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Asia markets trade lower, with investors slapping down Japanese stocks after the yen spikes overnight.

LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Australian stocks fell Wednesday, in step with losses overnight on Wall Street and in the region fueled by worries that central banks won't provide more economic stimulus. The S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.8% to 4,721.40, but an intraday low at 4,717.40 marked a 10% decline since the benchmark's most recent high on May 15, which is considered a technical correction. Banking stocks slumped on Wednesday, with Westpac Banking Corp. pacing decliners with a 2% fall. Mining stocks were also lower as commodity prices declined, with BHP Billiton Ltd. off by 0.3%. Shares of Newcrest Mining Ltd. fell 1% as the gold producer told Australia's securities exchange that it didn't break any share-listing rules related to the timing of the company's recent restructuring announcement. Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

Shares of beauty products retailer rally after first-quarter earnings. Rambus shares pop on SK Hynix agreement.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The Securities and Exchange Commission charged Paccar with accounting deficiencies during the financial crisis. Paccar failed to report the operating results of its aftermarket parts business separately from its truck sales business as required under segment reporting requirements, the SEC said. It also failed to provide complete information about their respective loan and lease portfolios and overstated some loan and lease originations and collections at two foreign subsidiaries in its statement of cash flows, the SEC alleged. Without admitting or denying the charges, Paccar agreed to pay a $225,000 penalty. Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

This is a Real-time headline. These are breaking news, delivered the minute it happens, delivered ticker-tape style. Visit www.marketwatch.com or the quote page for more information about this breaking news.

This is a Real-time headline. These are breaking news, delivered the minute it happens, delivered ticker-tape style. Visit www.marketwatch.com or the quote page for more information about this breaking news.

U.S. stocks trade mostly lower on Monday as investors weigh the impact of a disappointing U.S. manufacturing report on potential quantitative-easing moves by the Federal Reserve.

This is a Real-time headline. These are breaking news, delivered the minute it happens, delivered ticker-tape style. Visit www.marketwatch.com or the quote page for more information about this breaking news.

This is a Real-time headline. These are breaking news, delivered the minute it happens, delivered ticker-tape style. Visit www.marketwatch.com or the quote page for more information about this breaking news.

Shares of Internet-radio company Pandora Media Inc. slump on Monday following a media report that Apple Inc. is planning to launch a streaming music services for iTunes.

Pandora skids on growing concerns of competition from Apple after the iPhone maker signs a licensing agreement with Warner Music Group.

The dollar falls on Monday below the 100-Japanese-yen level as U.S. manufacturing activity showed an unexpected contraction in May.

Gold futures rally above $1,400 an ounce on Monday following a more than 5% drop in May. Meanwhile, Roubini forecasts gold at $1,000 an ounce by 2015.

Strong demand for new pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles boosted sales in May for major auto makers in the U.S., but analysts are questioning whether the market’s recovery is starting to level off.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Williams-Sonoma Inc. and Hyatt Hotels Corp. experienced mini flash crashes Monday, with the hotel chain shares jumping from roughly $40.96 a share to $43.00 a share in 100 milliseconds at 11:19:57 a.m., according to Eric Hunsader, CEO of Nanex, a provider of real-time data to traders. The shares traded down to $41.18 a share a second later. Meanwhile, Williams-Sonoma dropped from $53.50 a share to $51.27 a share in less than a second at 9:31 a.m., before recovering to $53.25 a share in the next four seconds. The NYSE cancelled trades in Williams-Sonoma executed at or below $51.96 a share between 9:31 a.m. and 9:32 a.m. Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

Shares of Intel rally get a lift from an FBR Capital upgrade, but the tech sector is being weighed down by social media shares led by Facebook and Apple. F5 Networks falls sharply on a Morgan Stanley downgrade.

Treasurys rose on Monday after a reading on business conditions came in below expectations, pushing investors into haven government debt as markets watch for any signals about how data will impact central-bank monetary policy.

See these charts to understand the factors driving the improvement in auto sales.

