MANUFACTURING

The Federal Reserve said Wednesday that the U.S. economic activity increased at a slow to moderate pace in 11 of the 12 Fed districts. St. Louis reported a decline.

Dateline Yale--$40,000 a year, two-drink minimum. Yep, the prestigious gateway to the CIA, a career as a thespian and the U.S. Presidency for Both Bush, father and son, and Clinton, now offers a course on New York nightlife. College is a fine time to party, and I support a liberal amount of irrational exuberance mixed in with cramming for grades, but somehow, in these difficult economic times, I find a college course about the history of partying a bit...disconcerting.

Dateline Yale--$40,000 a year, two-drink minimum. Yep, the prestigious gateway to the CIA, a career as a thespian and the U.S. Presidency for Both Bush, father and son, and Clinton, now offers a course on New York nightlife. College is a fine time to party, and I support a liberal amount of irrational exuberance mixed in with cramming for grades, but somehow, in these difficult economic times, I find a college course about the history of partying a bit...disconcerting.

Employment in the private sector rose 206,000 from October to November and small businesses contributed to more than half of the growth.

What happens to the wire, chip and sensor makers working for Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) when the company gives them the boot? The answer to that question might be found in the dismal quarterly results released Tuesday by OmniVision Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:OVTI), a company that makes imaging sensors used in smartphone, tablet and notebook cameras.

Patrick Sullivan, a former sheriff of the year in Arapahoe County, Colo., was arrested for allegedly trying to trade methamphetamine for sex.

General Electric, the No. 1 U.S. conglomerate, unveiled a major upgrade of its Proficy Historian enterprise software to enable manufacturers to better access huge databases and improve quality.

The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Cytori Therapeutics, Primo Water, Focus Media Holding, Logitech International, Golar LNG, Netlist, Century Aluminum, and A123 Systems. The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: OmniVision Technologies, and Breitburn Energy Partners.

China's central bank cut the reserve requirement ratio for its commercial lenders on Wednesday for the first time in nearly three years to ease credit strains and shore up an economy running at its weakest pace since 2009.

The Nikkei share average ended lower on Wednesday, reversing two days of gains on profit-taking as investors remained cautious over new developments in the Eurozone debt crisis and looked to data later in the week.

India's economy grew at the slowest pace in more than two years, according to the recent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) numbers which shows the country's economy rose 6.9 percent in the July-September quarter.

India's Gross domestic product growth fell to 6.9 percent in the second quarter of the financial year. The GDP growth figure is the weakest pace in more than two years.

Dr. Donald Berwick, who was praised for his efforts to reform health care by Republicans such as Newt Gingrich long before he was approached by the Obama administration, was attacked for allegedly favoring health care rationing after being nominated for CMS chief by President Obama in 2010.

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ: BMRN) has received the anticipated FDA approval for expansion of the manufacturing facility in Novato, California. Wedbush Securities believes that with this approval, the company's long-term growth will be strengthened.

Susquehanna Financial has revised its profit and revenue estimates of software major Infosys Ltd. (NASDAQ:INFY), following a statement from S.D. Shibulal, its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) that the demand environment, which started to deteriorate 45 days ago, has yet to recover.

The complexity fills everybody with such appalling fear. ... The honest answer is that, like everybody else, you try and contingency plan for any breakup of the eurozone.

Ocean Spray will voluntarily recall certain production lots of Original Flavor Craisins because of the possible presence of small hair-like metal fragments, the company announced Monday.

The Dow Chemical Company and Saudi Aramco have officially established their planned petrochemical joint venture Sadara Chemical Company in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, and announced its senior officers.

Stock index futures jumped on Monday on optimism over the latest round of proposals out of Europe designed to corral the growing Eurozone debt crisis.

Stock index futures pointed to a sharply higher open for equities on Wall Street on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 rising 2.2 to 2.6 percent.

Stock index futures pointed to a sharply higher open for equities on Wall Street on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 rising 2.2 to 2.6 percent.