On Thursday, Bank of America Merrill Lynch announced that it has introduced Cuenta Controlada, or Controlled Account, services in Mexico for transactions involving Mexican pesos and United States dollars. Juan Pablo Cuevas, chief of Global Transaction Services for Latin America and the Caribbean, said that Cuenta Controlada regulates the exchange of cash among multiple parties, based on agreed-upon contractual provisions as specified by a client, with BofA Merrill Lynch acts as an independent third party to receive, hold and subsequently disburse the funds.

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM): Current price $91.79

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and an Exxon Mobil subsidiary say that they intend to access the bond market by 2016 so as to plug a funding deficit in their oil exploration joint venture. Exxon and the state-owned corporation operate a joint venture with a capacity in excess of 550,000 barrels per day of crude oil, condensate and gas liquids.

 JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM): Current price $53.31

The Wall Street bank said it has named Barry Sommers as chief executive of its consumer bank, which includes its wealth management division. Visa (NYSE:V) had earlier said that JPMorgan’s current consumer banking chief, Ryan McInerney, had been chosen as its president. McInerney replaces President John Partridge of Visa, whose term ended on March 31. In a regulatory filing, Visa said that McInerney will receive an annual salary of $750,000.

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The New Brunswick, New Jersey-based company announced its plans in a meeting Thursday. The company’s innovative strategy and ability to continue to develop new therapies in-house and from outside, have allowed it to post 12 consecutive quarters of operational sales growth in its pharmaceuticals segment, which accounts for 38 percent of the company’s annual sales.

Paul Stoffels, M.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Johnston & Johnston, explained Thursday, “With a steadfast focus on the most serious unmet medical needs, our approach is to identify the best science — internal and external — to deliver new options and solutions to patients.”

By focusing on diseases that have few treatment options, Johnson & Johnson has been able to come out with eight new products since 2011 that generated $4.4 billion in sales last year, according to Bloomberg. These products include the prostrate cancer drug Zytiga, the diabetes medicine Invokana, and the blood thinner Xarelto.

As the pharmaceutical market grows to its expected $1.2 trillion by 2017, Johnson & Johnson plans to focus business on emerging markets like China, Brazil and India. By targeting these markets and working on treatments for diseases that give their patients very little options, the company is confident in its ability to submit more product filings and sustain its rapid growth.

As of 11:15 a.m. New York time, Johnson & Johnson fell 0.11 percent to $87.69. The shares gained 39 percent in the past 12 months through yesterday.

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In preparation for the next round of its patent infringement trial against Samsung (SSNLF.PK), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has added another five patents to its lawsuit. Apple has already raised the stakes for Samsung in the next patent trial by announcing that it intended to add Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S4 device to the list of products that Apple believes are infringing on its patents. This latest filing makes Apple’s request for the inclusion of the Galaxy S4 official, as well as citing the specific patents on which the device is infringing.

Via Foss Patents, Apple’s filing states that “Apple determined that the Galaxy S4 product practices many of the same claims already asserted by Apple, and that the Galaxy S4 practices those claims in the same way as the already-accused Samsung devices.” In other words, Apple believes Samsung is continuing to infringe on Apple’s patents in much the same way that the previous Samsung devices were.

Two of the recently added patents are related to Siri and share the title of “Universal interface for retrieval of information in a computer system.” Apple alleges that the Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Now feature in Android infringes on these two patents. Although Apple’s original patent claim targeted the Android Quick Search Box, this feature has been replaced on some Samsung devices by the Google Now app.

The three other patents cover “Graphical user interface using historical lists with field classes”; “System and method for performing an action on a structure in computer-generated data”; and “Asynchronous data synchronization amongst devices.” The “System and method for performing an action on a structure in computer-generated data” patent has been dubbed the “data tapping” patent by Florian Mueller at Foss Patents. He notes that Apple has previously won claims against HTC based on this particular patent.

All parties will have an opportunity to discuss Apple’s motion in a hearing scheduled for June 25 in front of Judge Paul S. Grewal. Here’s how Apple has traded so far this week.

