NYSE

Where else to go when markets in North America and Europe are stagnating?

Expectations for U.S. company earnings are on a slippery slope down Wall Street. While the downward slide in estimates highlights the caution analysts and companies are expressing, investors should also be aware that companies are setting lower goals so that they can look better or be able to ?beat estimates? when the results come out.

The top after-market NYSE gainers Wednesday were: Skilled Healthcare, VOC Energy, Oriental Financial Group, Alon USA Energy and Kindred Healthcare. The top after-market NYSE losers were: Red Hat, Main Street Capital, Vmware, Apartment Investment & Management and hhgregg.

Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), the world's most valuable technology company, has won a small victory in its battle against rival and supplier Samsung Electronics (Seoul: 005930).

International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM), the No. 2 computer maker, ranks first among supercomputer makers in the 2012 rankings compiled by U.S. and German experts.

Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG) on Wednesday cut its second-quarter earnings forecast due to slowing demand in developed economies and the effect of a strong dollar.

LANDesk Software, the venerable desktop management software developer, said it had acquired private Wavelink to extend its reach into mobile platforms like smartphones and tablets.

Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE: TM) plans to cut Japanese production capacity by more than 10 percent by 2014, according to Auto News Tuesday.

The top after-market NYSE gainers Tuesday were: La-Z-Boy, Choice Hotels International, Actuant Corp, Jabil Circuit and Helmerich & Payne. The top after-market NYSE losers were: Chimera Investment, Sunstone Hotel Investors, Gerdau, Scorpio Tankers and Qihoo 360 Technology.

Streaming music service Spotify Ltd. launched a mobile radio feature on Tuesday that connects to Apple Inc.'s (Nasdaq: AAPL) ubiquitous iPhones and iPads, encroaching on the turf of online radio provider Pandora Media Inc. (NYSE: P).

The chief marketing executive at Atlanta-based soft drink giant Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) said he believes online and mobile advertising is an effective driver of sales for the company, even if it can't be quantified with any currently available standard measures.

Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL), the No. 1 database developer, reported full-year revenue rose 4 percent to $37.2 billion -- with revenue from the Cloud, or Internet-based computing, reaching a record $1 billion.

China's attempt to manage inflation in the real estate market is putting pressure on local governments and pushing homebuyers overseas.

Shares of J.C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE: JCP) plunged mid-Tuesday by 10.15 percent, or $2.47, to $21.86 in the wake of president Michael Francis' departure, as the department store struggles to change its discount model and increase revenue.

A month after the $16 billion mammoth but botched initial public offering of Facebook (Nasdaq: FB), the No. 1 social networking site, the ice may be breaking for technology companies.

The dissolution of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two largest U.S. mortgage guarantors, would have only a minimal impact on home ownership level, according to a new report that downplays the link between low interest rates and increased ownership.

Here's what a nursing home in Mobile, Ala., has in common with the regal Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan: They're both facing micro-unions, groups of employees who organize apart from the rest of a company's workforce.

The top after-market NYSE gainers Monday were: Dana Holding, Alliant Techsystems, Yingli Green Energy Holding, Celanese and Fusion-io. The top after-market NYSE losers were: J.C. Penney, IHS Inc, Western Gas Partners, HCP and Boise Inc.

Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT), the world's biggest software company, introduced its first tablet, Surface, to battle Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) in the tablet sector

Despite the clamor around Facebook (Nasdaq: FB), the No. 1 social networking site, the real king of the social networking sector is International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM), a new survey by IDC found.

U.S. homebuilder stocks rose Monday after a report indicated that more builders viewed the housing market favorably in June, with confidence hitting the highest level since May 2007.