AP - Most Asian stock markets rose Wednesday after Wall Street extended its gains, but Japanese shares lagged the region as leading automaker Toyota Motor Corp. saw its top-notch credit rating cut.

AP - China's shares edged up Wednesday for the first time in five sessions, led by transportation and steel stocks after the government announced road-building plans under a stimulus package.

AP - World stock markets were mixed Wednesday after Wall Street extended its gains, with most Asian markets in the black but European stocks failing to join the advance as major benchmarks in Germany, Britain and France dropped 1 percent or more in early trade.

AFP - The London stock market fell 0.75 percent when trading began on Wednesday, in line with opening losses in Frankfurt and Paris.

AP - Soft drinks maker Britvic PLC, the British bottler for PepsiCo Inc., said Wednesday its annual net profit fell 25 percent, largely because of one-time costs including a factory closure.

AP - Compass Group PLC, the world's largest catering company, reported Wednesday that profit fell 14 percent in the year ending Sept. 30 due to fewer sales of assets compared with a year earlier. Shares rose, though, as the results were better than analysts' forecasts.

AP - Share prices on the London Stock Exchange were lower at midday Wednesday.

AP - Wall Street appeared ready to take a break Wednesday, ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, after a steep market rally. Stock futures pointed moderately lower as investors awaited reports on jobless claims and orders on big-ticket items.

AP - Hong Kong's stock index rose nearly 4 percent Wednesday amid growing optimism after Wall Street gained and the U.S. announced new measures to stimulate its economy.

AP - European stock markets fell Wednesday as investors booked recent profits despite further advances on Wall Street and most Asian markets. Expectations that the European Union will call on its 27-members to boost spending by over $150 billion to support their economies failed to cheer investors.

Reuters - Tiffany & Co posted a lower quarterly profit on Wednesday, hurt by weak domestic sales, and the upscale jeweler slashed its full-year outlook, citing the economic uncertainty.

AP - Farm equipment maker Deere & Co. says its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings fell 18 percent, partly due to costs linked to the closure of a Canadian facility, a higher tax rate and currency setbacks.

AP - Luxury goods retailer Tiffany has reported better-than-expected third-quarter earnings but warns 2008 results will miss Wall Street's forecast. It plans to cut jobs amid a pullback in consumer spending.

AP - German sports car maker Porsche SE said Wednesday it expects revenue in the four months through November to fall some 15 percent from a year ago as sales slump amid the global economic crisis.

AP - Wall Street is giving back some of its recent gains as investors absorb lackluster reports on jobless claims and orders for big-ticket items.

Reuters - Oil rose to near $53 a barrel on Wednesday on China's interest rate cut and ahead of weekly U.S. oil data, which is forecast to show a draw down in distillate stocks, including heating oil.

AP - European stock markets fell sharply Wednesday as Wall Street futures plunged in the wake of further disappointing U.S. economic news.

Reuters - The Toronto Stock Exchange's main index opened lower as a leveraged buyout of BCE looked to be in doubt, while a gloomy corporate and economic outlook also weighed on sentiment.

Reuters - Upscale jeweler Tiffany & Co slashed its full-year forecast and said it plans to cut staff and moderate its 2009 store growth plans, in a fresh sign that the shrinking U.S. economy is hurting affluent consumers.

AP - Wall Street extended its gains into a fourth session Wednesday, rising moderately after President-elect Obama soothed investors by pledging he would have a plan to deal with the nation's economic crisis on his first day in office.

AP - U.S and European stock markets fell Wednesday on a combination of profit-taking ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday and disappointment with U.S. economic news, which reinforced worries about the state of the world's largest economy.

Reuters - The Toronto Stock Exchange's main index fell in early dealings on Wednesday as the big leveraged buyout of BCE looked to be in doubt, while a gloomy corporate and economic outlook weighed on sentiment.

AP - Greece's largest telecoms company OTE said Wednesday its net profit increased 30 percent in the third quarter due to a strong performance in its mobile phone units.

AP - Tiffany & Co. on Wednesday reported third-quarter earnings that topped Wall Street expectations, but the luxury goods retailer warned of job cuts and lowered its 2008 outlook as consumers scale back on spending amid a tough economy.

AP - Wall Street extended its gains into a fourth session Wednesday, rising moderately after President-elect Obama soothed investors by pledging he would have a plan to deal with the nation's economic crisis on his first day in office.

AFP - The FTSE 100 index of leading shares closed down 0.44 percent at 4,152.69 points after a volatile trading session on Wednesday.

Reuters - Oil rose 5 percent to above $53 on Wednesday as the U.S. stock markets rallied and giant energy consumer China cut interest rates.

AFP - Global stock markets were under pressure Wednesday after another series of weak US economic data proved a rude reality check after recent gains on government efforts to tame the financial crisis.

AP - European stock markets closed mostly lower Wednesday though a recovery on Wall Street ahead of Thursday's Thanksgiving holiday helped them recover a large chunk of their earlier losses. Asian markets were mixed.

AP - National Bank of Greece said Wednesday its third quarter net profit remained flat compared to the previous quarter as higher profits in southeast Europe and Turkey offset losses in Greece.

Reuters - Oil jumped by more than 7 percent to over $54 per barrel on Wednesday as the U.S. stock markets rallied and giant energy consumer China cut interest rates.

AP - Deere & Co.'s quarterly profit fell 18 percent as weaker results in its small equipment and credit divisions, coupled with higher expenses, overwhelmed strong sales of farm machinery.

AP - A stock market gaining confidence in the nation's financial system bolted higher Wednesday, propelling the Dow Jones industrials and Standard & Poor's 500 index to their first four-day advance since last spring.

AP - World stocks ended mixed Wednesday after an afternoon rally on Wall Street lifted Latin American markets but did not come soon enough to give direction to European shares.

AFP - More grim economic news emerged from the United States Wednesday as European leaders proposed a fresh stimulus package and China slashed interest rates in a global push to ease the slowdown.

AFP - Wall Street rallied Wednesday while other global markets came under pressure as investors weighed the latest government efforts to tame the financial crisis.

Reuters - Trading with whiteboards and paper slips, a handful of fledgling stock markets such as Iraq and Ghana have escaped the crash of their more developed rivals -- benefiting in large part from isolation and lack of liquidity.