Stocks, Nasdaq | featured news

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.

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.

Nasdaq OMX Group recently talked with private equity firm Carlyle Group about taking the trans-Atlantic exchange operator private, but the talks broke down because of price disagreements, according to people familiar with the matter.

A weaker forecast of economic growth in Asia is sending stocks lower in early trading on Wall Street. The Dow Jones industrial average is down 47 points at 13,563 shortly after the opening bell Monday morning. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell seven points to 1,454 and the Nasdaq composite gave up 22 points to 3,113.

Stocks are opening lower on Wall Street after some gloomy economic data from Europe. Just after the opening bell, the Dow Jones industrial average is down 53 points at 13,526. The Standard & Poor's 500 index is down seven at 1,453, and the Nasdaq composite index is off 28 at 3,152.

It’s been over three weeks since Facebook launched its $16 billion IPO, and as you’ve heard by now, it’s belly flopping on the NASDAQ. Wall Street and Silicon Valley VCs are in an uproar over the company's 30-percent stock decline and $25 share value, with some shareholders already looking to recoup their loses by suing CEO Mark Zuckerberg for withholding info on the company’s true value during its public outing.

UBS is sitting on losses that could be as high as $350 million stemming from its investment in the Facebook initial public offering, and is preparing legal action against Nasdaq as a result, people familiar with the matter told CNBC.

U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday after an encouraging start to earnings season helped equities rebound from five days of losses that pushed the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq below key technical levels.

Stocks are pulling back sharply on Wall Street as investors get their first chance to react to a slowdown in hiring in the United States in March. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 152 points to 12,908 shortly before noon Monday. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was off 18 at 1,380, and the Nasdaq composite lost 36 points to 3,044.

Stocks climbed to new heights in part on rosy retail sales data, pushing the broad market to levels last seen in June 2008 and the Nasdaq composite index past the 3,000 milestone for the first time since 2000.