Jodie R Velasco

Venezuelan state oil monopoly Petroleos de Venezuela, or PdVSA, said Wednesday it has finalized a term sheet for a $2 billion credit line it will recieve from U.S. oil major Chevron Corp. (CVX) which will go towards the companies' Petroboscan joint venture in the South American country.

Stryker Corp.'s (SYK) second-quarter earnings rose 4.8% as the company absorbed some charges, while sales growth was hampered by unfavorable foreign-currency rates and softness in international orthopedic markets.

Yum! Brands Inc. (YUM), which owns the Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell fast-food chains, saw its profit rise 4.8% in the latest quarter, as improvements at Taco Bell boosted its U.S. business, which is becoming more important given the pullback in China's economic growth.

Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT) long-awaited Windows 8 operating system will go on sale Oct. 26, its most critical software upgrade in a decade.

Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT) long-awaited Windows 8 operating system will go on sale Oct. 26, its most critical software upgrade in a decade.

KFC parent Yum Brands Inc reported quarterly profit that missed Wall Street's view as inflation in China cut into margins in there.

Mellanox Technologies Ltd.'s (MLNX, MLNX.TV) second-quarter earnings soared as the data-storage company's better-than-expected revenue broke a new record.

Iron-ore production at Brazilian mining company Vale SA (VALE, VALE5.BR) recovered in the second quarter after a sluggish start to 2012 as the country's rainy season ended, the world's largest producer of the key steelmaking ingredient said late Wednesday.

Argentine dollar-denominated bonds extended recent gains Wednesday as local investors sought shelter from a rise in the value of the U.S. dollar in the informal-exchange market.

TOP STORIES: UPDATE: Risk of Global Food Price Inflation Grows on U.S. Drought LONDON--The risk of another wave of global food price inflation is growing fast, Barclays PLC (BCS) said Wednesday, as U.S. grains and soybeans prices trade within touching distance of all-time highs, due to the nation's