Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) analyst Jason Bazinet, stated that a deal between Comcast and Time Warner would give the combination 37 percent of the pay TV market plus offer about $2.7 billion in cost savings. Shares of both companies would likely trade higher on a potential announcement. This prediction comes on the heels of a court case that struck down a rule limiting cable companies to no more than 30 percent of the U.S. pay TV market. -Reuters

J.P. Morgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) upgraded UAL Corp. (NASDAQ: UAUA) to overweight from underweight and US Airways (NYSE: LCC) to neutral from underweight, stating that air passenger demand, lower jet fuel prices and mild weather have aided in reducing anxiety over potential bankruptcies among airlines.-Marketwatch

European and Asian stocks rose Thursday and Wall Street was expected to gain at the open after a Federal Reserve report boosted hopes the U.S. economy is recovering steadily. Germany’s DAX rose 0.7 percent to 5,612.60 and Britain’s FTSE 100 gained 0.4 percent to 5,024.32. France’s CAC-40 was up 0.5 percent at 3,726.08. Many Asian indexes were up as much as 2 percent, while on Wall Street Dow industrials futures were up 11 points at 9,549 and Standard & Poor’s 500 futures were up 1.5 points at 1,034. -AOL Money & Finance

Monsanto Co. (NYSE: MON) said that 2009 ongoing earnings will come in at the low end of its estimated range of $4.40 to $4.50 per share. For the fiscal year ended in August, analysts have produced a consensus estimate of $4.52 per share. Monsanto expects that ongoing profit for 2010 will come in the range of $3.10 to $3.30 per share. -Marketwatch

Americans filing first-time claims for jobless benefits dropped in the previous week to the lowest level since July, a sign the labor market is deteriorating at a slower pace. Applications dropped by 26,000 to 550,000 for the week ended Sept. 5, lower than economists had forecasted, from a revised 576,000 the week before, Labor Department data showed today in Washington. The total number of people collecting unemployment insurance declined to the lowest level since April. -Bloomberg

The nation’s trade deficit widened sharply in July, as foreign automakers rushed vehicles into the country to take advantage of the government’s cash-for-clunkers program, Commerce Department data showed Thursday. The trade deficit expanded 16.3% in July, reaching $32.0 billion from $27 billion in June, the agency said. It marked the largest trade gap since January. The one-month worsening in the deficit is the biggest since February 1999. -Marketwatch

-Jutia Group