The Street Beat

Analysts expect Google to deliver solid financial results in the recently ended quarter, with revenue up more than 30 percent year-on-year at $7.21 billion. But the darkening economic picture is raising concerns that advertisers could pull back on spending in the months ahead, cutting into revenue and profit margins at Google, which derived 96 percent of its revenue last year from advertising.

Oil prices fell to near $84 a barrel Thursday due to retreating equity markets, slower export growth in China and lowered forecasts for global demand for crude. By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark crude for November delivery was down $1.23 to $84.34 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 24 cents to settle at $85.57 in New York on Wednesday.

Investorideas.com, a leader in renewable energy stock research, releases a trading alert for battery stock, A123 Systems, Inc. (NasdaqGS: AONE ). The stock has jumped as high as $3.97, now trading at $3.90, up 0.59 (17.82%) 12:32pm.

Asian stocks erased early declines to finish mostly higher on Wednesday as Beijing's gesture to support the market and optimism over corporate earnings helped more than offset Alcoa's disappointing third-quarter earnings and worries over Europe's debt crisis.

The European markets shrugged off early weakness and are moderate to notably higher in afternoon trading Wednesday, after investors in the region digested news of the Slovak Parliament blocking the expansion of the European Financial Stability Facility, amid hopes of a plan for recapitalizing European financial institutions to be unveiled today. On the economic front, industrial production in the Eurozone increased unexpectedly in August. Asian markets mostly rose and the U.S. index futures are higher.

Canadian stocks rallied on Tuesday, led by banks and resource producers amid hopes that Germany and France will lead a rescue of the Euro area. The S&P/TSX Composite Index rose 287.19 points or 2.48 percent to 11,875.55, after inspectors in Europe recommended that Greece get its next installment of bailout funds.

A three-day disruption to BlackBerry services spread to North America on Wednesday, frustrating users of the Research In Motion devices just two days before rival Apple's new iPhone 4S goes on sale.

Oil prices inched up above $86 a barrel Wednesday, supported by a weaker dollar even as concerns persisted about the sovereign debt crisis in Europe and the International Energy Agency slightly lowered its demand growth forecasts.