INVESTMENT

The top after-market NYSE gainers on Tuesday are: Federal Agricultural Mortgage, ExamWorks Group, Capital Trust, Rosetta Stone and Hovnanian Enterprises. The top after-market NYSE losers are: Molycorp, Diana Shipping, Aircastle, AMB Property and F.N.B. Corp.

GM has announced that it will invest $2 billion in two years from now, creating or retaining 4,000 jobs.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Skype CEO Tony Bates jointly announced on Tuesday that the two companies have entered into a deal under which Microsoft will acquire Skype for $8.5 billion. Apart from creating value and emerging as a strategically important player in the voice and chat connectivity segment of the exploding web business, Skype also won real big time suitors like Microsoft, Google and Facebook. Perhaps the rivals' attempt to outbid each other and own Skype resulted in the Estoni...

Microsoft today agreed to buy Skype, the world's most popular Web-calling service, in a move to narrow Google's lead in Web advertising.

The CEO of Japan's Softbank, Inc. invests over $60 million into Gilt Groupe, Inc.

General Motors (NYSE: GM) is planning to add or preserve about 4,200 jobs in eight states (including 2,000 in the Detroit area alone), according to a report in the Detroit Free Press newspaper.

Microsoft brings aboard Skype for $8.5 billion. With Skype, Microsoft is getting an established player in the increasingly competitive voice and video calling market. Skype has 170 million connected users and logged over 207 billion minutes of voice and video conversations in 2010.

Microsoft turned the tables on long-time Skype wooers Google and Facebook to reportedly land an $8.5 billion deal to buy the popular Voice over Internet Protocol service. The following are some key facts about Skype:

John Bravata, the founder and chairman of BBC Equities, LLC, has been arrested at JFK International Airport and charged with wire fraud in connection with his solicitation of investor funds for BBC, which Bravata characterized as a real estate investment fund.

World's first space tourism agency Space Adventures plans to offer the first trip around the moon as early as 2015, the company announced on Thursday.

Today’s release of April’s jobs data was a real game changer for investor psychology.

The White House and Republicans agreed on Friday that jobs growth is not coming quickly enough despite the latest report showing that private sector jobs growth has continued to growth for the last 14 months.

The latest jobs report released Friday was welcome news but nowhere close to where it should be thanks to tax uncertainty and spending plans being put forward by Democrats in the White House and the Senate, House Speaker John Boehner said.

The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Sky-mobi, Limelight Networks, Rubicon Technology, Power-One, and Avanir Pharmaceuticals. The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Obagi Medical Products, USA Technologies, Titan Machinery, priceline.com, and Vodafone Group.

The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Kendle International, ZST Digital Networks, Hansen Medical, JDS Uniphase, Cbeyond, and ON Semiconductor. The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Smith Micro Software, Sierra Wireless, Atmel, Aixtron, Mercadolibre, and ARM Holdings.

Jefferies & Co. initiated coverage of AsiaInfo-Linkage, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASIA) with a buy rating and a price target of $27, implying 41 percent upside.

The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Smith Micro Software, FARO Technologies, DragonWave, Atmel, Kulicke & Soffa Industries, ISTA Pharmaceuticals, EarthLink, Windstream, News Corp., and Sierra Wireless.

Record high gold prices have fuelled investment in gold mining and exploration around the world. This is particularly true in the case of the Yukon region which is home to some of the largest gold miners.

The Prime Minister of Pakistan said intelligence failed on a global scale with respect to the search for Osama bin Laden.

International real estate investment and services firm Kennedy Wilson has announced that the company sold more than $35 million of properties through auction and conventional sales last month.

Gold prices hit new all-time Dollar highs at the AM London Fix on Tuesday, but silver traded near a two-week low as world stock markets slipped and commodity prices fell hard.