Diversified Capital Markets

JP Morgan (NYSE: JPM) has long wished for having a joint-venture in China’s securities market. It’s Asia-Pacific CEO, Gaby Abdelnour, told his employees in a town hall meeting that they are closer to that goal. The U.S. banking giant has identified a partner, and may sign the deal as early as next...

• Marvell Tech (NASDAQ:MRVL) swung to a fourth quarter profit on strength in its new communication chips. Adjusted earnings jumped to 40 cents a share, up from last year's five cents, on revenues that rose 64% to $842.5 million. Results topped the firm's earlier forecast of 33-39 cent results on $...

Investors welcomed better-than-anticipated retail sales numbers and sent stocks higher at the end of a volatile session, but caution prevailed ahead of the government's monthly employment report.  A slew of encouraging economic reports also helped investors’ risk appetites. The Dow Jones industrial...

• Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) led DJIA stocks on the downside yesterday after Medivation (NASDAQ:MDVN) said its experimental treatment for Alzheimer's, Dimebon, developed with Pfizer, failed to show desired results in late-stage  trials • Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE:BUD) posted adjusted earnings of 55 cents a...

Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS) has raised its price target for Venoco Inc (NYSE: VQ) from $12 to $13, based on advancing activity in the onshore Monterey Shale play. Venoco now controls 131,000 net acres in the Monterey Shale and has set capex at $26 million. It is possible that the number of wells...

• Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) raised its dividend 12% to 19 cents and announced plans to buy back $3 billion in shares • Fresh Del Monte Produce (NYSE:FDP) beat estimates with fourth quarter earnings of 36 cents a share, two cents above projections, on $872.1 million in revenues, which beat expectations...

Merck KGaA (ADR) (OTC: MKGAY), the Germany based drug company, agreed to buy Millipore Corp. (NYSE: MIL), a life science company, for about $6 billion. Millipore is valued at $107 per share, which is 13 percent higher than the company’s closing price on Feb 26. According to Merck spokeswoman...

Waking this new month with Asian Markets closing higher. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index advanced 2.2% to 21,056.93, China's Shanghai Composite added 1.2%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 climbed 1.1%, Japan's Nikkei 225 added 0.5% and Taiwan's Taiex rose 1.9%. UBS has upgraded $WFMI from Sell to Neutral...

Waking this new month with Asian Markets closing higher. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index advanced 2.2% to 21,056.93, China's Shanghai Composite added 1.2%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 climbed 1.1%, Japan's Nikkei 225 added 0.5% and Taiwan's Taiex rose 1.9%. UBS has upgraded $WFMI from Sell to Neutral...

CKE Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: CKR) announced that it has accepted a buyout deal from Thomas H. Lee Partners, a private equity firm. Thomas H. Lee has offered CKE $619 million, valuing the company’s shares at $11.05, a premium of 24% over Thursday’s closing price. As part of the deal, the private...

• AIG (NYSE:AIG) posted an $8.9 billion loss and said it could knock on the US government’s door to help meet its obligations • CKE Restaurants (NYSE:CKR) will be purchased by Thomas H Lee Partners for $928 million, or $11.05 per share • Interpublic Group (NYSE:IPG) reported inline sales and...

The CFO of Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) foresees a "dramatic" improvement in its consumer business. He added that the company is poised to become "more acquisitive." DELL has successfully integrated mid-sized deals, such as its $1.4 billion acquisition of EqualLogic in 2008. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) has been...

Shares of STEC, Inc. (Nasdaq: STEC) plunged nearly 30% to a low of $9.47 Wednesday morning, a day after the company warned that inventory carryover at EMC Corp. (NYSE: EMC) was a continuing drag on the company's sales. After breaking the news, the company's shares received numerous downgrades. JP...

Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS) has restored the coverage of Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT). According to a report released by Credit Suisse (CS), the firm is likely to attract investors after its seamless integration with Cadbury's (NYSE: CBY) assets. Credit Suisse has said that Kraft Foods (KFT) now has an...