The U.K.’s FTSE drops to the lowest level in a month, adding to losses from the prior week, as investors digest lackluster data from China and the U.S.

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WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart on Monday said the central bank is approaching the time at which it may dial back its $85 billion per month quantitative easing program. "To translate tapering into downward adjustment, I think we are approaching a period in which it can be considered," he told Fox Business Network in an interview. "I still think we have to be cautious, to make sure that we're reading an economy that has momentum and has growing confidence. I think there's certainly a case for, at this very moment, it being a little bit premature. So, you know I think it's a meeting-by-meeting kind of thing," he said. Lockhart is not a voting Federal Open Market Committee member this year. Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- NYSE Euronext Inc. shareholders voted to approve the merger with the InterContinental Exchange Inc. on Monday, at a special shareholder meeting in New York. ICE shareholders also approved the merger in a special meeting. The proposal was initiated in December 2012 for $8.2 billion and would give ICE, the energy and commodity futures exchange, control of the biggest equities markets exchange. The deal is expected to be completed later this year, pending approval from regulators on both sides of the Atlantic. "Today is an important step toward completing this exciting combination, and ensuring the long-term success of the New York Stock Exchange group, Liffe, and our Euronext platform," said Duncan L. Niederauer, CEO of NYSE Euronext. NYSE shares were down 0.55% and ICE shares were down 1%. Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- General Motors Co. reported a 3.1% rise in U.S. vehicle sales for May to 252,894 units, exceeding expectations for a 2% rise. The car company said Monday the month was its best retail sales month since August 2009. Car sales were roughly the same as a year ago, while sales of crossovers rose 17% and truck sales posted a 15% increase. Cadillac sales led the increase, rising 39.9% from a year ago, while Buick sales declined by 3.1%. "Cadillac is growing faster than it has in almost 40 years, the pickup rebound is in full swing and we're seeing strong retail demand for our crossovers" said Kurt McNeil, vice president of U.S. sales operations. Shares of General Motors rose 1.5% in recent trade. Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- The U.S. dollar traded below the 100-yen level versus the Japanese currency for the first time since May 9 on Monday, as the U.S. unit extended losses versus major rivals in the wake of data that showed in May. The dollar traded at 99.63 yen in recent action after trading as low as 99.61 yen, according to FactSet. The dollar changed hands at 100.42 yen in North American trade late Friday. Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Gold futures climbed above $1,400 an ounce and oil prices added to earlier gains on Monday, buoyed by weakness in the dollar in the wake of U.S. data showing a contraction among U.S. manufacturers in May. The fell to 49.0% last month from 50.7% in April. August gold rose $11, or 0.8%, to $1,404 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. It was trading below $1,400 before the data. July crude oil traded at $92.84 a barrel on Nymex, up 87 cents, or 1%. It was trading around $92.67 before the data. Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Construction spending rose 0.4% in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $860.8 billion, the U.S. Department of Commerce said Monday. Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected April's rate to rise 1%. Nonresidential construction spending, which includes projects such as health-care facilities, rose 0.7%, while residential construction spending fell 0.2%. March's growth rate was revised to a decline of 0.8%, compared with a prior estimate of a 1.7% drop. Spending in April was 4.3% higher than the same period in 2012. Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) - Shares of F5 Networks fell sharply Monday morning after the networking company was downgraded to equal weight by Morgan Stanley. Analyst Ehud Gelblum said the company's new product upgrade cycle may not be as big a driver as previous cycles. F5 Networks shares were down more than 5% at $78.82, the worst performer on the S&P 500. The stock has fallen more than 18% since the beginning of the year. Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - U.S. manufacturers contracted in May for the first time since last fall, according to a closely followed index. The Institute for Supply Management index fell to 49.0% last month from 50.7% in April, marking the first contraction since November and the lowest reading since June 2009. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected the index to edge up to 51.0%. Readings under 50 indicate more manufacturers are shrinking instead of growing. The ISM's new-orders gauge dropped to 48.8% from 52.3%. The production index slid to 48.6% from 53.5%. And the employment gauge edged down to 50.1% from 50.2%. Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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