The NYSE Group Inc. (NYSE:NYX) will take its biggest step Wednesday toward becoming a truly global financial player when it closes a deal to create the first trans-Atlantic stock market. The New York Stock Exchange consummates its $11 billion takeover of Paris-based exchange operator Euronext NV at ceremonies in the U.S. and Europe. The combination into NYSE Euronext forms the world's biggest stock market, and ushers in a new era for financial markets where securities can be traded on two continents up to 12 hours a day. It will be a crowning achievement for John Thain, the former president of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. who became chief executive of the now 215-year-old NYSE in 2004.

Shares of some of the largest health insurers rose Tuesday after the government announced higher-than-expected payment increases for companies that operate private Medicare plans. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said late Monday that preliminary payments to companies that run Medicare Advantage programs will rise 3.5% for 2008. The payment boost, made to insurers for each Medicare participant they cover, is less than last year's 3.9% update, but above Wall Street estimates of a 2% to 3% increase.

Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM), stock rose $2.11, or 3.6% to $61.16 Tuesday on the NYSE. In after-hours trading, shares rose another $0.16 to $61.32. Competitor Wellcare Health Plans Inc., which makes a quarter of its revenue from Medicare Advantage, rose $1.93, or 2.2%, to $88.77. Shares of UnitedHealth Group Inc. rose $0.88 to close at $54.61, while shares of Aetna Inc. were up $0.64 to $44.83, both on the NYSE. Shares of Coventry Health Care Inc. rose $1.10 to close at $58.04 on the NYSE.

The best monthly sales performance ever for Toyota and gains by fellow Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan helped the industry in March top last year's best month for U.S. sales despite declines by GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler. Toyota's U.S. sales jumped nearly 12% in March compared with a year ago, boosted by record hybrid sales and strong overall car sales. The overall rise in U.S. sales came despite GM and DaimlerChrysler's sales falling about 4% each, and Ford posting a 9% drop.  

Marshall & Ilsley Corp. (NYSE:MI) plans to spin off its data processing arm into a stand-alone publicly traded company in a $4.25 billion deal involving a New York private equity firm, M&I said Tuesday. Warburg Pincus, a New York City global private equity firm will invest $625 million to purchase 25% equity in Metavante Corp. M&I shareholders will own the remaining 75% of Brown Deer-based Metavante. The deal is tax-free. M&I shareholders will receive one share of M&I stock and one share of Metavante Corp. stock for every three shares of Marshall & Ilsley Corp. stock held. Shares of M&I jumped $3.97, or nearly 9% to close at $49.83, after the Wall Street Journal reported that a $4 billion spinoff was in the works Tuesday morning.

Google (NDAQ:GOOG) shares rose Tuesday after the Web search company said that it will start selling and choosing some ads broadcast to EchoStar Communications Corp.'s 13.1 million satellite TV subscribers. Google shares gained $14.07, or 3.1%, to close at $472.60 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. During the past year, the stock has traded between $360.57 and $513. Mitchell also noted that OpenTV is EchoStar's largest technology provider, and that the company also has a relationship with Google, since its founder joined Google last year as head of television technology. EchoStar shares gained $0.50 to close at $44.04 on the Nasdaq. The Rentrak Corp., which sells business intelligence software for tracking entertainment sales data, could benefit from the contract because it can give advertisers real-time measurement data that is better than conventional statistical sampling processes. The company has 42 million set-top boxes across the country. Rentrak shares gained $0.37, or 2.4%, to close at $15.82 on the Nasdaq. Additionally, shares of OpenTV Corp., which may be another beneficiary of the deal, gained $0.09 or 3.6%, to close at $2.61 on the Nasdaq. The shares have ranged from $2.27 to $4.18 over the past year. OpenTV provides software for cable and satellite television.

Pozen (NDAQ:POZN), which is developing Trexima with GlaxoSmithKline PLC, said that Trexima worked better than drugs sumatriptan or naproxen sodium when used alone. The results were also published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Shares of Pozen rose $1.08, or 7.6%, to $15.30 in extended trading, after rising $0.24, or 2%, to finish at $14.22 on the Nasdaq Stock Market.