IBT Staff Reporter

Stock index futures pointed to a mixed open on Wednesday as General Motors inched closer to bankruptcy and investors await a key report on the housing market.

The global market for carbon emissions trading doubled in value last year, but actual realised emissions cuts fell as the global economic slowdown dented clean energy financing, the World Bank said on Wednesday.

A Russian Soyuz rocket with three astronauts on board blasted off from Kazakhstan on Wednesday for the International Space Station, where they are set to raise the labs crew to six for the first time.

Bank of America Corporation announced Wednesday it was “well on its way” to reaching the $33.9 billion indicated Supervisory Capital Assessment Program (SCAP) buffer set by the Federal Reserve after it raised almost $26 billion to date.

General Electric Co aims to boost its investment in clean-tech research and development to $1.5 billion a year by 2010, the largest U.S. conglomerate said on Wednesday in its annual Ecomagination report.

U.S. automaker Chrysler LLC said on Tuesday it submitted proposals totaling $448 million to the U.S. Department of Energy to research and develop electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid models.

Top office products retailer Staples Inc reported slightly higher-than-expected quarterly earnings on Wednesday, bolstered by its Corporate Express unit.

Bidders for German carmaker Opel are being pressed to make last-minute changes to their offers ahead of a meeting on Wednesday that could narrow the field of potential investors in the General Motors unit.

Bidders for German carmaker Opel are being pressed to make last-minute changes to their offers ahead of a meeting on Wednesday that could narrow the field of potential investors in the General Motors unit.

Cannibalization of laptop computer sales by lower-priced netbooks is currently about 20 percent, less than speculation, Intel's European sales chief told Reuters on the fringes of a company event.

Stock index futures pointed to a mixed to higher open on Wednesday as investors await key housing data which may bolster optimism the recession is abating.

World stocks rose and oil prices hit a 2009 high on Wednesday, while the yen fell after improving consumer confidence in the United States and Europe boosted expectations the global economy is starting to recover.

The U.S. recession is set to end soon, but continued job losses and plunging house prices point to an economic recovery that will be more moderate than those experienced in previous downturns, a survey showed.

Technology outsourcing and consulting firm Accenture Ltd plans to change its place of incorporation to Ireland from Bermuda, following an exodus of large multinational companies to Europe as the U.S. government plans to tighten tax rules.

About 15 percent of homes in Britain have Internet broadband access under 2 Megabits per second , the minimum speed envisaged by the government for the whole country, research shows.

Stock futures pointed to a slightly higher open for U.S. shares on Wednesday, building on strong gains made in the previous session, when consumer confidence data fueled hopes of an economic recovery.

The German government is due to decide on Wednesday which bidder or bidders it prefers as a partner for the Opel unit of struggling U.S. carmaker General Motors, and could agree to provide aid for the firm.

Global Leveraged Capital, a private investment firm, said on Wednesday it is launching a new restructuring advisory group that will bring a different approach to fundraising at a time when struggling companies have little access to the credit markets.

The supervisory board of General Motors' Opel unit is holding an extraordinary meeting on Wednesday morning to decide on the German carmaker's legal separation from its U.S.-based parent company, a person familiar with the matter said.

Asian shares rose to a seven-month peak on Wednesday and oil prices hovered near their highest since November after a jump in U.S. consumer confidence reinforced a view that the global economy has bottomed, even if recovery appears fragile.

Following a Morgan Stanley plan unveiled last week, Citigroup and Bank of America are likely to soon raise base salaries for investment bankers to compensate for limits on annual bonuses, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

Oil hovered little changed near a six-month high above $62 a barrel on Wednesday, as a jump in U.S. consumer confidence and signs of modest recovery in Japanese exports buoyed hopes that oil demand would rebound as the global economy recovers.

IBM has earmarked $3 billion to finance so-called smart infrastructure projects in Europe and Asia likely to receive government stimulus support.

Asian shares rose on Wednesday to their highest level in more than seven months after a jump in U.S. consumer confidence reinforced expectations the global economy has hit a bottom, even if recovery appears fragile.

Microsoft Corp plans to launch a new version of its Zune portable media player later this year in the United States, incorporating high-definition video, touch screen technology and Wi-Fi connection.

A Russian Internet investment firm has invested $200 million in Facebook, giving the social networking company a cash buffer during the recession and pegging its value at $10 billion.

Oil hovered little changed near a six-month high above $62 a barrel on Wednesday, as a jump in U.S. consumer confidence buoyed hopes that the global economy was on its way to recovery and demand for oil would rise.

Bookseller Borders Group Inc reported a smaller-than-expected loss that beat Wall Street estimates as cost cuts offset a protracted slump in book sales.

General Motors Corp has failed to persuade enough bondholders to accept a debt-for-equity swap, setting the stage for the largest-ever U.S. industrial bankruptcy within days.