India

U.S. stock futures are higher with the government reporting that weekly jobless claims edged downward last week, suggesting that employers may accelerate hiring this month.

I recently penned a column pointing out that when America "lost" the TV manufacturing industry to Japan, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing, because the business has become a low-margin money loser. A lot of readers disagreed.

Americans have grown used to oil at $100 a barrel and paying more than $3 per gallon for gas at the pump. But don't get too comfy -- the price of filling up is probably going up in 2012.

Buddhism is all about renunciation: To achieve nirvana, the Buddha teaches, one must crush desire. But one exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader -- the Karmapa Lama -- allegedly had an undeclared $1.35 million cash stash at his monastery in northern India.

The world's fourth Elvis-themed restaurant is scheduled to open in a mall in Georgia this year. But not in the Peach State in the heart of the Dixie -- the Elvis American Diner is in the Republic of Georgia. Seems that in the former Soviet Union, the King and 1950s Americana are considered pretty nifty.

Even buy-and-hold investors can't afford to let their portfolios collect cobwebs. Valuations and fundamentals change perpetually, and shareholders need to know when there's more potential for growth elsewhere. Here we take a look at some online travel agency stocks worth swapping: Expedia and Priceline.

By the end of 2012, one-third of the world's travel sales will be booked online. But the majority of bookings still happen through the traditional brick-and-mortar travel agents, which is why Expedia's new Travel Agent Affiliate Program is a smart growth move for the OTA.

Nike is already the global leader in the athletic footwear, apparel and equipment business, and globally is where its future growth lies. Its online sales have surged, and with increasing Internet penetration in emerging markets, Trefis sees more impressive online sales growth ahead.

Walmart's numbers have been stagnating in the U.S. lately, but overseas in emerging markets, the world's biggest retailer has been coming on strong. Its stock has been hovering in the low $50s -- and you won't believe where Trefis puts its estimate for the real value of the low-price giant.

Expedia, the world's largest online travel agency, soon will be selling flights, hotel bookings and holiday packages in the world's fastest growing aviation and tourism market, thanks to an exclusive deal with AirAsia. Trefis takes a look at what the deal will mean for both companies.