IBT Staff Reporter

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wednesday after news of government aid for life insurers and a merger among homebuilders spurred optimism and offset a quarterly loss from Alcoa .

American International Group Inc's aircraft leasing unit is in talks over a $5 billion credit line from the New York Federal Reserve that could be used to facilitate its sale, the Financial Times reported on its website late on Tuesday.

Nokia Siemens Networks' key attraction to Nortel Networks Corp is its quarter share of the North American telecom gear market, analysts said on Wednesday.

The U.S. Treasury Department plans to extend the Troubled Asset Relief Program to certain life insurers, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wednesday Dow component Alcoa kicked off the earnings season with its second consecutive quarterly loss and reignited concern about the global economy.

Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wednesday Dow component Alcoa kicked off the earnings season with its second consecutive quarterly loss and reignited concern about the global economy.

GM edged closer to preparations for possible bankruptcy on Wednesday, a source familiar with the company's plans said, while Germany extended its subsidy for scrapping old cars.

Nokia Siemens Networks' key attraction to Nortel Networks Corp is its quarter share of the North American telecom gear market, analysts said on Wednesday.

Aluminum producer Alcoa Inc reported a second consecutive quarterly loss on Tuesday, as metal prices and the autos industry slumped and global demand fell in the economic downturn.

Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Wednesday, as mounting fears over corporate results knocked down stock markets around the world.

Chinese exports in March were down by double digits from a year earlier, but the decline was smaller than in February, a newspaper linked to the Ministry of Commerce reported on Wednesday.

More U.S. data showing swollen crude stocks pushed oil below $48 a barrel on Wednesday, and analysts said there was little sign demand would soon rise to soak up the excess.

Daimler's Chief Financial Officer Bodo Uebber will be named as new chairman of EADS , replacing Ruediger Grube, Daimler said at its annual shareholders' meeting on Wednesday.

Sharp Corp , the world's No.3 LCD TV maker, doubled its loss estimate for the year just ended on a slump in sales of its TVs and panels, but it brought forward plans for a cost-efficient new factory to cut costs.

U.S. securities regulators meet on Wednesday to consider restrictions on short selling, a type of investing blamed by some lawmakers and executives for exacerbating the financial crisis and driving down share prices.

U.S. securities regulators meet on Wednesday to consider restrictions on short selling, a type of investing blamed by some lawmakers and executives for exacerbating the financial crisis and driving down share prices.

Intel Corp, the world's largest chip maker, is uncertain when demand for semiconductors will revive, Chairman Craig Barrett said on Wednesday.

World stocks slipped for a third session in a row on Wednesday and government bonds and the low-yielding yen gained as poor earnings from U.S. aluminum group Alcoa sparked concerns about other corporates.

Oil fell by over a dollar below $48 a barrel on Wednesday, adding to Tuesday's 3.7 percent loss on falls for equities and after weekly data showed U.S. crude inventories up far more than expected.

Computer users' growing fear of worms and viruses could be behind a recent spike in attacks on PCs via bogus security software, according to a Microsoft Corp report published on Wednesday.

Acer Inc , the world's third-largest computer maker, gave an upbeat outlook for the current quarter, pinning its hopes on the launch of a number of new products.

Asian stocks tumbled on Wednesday and the U.S. dollar climbed, with investors bailing out of recent positions and camping on the sidelines to await company outlooks as what is expected to be a grim results season begins.

Japan's Sharp Corp , the world's third-largest LCD TV maker, said that it expected to post a much deeper annual loss on sliding LCD prices for the year just ended but that it will speed up panel production.

Oil fell by over a dollar toward $48 a barrel on Wednesday, adding to Tuesday's 3.7 percent loss on falls for equities and after weekly data showed U.S. crude inventories up far more than expected.

An estimated half billion loss at YouTube was predicted by an analyst with Credit Suise because it can't generate worthwhile income from advertising will be cleared next week as Google plans to hold a quarterly conference.

American International Group Inc's aircraft leasing unit is in talks over a $5 billion credit line from the New York Federal Reserve that could be used to facilitate its sale, the Financial Times reported on its website late on Tuesday.

Asian stocks slid for a second day on Wednesday while the U.S. dollar climbed, with investors fleeing to the sidelines to await companies' business outlooks as what is expected to be a grim results season begins.

Oil fell by over a dollar toward $48 a barrel on Wednesday, adding to Tuesday's 3.7 percent loss on falls for equities and after weekly data showed U.S. crude inventories up far more than expected.

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi Tuesday called Barack Obama a flicker of hope in the middle of the imperialist darkness, but said he feared the president could be assassinated.