MORGAN STANLEY

Apple has passed Exxon Mobil to become the world's most valuable company. Now it's time to ask what company make be next in line to make such a rise. At the moment, all indications point to Amazon.com.

The crown may be slipping fast from billionaire trader John Paulson's head.

The top after-market NYSE gainers on Wednesday are: Demand Media, Active Network, Jaguar Mining, China Ming Yang Wind Power and Jones Group. The top after-market NYSE losers are: EnerSys, Alpha Natural Resources, Navistar International, Morgan Stanley and 7 Days Group Holdings.

The crown may be slipping fast from billionaire trader John Paulson's head.

The shares of Bank of America Corp (BAC.N), Citigroup Inc (C.N), Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) and Morgan Stanley (MS.N) skidded on Wednesday, renewing evidence that when the market sneezes financial stocks get pneumonia.

Gold jumped more than 1 percent and metals market plunged on Friday as investors sought safe havens and fled riskier assets on worries over slowing global economic growth.

Gold held firm after upbeat U.S. labor market data soothed immediate fears of a recession, but longer-term uncertainty about economic growth and concerns about the euro zone debt crisis supported demand for the precious metal.

Gold edged up more than half a percent on Friday as investors used bullion to shelter from the storm engulfing financial markets on concerns that the United States may be facing another recession and Europe's debt crisis is spreading to some of its largest economies.

Apple's (AAPL) revenue from China hit $3.8 billion in the June quarter to record a 600 percent annual growth. But Tim Cook, the acting CEO, said Apple was only "just scratching the surface" considering the huge opportunity in China.

Merrill Lynch, the second largest U.S. brokerage by assets and financial advisers, on Monday said it hired seven new advisers overseeing more than $800 million in combined client assets.

In a rundown patch of Detroit, enclosed by a cyclone fence and barbed wire, stands an unremarkable warehouse that investment bank Goldman Sachs has transformed into a money-making machine.

Jeff Bezos and Amazon have unique competitive advantage, some analysts say. They suggest Amazon is succeeding bigger, and faster, than Wal-Mart did, becoming the world's largest retailer. That begs the question: Has Amazon built the most competitive business ever?

Amazon's stock is trading near a 52-week high, up more than five percent Wednesday after the company posted strong second quarter earnings and profits. But Amazon will go higher, say some analysts, because the company has a decided competitive advantage.

Dunkin' Brands (DNKN.O) has raised $422.75 million after pricing its IPO at $19 per share, well above the range set by underwriters, signaling strong demand for this week's biggest deal.

At the once-feared commodity trading arms of Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, the pressure to do better in the second half of this year has never been more intense.

Much of the United States may be frying in near-record temperatures but Wall Street has been feeling the heat for months. Wrangling over the debt ceiling has kept markets on edge, and investors are still waiting for a breakthrough that leads to a deal to avoid a devastating default.

In a crowded multi-storeyed marketplace in downtown Shenzhen, a store owner haggles with a cigarette-smoking customer over the price for a bulk sale.

Trashing talk that some members of the Apple board have conducted discussions on CEO succession plans with executive head hunters, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said the rumors are mere 'hogwash'.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Thursday are: Medco Health Solutions, Robert Half International, Morgan Stanley, Express Scripts, Stryker, CVS Caremark, Nokia, Genworth Financial, AmerisourceBergen and Whirlpool Corp.

Morgan Stanley beat Wall Street's estimates, but the company still reported a quarterly loss Thursday before the opening bell. Morgan Stanley's bright spot was an increase in trading revenue.

Futures on major U.S. indices point to a lower opening on Thursday ahead of key weekly jobless claims data and corporate earnings.