VENTURE CAPITAL POST

The Dow and S&P 500 closed at record highs on Tuesday, lifted by further gains in healthcare shares and hopes for a stronger global economy.

Shares of Virgin America Inc, a low-cost airline partly owned by Richard Branson, soared more than 30 percent in their market debut, underscoring the buoyant mood in an industry that is emerging from a long spell of turbulence.

Network equipment maker Cisco Systems Inc forecast current-quarter profit below analysts' average estimate, weighed down by capital budget cuts at telecom service providers and weak sales in emerging markets.

DirecTV, the No.1 U.S. satellite TV provider, reported a quarterly profit above analysts' expectations as it earned more from each subscriber in the United States.

News Corp (NWSA.O), publisher of the Wall Street Journal, reported quarterly revenue and profit above estimates, helped by higher sales at its book publishing and online real estate businesses.

U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday, with both the S&P 500 and Dow advancing to records, after Republicans took control of the Senate, allaying fears of drawn-out runoffs and raising investor hopes for more business- and energy-friendly policies.

For good stock market bets, some top investors can't be too bothered by details like corporate profits: instead, they pick companies run by their founders.

A divided U.S. appeals court rejected UBS AG's (UBSN.VX) bid to force Nasdaq OMX Group Inc (NDAQ.O) to arbitrate a dispute over the exchange operator's alleged "catastrophic mismanagement" of Facebook Inc's (FB.O) $16 billion initial public offering.

The Dow and S&P 500 ended at record highs on Friday and other indexes posted strong gains for a second week after the Bank of Japan's surprise move to ramp up its stimulus program.

U.S. stocks edged higher on Wednesday boosted by gains in the energy sector, with traders looking forward to a statement from the U.S. Federal Reserve as it winds down its stimulus program.

U.S. stocks ended near flat on Monday, pausing after the S&P 500's biggest weekly gain since January 2013, while energy shares fell with another decline in oil prices.

U.S. stock index futures fell on Friday, putting the S&P 500 on track to trim its weekly advance, following disappointing earnings from Amazon and as the first diagnosed case of Ebola in New York City raised concerns about the spread of the virus.

U.S. stocks erased earlier gains to close lower on Wednesday as a shooting at the Canadian parliament unnerved investors, Boeing and Biogen sold off following results, and energy stocks fell along with oil prices.

Broadcom (BRCM.O) posted third-quarter results on Tuesday that exceeded Wall Street's expectations as the chipmaker focused on networking and smartphone chips, sending its shares 5 percent higher.

Netflix Inc signed up fewer video streaming subscribers than forecast for the quarter that ended in September as its U.S. growth slowed markedly, sending its shares plunging as much as 27 percent.