GOLDMAN SACHS

Asian shares fell Tuesday on selling prompted by Japan declaring its nuclear crisis a match for the Chernobyl disaster in severity and after the International Monetary Fund said global economic growth should slow this year as new risks emerge.

U.S. stock underwriting was the sole strong business in an otherwise bleak first quarter for U.S. investment banks.

Wholesale Gold Bars slipped to a 3-session low in London trade on Tuesday, finally bouncing higher from $1455 per ounce - some 1.5% below yesterday's new Dollar high - as world stock markets fell and major-economy government bonds rose.

U.S. stocks declined in early trade on Tuesday as disappointing first quarter sales from Alcoa and renewed concerns about Japan's nuclear crisis weighed on the sentiment.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Tuesday are: Exelixis, KIT digital, Carnival, Monster Worldwide, Alcoa, Visa, Ford Motor, Oracle Corp, Medtronic and Micron Technology.

The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Exelixis, KIT digital, Tibco Software, Layne Christensen, and Schnitzer Steel Industries. The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Micrel, Extreme Networks, TranS1, Lionbridge Technologies, and NPS Pharmaceuticals.

Brent and U.S. crude fell more than $1.50 a barrel on Tuesday in on concerns demand may wane on high fuel prices and after Goldman Sachs advised investors to lock-in trading profits before oil and other commodity markets reverse.

Long-term commodity bull Goldman Sachs warned clients on Monday to lock-in trading profits before oil and other markets reverse, with the bank's estimates suggesting speculators are boosting crude prices as much as $27 a barrel.

Raj Rajaratnam demanded discipline at his Galleon hedge fund, challenged his analysts at standing-room only morning meetings, and never asked any company for inside information, one of his former top lieutenants testified.

Level 3 Communications said it agreed to acquire Global Crossing for about $1.9 billion stock deal to boost its service portfolio.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Monday are: Tyco International, Symantec, Cliffs Natural Resources, Apollo Group, Halliburton, Monsanto, Alcoa, Dr Pepper Snapple Group and PPL Corp.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Friday are: Weyerhaeuser, Nabors Industries, Pier 1 Imports, Qualcomm, Helmerich & Payne, Freeport-McMoRan Copper, Netflix, Bally Technologies and Costco Wholesale Corp.

U.S. stocks posted modest losses Thursday after another major earthquake rattled Japan's northeastern coast, but retailers climbed following surprisingly strong March sales.

After piloting the No. 2 U.S. bank through the financial crisis relatively unscathed, JPMorgan Chase & Co Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon is now being extremely well rewarded.

Knowing what Warren Buffett is going to do a few weeks before he does it is not the sure-fire money-maker you might think.

Goldman Sachs Inc awarded Chairman and Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein a $5.4 million bonus for 2010, despite a decline in the company's share price and profit.

During the height of the financial crisis, banks around the world lined up to borrow money from the discount window of the Federal Reserve. In the few months before and after Lehman Brother’s collapse on September 15, 2008, billions were lent out.

Warren Buffett's hunt for a large acquisition could lead to targets like Eaton , Illinois Tool Works or Cliffs Natural Resources , all of which seem to fit his recent preference for growth in industries outside of his core insurance unit.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Wednesday are: Gilead Sciences, Philip Morris International, Range Resources, NYSE Euronext, eBay, Chesapeake Energy, Kohl's Corp and Dell.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Tuesday are: Lennar Corp, AK Steel Holding, Marriott International, XL Group, InterDigital, Energy Transfer Partners, BP Plc and Halliburton.

U.S. stocks gave up modest gains and ended slightly lower as declines from consumer and technology companies’ shares weighed in the final hour of trading session.