where weak demand and a falling dollar have slashed profits, even as a poor turnout at their flagship auto show highlights the challenges at home.

Geely Holding's discussions to acquire Volvo from Ford Motor Co have stalled over disagreements on intellectual property, a source close to the talks said on Wednesday.

Demand for computers from large companies is likely to pick up by as soon as mid-2010 as a result of Microsoft's launch this week of its Windows 7 operating system, a senior Dell executive said on Wednesday.

Profit taking in technology stocks pushed Asian shares slightly lower on Wednesday, though they remained near a 15-month high, while some stability in the U.S. dollar and a rise in inventories knocked oil below $79 a barrel.

Morgan Stanley may hand over its unit Crescent Real Estate Equities Co to Barclays Capital, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.24 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.1 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.34 percent.

LG Electronics Inc's quarterly profit jumped nearly 50 percent thanks to strong sales of mobile phones and TVs, but the company is headed for a weaker fourth quarter on higher marketing costs and price competition.