Stocks Rise at Open on Stimulus Expectations

U.S. stocks rose at the open on Wednesday on hopes the Federal Reserve will keep its stimulus
measures in place longer than anticipated, The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately added 62.12
points, or 0.40%, to 15,680.34. The S&P 500 rose 5.30 points, or 0.30%, to 1,768.27. The Nasdaq
Composite gained 7.09 points, or 0.18%, to 3,946.95.

Microsoft Corp has narrowed its list of external candidates to replace Chief Executive Steve
Ballmer to about five people, including Ford Motor Co’s current chief Alan Mulally and former
Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Mining costs, industry parlance for the investments in sophisticated technology required to create
bitcoin, are soaring as companies and people race to build ever-more-powerful computers to jump
into the market.

The number of planned layoffs at U.S. firms rose 13.5 percent in October on cuts in the
pharmaceutical and financial sectors, a report on Wednesday showed. Employers announced 45,730
layoffs last month, up from 40,289 in September, according to the report from consultants
Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) has maintained a lead in smartphone sales in the United States. However, its
luck has run out worldwide as Samsung’s models continue a surge in popularity. The trend suggests
that Apple’s iPhone may never gain the high ground in the smartphone industry again.

Tesla said that it narrowed its third-quarter loss compared with the same period a year ago, as it
sold more Model S all-electric luxury sedans. It lost $38 million on revenue of $431 million for
the quarter that ended Sept. 30.