Merrill Lynch Chairman and CEO Stan O'Neal told shareholders that  "mistakes" in  subprime lending exposure  led to $7.9 billion in write-downs for the third quarter.  Cramer: Merrill in Peril   More from Earnings Central 

  This is the LIVE BLOG for today's Google analyst meeting at the company's headquarters in Mountain View, California. Get up to the minute posts as the action happens.

  U.S. sales of previously owned homes fell 8.0 percent in September to a record low 5.04 million unit pace amid troubles in the subprime mortgage and credit markets, the National Association of Realtors said Wednesday.

  Online retailer Amazon.com made more money in the third quarter than Wall Street expected, but investors concerned about the company's margins slammed the company's shares.

  Oil closed higher Wednesday, after a sharp fall in U.S. inventories stirred up fears of a supply shortfall ahead of winter.

  Anheuser-Busch said on Wednesday quarterly profit rose as the nation's largest brewer sold more beer at higher prices.

  Investors are still jittery about the future of Bear Stearns.

  The mouse is gaining on the mall, and that could be good news for your investment portfolio. Online shopping used to be viewed as a secondary option used by the tech savvy and those too busy to head to the mall. That perception is changing.

  The hour's top headlines, with CNBC's Darby Dunn

  With earnings season underway, CEOs are out talking about their companies. Here's what three of them told CNBC on Wednesday.

  Cablevision Systems said Tuesday it did not receive enough votes from its shareholders to approve a $10.6 billion buyout bid from the Dolan family.

  More than 200 federal and state agents searched the Tampa, Fla. headquarters of health insurer WellCare Health Plans on Wednesday, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Tampa said.

  Boeing said Wednesday third-quarter profit rose more than expected, helped by higher deliveries of commercial planes, but it scaled back its revenue forecast for next year due to delays on its 787 Dreamliner and slowing growth at its defense unit.

  GlaxoSmithKline posted a lower profit on Wednesday due to tumbling sales of its Avandia diabetes drug, generic competition and pressure on top-selling asthma treatment Advair, and said it would cut jobs to save costs.