NYSE

U.S. stocks declined in early trade on Wednesday as investors preferred to take profits after the Dow Jones Industrial Average reached its highest level since June 2008 on Tuesday.

Hewlett-Packard is expected to launch two Palm Web OS-based Tablets today at a company event in San Francisco.

The companies whose shares are gaining in early session on Wednesday are: Photronics, DSW, Atmel, Retail Ventures, Beacon Roofing, General Cable, Polo Ralph Lauren and Walt Disney.

U.S. stocks opened modestly lower on Wednesday as investors await comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on the economic outlook and monetary policy.

The British government has entered into a comprehensive agreement with the nation’s largest banks on matters related to lending, transparency and bonuses payments to executives, after four months of negotiations and wrangling.

Medtronic Inc. (NYSE: MDT) said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its Revo MRI pacemaker - the first such device in the U.S. designed for safe use during certain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exams.

American International Group, Inc. said it expects to record a $4.1 billion charge in the fourth quarter to boost the loss reserves in its Chartis property and casualty insurance subsidiaries.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Wednesday are: Walt Disney, Jds Uniphase, PPL Corp, Ingersoll-Rand, Motorola Solutions, Wells Fargo, Time Warner and Google.

The companies which are expected to see active trade on Wednesday are: Cisco Systems, MetLife, Coca-Cola, Akamai Technologies, Polo Ralph Lauren, Whole Foods Market and Walt Disney.

The top after-market NYSE gainers on Tuesday are: St. Joe, Retail Ventures, DSW, General Cable and CBL & Associates. The top after-market NYSE losers on Tuesday are: USANA Health Sciences, Sims Metal Management, Life Time Fitness, Gaylord Entertainment and McMoRan Exploration.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average scores its seventh straight daily gain, as U.S. stocks seemed to shrug off another interest rate hike by the central bank of China.

Automaker Toyota Motor Corp. reported a 39 percent fall in its third quarter profit, hurt by slower domestic sales and a strong yen.

Qualcomm could be the major beneficiary if Nokia shifts its smartphone operating system strategy.

The companies whose shares are moving in early session on Tuesday are: Boyd Gaming, Synchronoss Technologies, Select Medical Holdings, athenahealth, Centene, Avon Products, Steris Corp., Halliburton and Blackbaud.

U.S. stocks opened modestly lower on Tuesday after China raised interest rates for the third time since last October in response to accelerating consumer and asset inflation.

Benchmark Capital said the sale of retailer Big Lots (NYSE: BIG) appears possible and private equity buyers could target the company, after Bloomberg reported that Big Lots is exploring strategic options.

ThinkEquity said it has added Altera to the Think Fast list, which predicts stocks that are expected to see a near-term upside.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Tuesday are: Sandisk, ProLogis, Urban Outfitters, Newmont Mining, Ford Motor, Avon Products, Akamai Technologies, Genworth Financial, Nyse Euronext and Sara Lee.

Alcatel-Lucent has developed lightRadio, a cube-shaped antenna that would fit in the palm of a hand, signaling an end to the current form of basestations and cell towers. lightRadio promises greener, simpler, lighter networks that the company says will radically shrink and simplify base stations and cell towers.....

The top after-market NYSE gainers on Monday are: International Coal Group, Aspen Insurance Holdings, New York Times, Harry Winston Diamond and Elan Corp. The top after-market NYSE losers on Monday are: Triangle Capital, One Liberty Properties, Principal Financial, FMC Corp and Becton.

Stocks advanced as a series of merger deals excited investors, pushing the blue-chip indices to two-and-a-half-year highs in the absence of significant economic news.