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Bank of America 4Q earnings jump nearly five-fold By KEN SWEET - AP - 29 mins ago NEW YORK (AP) — Bank of America Corp. says its fourth-quarter profit jumped from a year earlier, as the loans on the bank's balance sheet continued to improve. ( full story ) BAC : 16.77 (+0.34)

Ahead of the Bell: US Wholesale Prices AP - 1 hr 32 mins ago WASHINGTON (AP) — The Labor Department reports on wholesale inflation in December. The report will be released at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Wednesday. ( full story )

Obama to nominate Calif. businesswoman to lead SBA By JIM KUHNHENN - AP - 48 mins ago WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama intends to nominate Maria Contreras-Sweet, the founder of a Latino-owned community bank in Los Angeles and a former California cabinet secretary, to be head of the Small Business Administration, according to a White House official. ( full story )

LONDON (AP) — Japanese shares led markets higher on Wednesday as investor sentiment recovered amid hopes for the global economy. ( full story )