On Friday, share value of Airgas soared, right before a rival industrial gas supplier sent in an acquisition bid, a development which has managed to raise some suspicious eyebrows.

As the Government reached an important breakthrough in the major healthcare revamp bill by securing the decisive vote, which has paved the way for things to go much smoother than before, stocks across all major US markets are expected to open higher on Monday as compared to their Friday's closing points.

Powell Industries Inc. recently revealed a 19% rise in its earnings report for the current fiscal year's fourth quarter, on the back of lower expenses; its backlog, however, did continue to fall. The results posted have managed to beat Wall Street estimates.

On Tuesday, retailer of auto parts, AutoZone reported a 9% rise in earnings for the current fiscal year's first quarter, on the back of cautious customers choosing to spend more on repair of their old cars rather than buying new ones.

Also, the company shared that while performance at its existing stores improved, it kept setting up new stores all throughout the quarter.

American's largest tax preparer, H&R Block Inc., has posted a slimmer-than-expected loss for the current fiscal year's second-quarter, on the back of a better Tax Services segment results. A quarterly loss of $128.6 Million, or 38 cents per share, was posted, a substantial improvement from the $135.9 Million worth of loss posted for same period last year.

Share prices of ITV surged by almost 8% this morning after the company revealed that it is expecting a good rise in its advertising revenue starting next month. According to the firm's estimates, net ad revenue would rise as much as 4% in December after falling in October and November by 3% and 1%, respectively.

One of the world's leading beauty products manufacturers, Estee Lauder has delighted investors and analysts by posting the profits for its fiscal first-quarter which reveal figures which have more than doubled as compared to those posted for the same period last year. High overseas sales have helped the firm surpass its own earnings forecast by a large margin.

Aetna, America's leading health insurer, has beat all estimates by posting an 18% surge in its net earnings, and much better than expected returns on all its investments, making the insurance firm one of the few companies to have posted positive earnings in the current times of economic downturn.

Newmont Mining Corp., the world's second ranked gold producer, has posted its third quarter report which has revealed profit figures which have doubled as compared to last year's profit. The actual profits, which have beat estimates by analysts by a huge margin, have been credited to rapidly rising gold prices and sales, by the company.

Beating all estimates in its third-quarter figures reported, DreamWorks Animation has posted profits which have been much better than expected by analysts and investors. The high sales of the "Monster vs. Aliens" DVD, the company's latest release, is being credited as the reason behind this surge in profits.