Follow Nathanael on Twitter (@ArnoldEtan_WSCS)

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The Energy Information Administration reported Thursday that natural gas stockpiles rose 89 billion cubic feet to a total of 2.053 trillion cubic feet, slightly below analysts’ expectations for a 92-billion cubic feet increase. Supplies were 24.9 percent below year-earlier inventories, compared with 26.1 percent in the previous week.

But, as Prestige Economics president Jason Schenker told Bloomberg, this “injection is light but it’s not a game-changer.” There are “already upward-price-pressure dynamics in the market, given the deficit of inventories in place and the recent LNG announcement,” he added.

On May 17, the federal government conditionally approved the Freeport LNG liquefied natural gas export project in Texas, sending gas futures for June delivery up 3.5 cents to $4.09 per million British thermal units, the highest settlement price since May 1. The Freeport project was the second to receive approval from the Energy Department to export up to 1.4 billion cubic feet per day to countries that do not have free-trade agreements with the United States. The Freeport development — which is partly owned by ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP), Dow Chemical (NYSE:DOW), and Osaka Gas — must still win approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Cheniere Energy’s (NYSEMKT:LNG) Sabine Pass terminal in Louisiana is the only project that has full government approval to export LNG.

Just after the natural gas report was released Thursday morning, natural gas increased 3.9 cents, or 0.9 percent, to $4.225 per million British thermal units on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Prices have climbed 26 percent so far this year and 7.5 percent since May 16, the day before the Energy Department approved the Freeport export project.

Thanks to the boom in gas production from shale formations, the EIA has estimated that U.S.-marketed production in 2013 will set a record for the sixth straight year, increasing 1 percent to 69.9 billion cubic feet per day, according to the May 7 Short-Term Energy Outlook.

Gas supplies have been particularly affected by recent weather. “We really haven’t had a shoulder season,” Price Futures Group market analyst Phil Flynn told Bloomberg. “We’ve had either cold weather or very warm weather and demand expectations are continuing to rise.” Above-normal temperatures will spread through most of the lower 48 states from June 2 through June 6, according to the Commodity Weather Group. The high in New York on June 3 could reach 88 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 12 degrees higher than the usual reading. As a result, gas consumption will spike this summer, as high temperatures prompt increased air conditioning use and higher prices.

Follow Meghan on Twitter @MFoley_WSCS

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Honda Aircraft Co. currently employs 800 employees in its sector reserved for the development and production of the HondaJet. It will add 300 to 400 staff members, as it nears its deadline for regulatory approvement. Though the aircraft company fell behind schedule with the HF120 turbofan engine it built via a joint venture with General Electric Co. (NYSE:GE), Honda still expects the regulatory approval of the engine by the year’s end.

Some HondaJets are already flying, but trials with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration are at a standstill until its motor has been endorsed.

And speed is of the essence for Honda, as it competes with business-jet makers Textro Inc.’s (NYSE:TXT) Cessna and Embraer SA (NYSE:ERJ). Though Cessna is the largest builder of business jets, Michimasa Fujino, chief Executive offer of Honda’s Greensboro, North-Carolina-based unit, explained in an interview that “HondaJet’s engine arrangement allows for a larger cabin than rivals and greater fuel efficiency.” The $4.5 million is expected to seat as many as seven passengers.

With demand for business jets steadily increasing, Honda Aircraft is optimistic about the market for its future jet. It has already booked more than 100 plane orders.

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Akamai (NASDAQ:AKAM): Due to strong volume momentum in its underlying business and cost structure improvements, Canaccord has raised its price target on the company from $46 to $51. The firm believes Akamai’s strong growth is sustainable and that there is an upward bias to estimates, and rates the shares at Buy.

Allscripts (NASDAQ:MDRX): Raymond James has initiated a downgrade to Allscripts, citing valuation concerns, high consensus expectations, and potential accounting charges that could lead to more messy quarters. It now rates the shares at Outperform from Strong Buy, and a price target of $16.

Starwood Hotels (NYSE:HOT): Citing relative valuation, accelerating capital returns, solid fundamentals, and owned hotel sales opportunities, Bank of America/Merrill Lynch has upgraded shares of Starwood, from Neutral to Buy, as well as raised the price target from $70 to $84.

