IBT Staff Reporter

MedAssets Inc. reported on Wednesday its first-quarter profit surpassed analyst's expectations.

Technology stocks advanced on Wednesday but lost earlier gains after a late session sell-off.

Nissan Motor Co. is planning to raise its vehicle prices in Japan in a bid to pass along higher raw-material costs, according to a Japanese media report.

The dollar was little changed against the yen on Thursday holding on to gains from yesterday as U.S. stocks rose on consumer prices which rose less than expected, alleviating inflation worries.

Billionaire investor Carl Icahn reportedly has decided to move ahead with plans to run a dissident board slate at Yahoo Inc in an attempt to pressure the company into restarting negotiations with Microsoft Corp.

General Electric Co. is considering selling or divesting itself of its appliances business, the Wall Street Journal said on its website late Wednesday.

Delta Air Lines said Wednesday its pilots had cleared merger plans with Northwest Airlines, removing a possible hurdle of labor disruptions and allowing the companies to create the largest US carrier.

Shanghai Stock Exchange composite Index (SSE) gained 97.2 points, or 2.7 percent, to reach 3,657.4 on Wednesday. Shenzhen Stock Exchange component index gained 29.2 points, or 2.63 percent, to reach 1,139.1 percent.

Geron Corp. the developer of biopharmaceuticals for cancer and chronic degenerative diseases treatments said U.S. regulators put a clinical hold to its investigational cell therapy for spinal cord injury.

Ford Motor Co. is recalling about 50,000 Ford F-150 and Lincoln Mark LT pickup trucks in Canada due to a problem that can cause the vehicles to lose braking power.

UBS on Wednesday announced management changes within its investment bank unit and also altered the organization of its risk control operations.

A Texas appeals court overturned a verdict of $7.75 million against Merck & Co. related to the painkiller Vioxx.

The FTSE 100 share index was up early on Wednesday. By 9:06am the index had risen 8.9 points to 6,220.7 (up 0.1 per cent).

Tokyo stocks continued to rise for the third-straight day Wednesday due to a weaker yen against U.S. dollar and rebounding Shanghai equities.

Copper prices fell on Wednesday as investors fear higher prices may weaken global demand and the dollar was gained, lowering the demand for commodities.

Clear Channel Communications Inc. and the banks that agreed to finance its highly leveraged buy-out were able to enter into a settlement agreement ending lawsuit proceedings previously filed in New York State Supreme Court and Bexar County District Court.

A Federal judge in Los Angeles ruled in favor of MySpace, awarding the social networking site $230 million judgment related to junk messages sent to its members, according to a report.

Natus Medical Inc. developer and manufacturer of medical devices fore newborns said Tuesday it is planning to make a public offering of 3.5 million common shares.

Whole Foods Market Inc. beat analysts estimates despite reporting a 13 percent decline in its fiscal second-quarter profit on charges related to the acquisition of rival Wild Oats Markets for $565 million in 2007.

Technology stocks rose slightly on Tuesday on as Hewlett-Packard shares sank after announcing it would acquire EDS and a report that activist investor Car Icahn is mulling a proxy fight for making changes to the board of directors at Yahoo.

The dollar gained against the euro and yen on Wednesday after reports of better than expected retail sales in the U.S. and comments from a Federal Reserve official boosted the currency's strength.

J.M. Smucker Company reported on Tuesday it has acquired the Knott's Berry Farm from ConAgra Foods, Inc. for an undisclosed amount.

Online classifieds leader Craigslist.com filed a countersuit on Tuesday against business rival eBay, accusing the company of using its minority stake in Craigslist to gain access to trade secrets.

Immucor Inc. replied on Tuesday to a warning letter from the Food and Drug Administration that pointed out problems of manufacturing practices in the company.

Copper prices fell slightly on Tuesday as the dollar rallied against the euro on better U.S. retail sales data, but prices may rise on supply concerns from South America.

Liberty Media Corp. and IAC/InterActiveCorp announced on Tuesday they had resolved their dispute over the proposed breakup of IAC.

Software giant Microsoft Corp launched a new online service in 20 countries on Tuesday that allow users to watch video clips at the same time as a network of friends while chatting via Windows Live Messenger.

Rating agency Moody's Investors Services said today that bond insurers MBIA Inc and Ambac Financial Group Inc had meaningfully higher losses than expected within their asset backed portfolios relative to their top-level Aaa rating.

Crude oil prices rose on Tuesday to a new of $127 a barrel after Iran said it is reviewing a plan to cut output and renewed concerns that refiners are not satisfying demand of distillate fuels including heating oil.