By Alix Steel

 

Updated at 2:44 p.m. ET

 

Gold prices were rising Wednesday along with the euro after China promised to keep buying euro assets and as France's economy bounced back modestly in the fourth quarter.

 

Gold (-GC) for April delivery settled up $10.40 at $1,728.10 an ounce at the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold traded as high as $1,739.20 and as low as $1,720.30 an ounce while the spot price was adding $6, according to Kitco's gold index.

 

Silver (-SI) closed 4 cents higher at $33.39 an ounce while the U.S. dollar index was up 0.2% at $79.59.

 

By Andrea Tse

 

Updated 8:35 a.m ET

 

Comcast (CMCSA), the nation's biggest cable television company and the majority owner of NBC Universal, reported fourth-quarter earnings of 47 cents a share on revenue of $15.04 billion, beating the average analyst estimate of 41 cents a share on revenue of $14.94 billion. The company also raised its dividend 44% to 65 cents a share and its board approved a share repurchase program of $6.5 billion.

 

Online game maker Zynga (ZNGA) posted a loss in the fourth quarter, weighed down by stock compensation and other costs in its first quarter as a public company. Zynga reported a loss of $435 million, or $1.22 a share, in the period. However, the company was able to top Wall Street's earnings expectations on an adjusted-basis. For the three months ended Dec. 31, Zynga reported non-GAAP earnings of $37.2 million, or 5 cents a share, on revenue of $311.2 million. Analysts were expecting profit of 3 cents a share on revenue of $301.1 million. Zynga sees non-GAAP earnings of 24 to 28 cents a share for fiscal 2012, above the current consensus view of 22 cents.

 

By Chao Deng

 

Updated at 4:26 p.m. ET

 

Stocks finished lower Wednesday as news that Greece's creditors are delaying the country's bailout overshadowed reports that China may increase its investments in the eurozone.

 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU lost 97 points to close at 12,781. The S&P 500 ($INX) shed 7 points at 1,343, and the Nasdaq ($COMPX) fell 16 points to 2,916.

 

Finance ministers in Europe are demanding more from Greece before they will release a $170 billion bailout. The country is on track to receive its aid package, though creditors canceled a meeting originally scheduled for today in Brussels, Belgium, because of lack of assurances from Greece that it will stick to austerity plans. The ministers will hold a teleconference instead.

 

By Alix Steel

 

Updated at 1:08 p.m. ET

Gold prices were choppy Tuesday as investors moved into the safety of the dollar and left gold on the sidelines.

 

Gold (-GC) for April delivery was down $4 at $1,720.90 an ounce at the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold has traded as high as $1,729.90 and as low as $1,713.80 an ounce while the spot price was shedding $7.60, according to Kitco's gold index.

Silver (-SI) was 27 cents lower at $33.46 an ounce while the U.S. dollar index was gaining 0.3% at $79.39.  

By Andrea Tse

 

Updated at 8:48 a.m. ET

 

Apple (AAPL) is working with component suppliers in Asia to test a new tablet computer with a smaller screen, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the situation. Officials at some of Apple's suppliers, who declined to be named, said Apple has shown them screen designs for a new device with a screen size of about 8-inches. Apple's iPad 2, launched in 2011, comes with a 9.7-inch screen. Apple shares on Monday topped $500, finishing the trading session up 1.9% at $502.60.

 

Separately, the newspaper reported Verizon Wireless (VZ) and AT&T(T) will sell a version of the coming iPad that runs on their newest fourth-generation wireless networks. Apple is expected to announce the latest version of the iPad in the first week of March.

 

Boeing (BA) said Tuesday it finalized an order from Indonesia's Lion Air for 230 airplanes valued at $22.4 billion, Boeing's largest ever commercial airplane order. Boeing said Lion Air's order includes 201 737 MAXs and 29 next-generation 737-900 ERs.

 

By Chao Deng

 

Updated at 4:42 p.m. ET

 

Stocks finished flat Tuesday after a mixed batch of U.S. economic data tempered enthusiasm for a promising read on investor sentiment in Germany.

 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) managed to close higher, adding 4 points to 12,878. The S&P 500 ($INX) lost 1 point to finish at 1,351, and the Nasdaq ($COMPX) was up slightly at 2,932.

 

“Investors are fairly incentivized to take some risk,” says Jason Pride, director of investment strategy at Glenmede Investment Management. “It’s not to say a pullback isn’t possible, but you need to have risk assets in your portfolio that can also absorb shocks in a subpar economic environment…. It’s important to find a comfortable medium.”

 

Debt downgrades of six European countries by Moody's Investors Service cast a shadow on market sentiment ahead of the open and reminded investors that economic weakness is a long-term threat in the region. The countries being downgraded are Italy and Spain, which have now lost their triple-A ratings, as well as Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Malta. 

 

By Alix Steel

 

Updated at 3:20 p.m. ET

 

Gold prices closed flat Monday after Greece nailed down a debt deal.

 

Gold (-GC) for April delivery settled down 40 cents at $1,724.90 an ounce at the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold traded as high as $1,735.40 and as low as $1,717.70 an ounce while the spot price was up $1.60, according to Kitco's gold index.

 

By Andrea Tse

Updated at 9:28 a.m. ET

 

Apple (AAPL) escalated its legal battle against Samsung by asking a California court to issue an injunction that would block sales of the Galaxy Nexus smartphone, according to reports. In the suit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in San Jose, Apple accuses Samsung of violating four Apple patents with its new phone, according to a Dow Jones report published over the weekend. Apple argues that the new Samsung phone is the strongest competitor yet to its iPhone and poses a robust threat to its market share, Dow Jones said.

 

Vodafone (VOD) confirmed Monday that it is considering making an offer for Britain's Cable & Wireless Worldwide. Vodafone said Monday it was "in the very early stages of evaluating the merits of a potential offer for CWW." If an offer is made, Vodafone said, it likely would be in cash. Reports suggest Cable & Wireless might be sold for 700 million pounds ($1.1 billion) to 900 million pounds.