MINERAL              EXPLORATION Mineral exploration can be a golden investment opportunity worth taking a closer look at. It is the process of finding a viable ore body, or concentrations of minerals. This differs from mineral prospecting due to its greater intensity and more extensive nature. The process of mineral exploration can be divided into several stages, depending on the size... 

CenturyLink Inc.’s CTL +0.47% first-quarter earnings fell 5.2% as higher operating expenses masked the telecom company’s revenue growth. The company raised its full-year earnings view by 10 cents, now projecting adjusted earnings of $2.35 to $2.55 a share. It reaffirmed its full-year revenue targets. For the current quarter, CenturyLink sees adjusted per-share earnings of 59 cents to 64... 

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s GS -1.90% latest public-charm initiative may soon involve a closer view of key conferences, long-closed affairs where clients hobnob with Goldman bankers and invited speakers. It is part of an effort to refurbish an image that became tarnished by the financial crisis and its aftermath. Goldman’s top brass have said they need to do... 

Petron Energy, Inc. was incorporated October, 1998 as a Texas corporation. Petron Energy, Inc. is a small independent oil and gas corporation, engaged in the development of oil and natural gas properties in Texas and Louisiana. The firm looks to capitalize on the enormous energy opportunity created by emerging global markets and domestic supply shortfalls. Since their inception they’ve provided... 

STEC Inc. STEC -4.23% swung to a first quarter loss as sharply lower revenues and increased investment in research and development for new products continued to weigh on the data-storage maker’s margins. STEC projected an adjusted second-quarter loss of 26 cents to 28 cents a share on $40 million to $42 million in revenue. Analysts on average are expecting a loss of 14 cents a share on revenue... 

MELBOURNE — Telstra Corp. (TLS.AU) is working with investment bank Credit Suisse on its media strategy, which may include a play for casino mogul James Packer’s stake in Consolidated Media Holdings Ltd. (CMJ.AU), the Australian Financial Review reported Wednesday. The newspaper said Credit Suisse wasn’t formally engaged in any Consolidated Media deal, but has been linked with a review... 

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Amid flagging sales for Microsoft Corp.’s MSFT -1.07% Xbox 360 videogame system, the company Monday began testing a new payment model that gives customers an option to pay less for the game console upfront if they agree to a two-year contract. Microsoft said in a statement that it began testing the new program in 17 of its branded retail stores in the U.S.... 

Pitney Bowes Inc.’s PBI -1.81% first-quarter earnings rose 80% on tax benefits and other items as the mail-and document-services company continued to report declining revenue. Pitney Bowes has been struggling to adapt to slumping mail use in North America as consumers turn to email and other communication methods. Pitney Bowes has sought to shift its focus from less-profitable businesses and... 

Cowen Group Inc.’s COWN +0.41% first-quarter earnings jumped from a weak year-earlier quarter as the financial services firm saw fewer expenses. The company reduced non-compensation expenses sequentially, and achieved its run-rate full-year cost reduction target for the quarter, said Chief Executive Peter Cohen. “While we have more work to do, the results for the first quarter show progress,”... 

Exelon Corp.’s EXC -0.75% first-quart earnings fell 70% as costs related to the electric and gas utility’s merger with Constellation Energy Group Inc. weighed on results and as margins weakened. Exelon, the largest operator of nuclear plants in the U.S., completed its acquisition of Constellation in March. The merger, an all-stock deal valued at nearly $8 billion, allows Exelon to absorb...