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The U.S. stock index futures point to a lower open Wednesday amid the fading expectations about an announcement of monetary easing measures by the Federal Reserve to support the economy.

Most of the Asian markets fell Wednesday as investor confidence was weighed down by the lack of stimulus measures from policymakers to support the global economy and regain the growth momentum.

Asian shares steadied Wednesday as strong U.S. retail sales and data showing Germany and France avoiding a contraction last quarter bolstered investors' risk appetite, with weak euro zone growth sustaining hopes for more stimulus.

Microsoft announced its first self-branded tablet, the Surface, earlier this year, but has not officially revealed how much it will cost.

A mix of luxury brands and discounters reported quarterly earnings that topped expectations, results that underscored a broader report showing U.S. retail sales broke three consecutive months of declining growth in July as consumers regained some semblance of confidence this summer.

Two unpaid interns who last year sued Fox Searchlight over work they say they should have been paid for are looking to expand the case to include all interns who participated in programs run by Fox Entertainment Group.

Saks Inc. (NYSE: SKS) and Michael Kors Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: KORS) are both benefitting from wealthy consumers, offsetting global economic turmoil and an uncertain U.S. economy, the companies said Tuesday.

Retail sales in the U.S. rose in July for the first time in four months and topped economists' forecast as demand rose across the board from cars to building materials, suggesting that the biggest driver of the economy is gaining momentum.

Unless India's Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has been hiding all the ground-breaking policy decisions for next year, the 2014 general elections aren't likely to go their way. However, a latest survey indicates that they won't go the other way either, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led main opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) likely to lose seats, raising the hopes for a third political front to come to power.

U.S. stock index futures point to a higher open Tuesday amid hopes that central banks around the world will announce stimulus measures to boost the economy and regain the growth momentum.

The top after-market Nasdaq gainers Monday were Array BioPharma Inc, Momenta Pharmaceuticals Inc, Aixtron SE, HMS Holdings Corp and Monster Beverage Corporation. The top after-market Nasdaq losers were Envivio, Groupon Inc, Coinstar Inc, Myrexis Inc and Boingo Wireless.

With its once-sickly loan portfolio on the mend after several years of consolidation that saw it lose market share, ICICI is looking once again to grow faster than the industry - though more cautiously this time around.

Asian stock markets ended with gains last week as sentiment continued to improve on hopes that the European Central Bank would shortly take policy action to lower the peripheral bond yields of struggling nations such as Italy and Spain.

Major data releases aplenty are on the economic calendar next week. In the U.S., investors will focus on July retail sales, industrial production, and consumer prices. In the euro zone, second-quarter gross domestic product figures across the major economies and the German ZEW index are the main highlights.

Companies are using tablets more and more, and the launch of Windows 8 and the Microsoft Surface tablet will build on the trend. Is everything as rosy as it seems?

Employers in the restaurant and retail industries -- those with a large number of hourly wage workers who traditionally had minimal or no health insurance -- are more likely than other companies to drop their health plans or cut worker's hours in order to maintain their already slim profit margins.

Keeping up with the Joneses can mean buying best-value vehicles for some of the wealthiest U.S. consumers.

Technology firms Amazon and Apple have decided not to entertain account change and password reset requests over phone following hacking of iCloud account of Wired reporter August 3. Besides, Amazon and Apple are likely to enforce stringent security measures against growing hacking concerns.

Asian shares rose to a three-month high Wednesday, supported by expectations that policymakers will soon decisively address the euro zone fiscal crisis and declining global growth.

Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN), the No. 1 e-retailer, said it will start renting textbooks to college students for a semester. At the end of the term, they can ship books back for free.

A spate of data releases over the coming days is expected to show signs of China's economy stabilizing in July after a slowdown that reduced its growth to its slowest rate in more than three years during the second quarter.