US stocks advance following better-than-expected inflation read

Wall Street steamed higher Wednesday after a better-than-expected report on consumer prices tempered some of the market's concerns about inflation.

Stocks: The Great Rebate Race (BusinessWeek Online)

BusinessWeek Online - The U.S. government is so eager to jump-start the economy with its stimulus package that the Treasury Dept. is even mailing rebate checks to the recently deceased. George Paquin, a financial planner in Chelmsford, Mass., is certain that one former client, who died last year, would have deposited the check in his bank account. But his daughter and executor will probably spend it on furnishings for her new home. Dead or alive, a customer with a rebate check would be a welcome sight at many retailers. ...

Netflix, Blockbuster hold dueling investor meetings (Reuters)

Reuters - Like two movies going head to head on opening weekend, Netflix Inc and Blockbuster Inc will make rival presentations to investors on Wednesday, as each DVD rental company tries to stay competitive in a converging marketplace.

Stock futures weaken ahead of big earnings day (Reuters)

Reuters - Stock futures weakened early on Thursday as investors prepared to plough into a fresh flurry of corporate results for clues about how much a crisis in the credit markets is hurting industrials.

Apple 2Q profit, sales beat Wall Street, but stock wobbles on guidance below estimates

Apple Inc.'s fiscal second-quarter profit jumped 36 percent on blistering sales of Macintosh computers — and beat Wall Street estimates — but its stock dipped on a lower-than-expected profit forecast.

iPhone market share at 19 percent in 1Q, IDC says (AP)

AP - Apple Inc.'s iPhone, a new model of which is widely expected this summer, took 19.2 percent of the U.S. market for "smart" phones in the first quarter of 2008, according to research firm IDC's vendor survey.