In the U.S., the Chicago Climate Exchange and the Chicago Climate Futures Exchange trade voluntary carbon permits that are legally binding. Members of the CCX, as the Chicago exchange is known, include Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F), United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX), DuPont (NYSE:DD), Potash Corp. (NYSE:POT), American Electric Power Co. (NYSE:AEP), and FMC Corp. (NYSE:FMC).

Costco (COST) stock was a darling of investors during the economic downturn as the warehouse discounter offered cash-strapped consumers a deal and saw strong profits as a result. But with the worst of the global recession in the rearview mirror, investors are wondering what's in store for Costco stock.

That green Starbucks (SBUX) is making a push into the retail marketplace -- starting with its Via instant coffee sales a summer strategy that includes new ice cream flavors. SBUX stock has performed very well lately, and Starbucks is looking to keep its momentum of strong earnings and sales.

Fast-food giant McDonald's (MCD) is without doubt the quintessential American fast-food restaurant -- but McDonald's is also a global name with strong global sales. The company makes products enjoyed around the world, and it offers those products at a price point accessible to nearly everyone.

Agricultural stock and fertilizer maker Potash Corp. (POT) reported a 46% hike in earnings today, from EPS of $1.01 in the first quarter of 2009 to $1.47 in the first quarter of 2010. The POT earnings spike was mainly due to sales of potash, which generated 72% of the company's total first-quarter gross margin. Agri-business companies Monsanto Corp. (MON), Mosaic Corp. (MOS), and Sygenta AG (SYT) have already reported first quarter results that were mixed at best. Another large manufacturer, Agrium Inc. (AGU) does not report earnings until next week.

Four blue chip electric utilities reported earnings this morning, and profits were down at all four. Earnings were released from Dominion Resources, Inc. (D), American Electric Power Company (AEP), Xcel Energy Inc. (XEL) and Entergy Corp. (ETR). Earnings declines ranged from 4% to 9%, and were attributed to a variety of factors, from decreased demand to higher operating costs.

According to statistics from NetMarketShare, Ask.com, the search site owned by IAC Interactive (IACI) has the fifth largest share of global search, at 0.63%. Leaving out Baidu Inc. (BIDU), IAC ranks fourth.

Major oil stocks Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) and ConocoPhillips Corp. (COP) reported earnings this morning, with independent oil stock Occidental Petroleum Corp. (OXY) also reporting earnings alongside these heavyweights. All reported higher profits in their earnings reports due to higher crude oil prices.

Seattle coffee icon Starbucks (SBUX) has been on the resurgence in 2010 after consumers fled during the Great Recession. In order to keep the profits percolating, SBUX stock is looking to roll out a fresh new menu of Frappucinos and iced coffee for the hot summer months.

At last week's release of its 2009 annual report, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) indicated that it might change direction and "develop new, innovative formats." Company president/CEO Mike Duke especially noted opportunities in major metropolitan markets as a target for the new formats.

It's been another busy week for dividend growth. A number of blue chip stocks saw dividend increases, including tech giant IBM (IBM) and retail stock Costco (COST). Forest products company International Paper (IP) also saw a quarterly dividend boost. Small cap stocks that raised dividend yields include metal products maker Valmont Industries (VMI), offshore oil driller Ensco (ESV), chemical stock Celanese (CE) and regional bank Community Bank System (CBU).

Despite a positive earnings report, some profit taking and new concerns about the company going forward have caused Ford shares to fall today.

There are still plenty of people who believe that the U.S. economy remains on life support and is likely to grind to a halt at any time. Yet the data is simply not supporting that point of view.

Citrix Systems (CTXS), a company that specializes in ''cloud computing," has the potential to revolutionize the speed of modern devices over the next few years, and is a good buy now for tech investors.

Sprint Nextel Corp. (S) reported earnings for the first quarter today. Specifically, Sprint earnings showed an EPS loss of -$0.29, but adjusted for a tax charge, the EPS loss totaled -$0.17, right on the average estimate. S earnings also showed revenues of $8.09 billion that were slightly ahead of the average estimate of $8.05, but 2% below first quarter 2009 revenue of $8.21 billion. This is not a good earnings report for Sprint.

On Tuesday Goldman Sachs (GS) executives were grilled by the Senate Banking Committee over allegations the bank helped inflate the housing bubble -- and then made billions of dollars when that bubble burst. The current Goldman woes are having a negative effect on the share prices of many banking stocks, including JPMorgan (JPM), Wells Fargo (WFC), Citibank (C) and Bank of America (BAC). But here's why Bank of America is a buy.

In late February, CKE Restaurants, Inc. (CKR) agreed to be acquired by Thomas H. Lee Partners, a private equity firm, for about $928 million, including $309 million of net debt. That means changes for industry rivals McDonald's (MCD) and Burger King (BKC).