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Gold headed for its biggest two-day drop in 30 years on Monday as funds accelerated their exits from the market, and investors also cut exposure to oil, copper and grain after underwhelming Chinese growth data.

The Federal Reserve says it may start dialing back asset purchases this summer, but Wall Street doesn't seem worried Wednesday with stocks flying Wednesday and driving the major averages to fresh nominal highs.

New York's Dow Jones share index sets a new all-time high, as does the broader based S&P 500 index. The rallies mean the stock markets are returning to levels not seen since before the global financial crisis.

Nasdaq OMX Group Inc agreed to buy electronic Treasuries-trading platform eSpeed from BGC Partners Inc for $750 million in cash, providing the exchange operator an entry into one of the world's largest and most liquid cash markets.

Shares of Pinnacle Foods Inc (PF.N), owner of the Birds Eye and Duncan Hines brands, rose 13.7 percent in their New York Stock Exchange debut on Thursday. The stock was trading at $22.73 after the company backed by Blackstone Group LP (BX.N) raised $580 million in its initial public offering.

U.S. stocks fell as an unprecedented Cyprus bank-deposit tax sparked renewed fears about Europe's debt crisis.

The Dow Jones industrial average has reached another milestone, recording its longest winning streak since 1996. The index rose for the 10th time in a row Wednesday, gaining 83 points to close at 14,539, an increase of 0.6 percent.

Nasdaq OMX and SharesPost will join to create a new exchange that will allow accredited investors to buy private-company shares. The move reflects the competition and new landscape these market-makers face--particularly whether interest in pre-IPO stocks will fade now that Facebook shares trade publicly.

The Dow Jones industrial average, an index of 30 U.S. stocks and a gauge of financial markets, closed at a record high of 14,253 on Tuesday. The Dow has more than doubled since hitting a 12-year low in March 2009....

Despite everything, the stock market is back at a record high. The Dow Jones industrial average, which measures the performance of 30 blue-chip companies, rose more than 140 points in afternoon trading on Tuesday, surpassing its previous record close of 14,164.53, which it achieved nearly five and a half years ago, as well as its record intraday high, set around the same time, of 14,198.10.