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Hewlett-Packard has announced the HP ENVY Rove mobile All-in-One PC, representing its first mobile All-in-One PC, separating the desktop PC from a desk and offers a built-in battery, unique design, and advanced touch tech. The company also unveiled new consumer notebooks, all-in-one PCs, and printers that give users additional flexibility in the way they access and share information. With affordable touch tech and new form factors, HP’s new additions allow seamless integration of tech into its customers’ lives.

Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX): Current price $125.51

Authorities in Indonesia have circumvented a court order and rearrested an executive at Chevron Corp’s Indonesian division in a case involving graft that showcases the growing tension with big oil firms there, as the country attempts to reverse an oil output slump. On Wednesday, the attorney general’s office announced that it had re-arrested the at PT Chevron Pacific Indonesia executive Bachtiar Abdul, despite a November 27th court order that exonerated him of any wrongdoing and released him from detention. Bachtiar was among the four Chevron employees detained on Sept. 26 in an inquiry into possible corruption at a Sumatra cleanup site established to remove toxins secreted into the soil after drilling by Chevron, which has operated in Indonesia and the former Dutch Indies for over 90 years.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ): Current price $51.69

Verizon Communications says that it will employ the small cell products of its existing equipment suppliers Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) and Alcatel Lucent (NYSE:ALU) through which to deploy small cells on its 4-gigabyte network. The company plans to introduce small cells from the second half. Presently, Verizon is the biggest LTE service provider in the United States, covering nearly 497 markets, which represents almost 95 percent of its total 3-gigabyte presence. The firm, which currently uses 700 megahertz, will complete its initial 4-gigabyte deployment by the middle of this year, and will use its Advanced Wireless Services spectrum to enhance its LTE capacity after that.

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X-Rite and Pantone report that Procter & Gamble has implemented PantoneLIVE, which is a cloud-based color service, to enhance operational efficiency in packaging execution. Since color is so importantly linked with brand equity, maintaining color consistency on product packaging is crucial for brand recognition and ensuring consumer confidence and satisfaction.

Merck & Co. (NYSE:MRK): Current price $47.10

On Wednesday, Merck’s experimental insomnia drug moved one step nearer FDA approval, after a panel of medical experts pronounced it effective and safe at lower doses. The advisory panel assisted the FDA in its decision whether or not to clear the drug, suvorexant, which would represent the first in a new class of sedatives that block chemicals in the brain called orexins that help keep persons awake. The drugs were created to help people fall asleep and stay asleep. On Monday, the FDA’s internal reviewers released a report expressing some fears regarding suvorexant’s potential to lead to next-day sleepiness and impaired driving, requesting the committee to consider whether patients should be started at a lower dose than that recommended by Merck.

The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA): Current price $99.63

Boeing won three new contracts in the  of Defense Department’s most recent issuance of defense contracting awards on Wednesday. Specifically, the aerospace giant was awarded $11.8 million in the form of an option exercise on a cost-plus-incentive-fee contract previously awarded to its Insitu drone-building subsidiary. This option allows Insitu to provide one Low Rate Initial Production land-based, small tactical unmanned aircraft system, alongside associated testing and logistical support. The new drone will be delivered to the United States Navy by May of next year. Also, Boeing won a $14.3 million contract as an add-on to a previously-awarded firm-fixed-price, foreign military sales contract to provide Apache Block III aircraft and associated parts and services to the government of Saudi Arabia. Finally, the company won a significantly bigger $69.2 million award that alters a related foreign-military-sales contract, again for the supply of Apaches and associated parts and services to the Saudis.

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Although there is no solid evidence that Apple is abandoning Corning’s Gorilla Glass in favor of wholesale adoption of sapphire crystal, it appears that Corning wanted to make sure it never crossed the iPhone maker’s mind. Corning recently released an article that outlines the advantages of Gorilla Glass over sapphire crystal. Corning seems to acknowledge the rumors in the article, stating “Recently, speculation has arisen that manufactured sapphire crystal might become an alternative to Corning’s Gorilla Glass.”

Corning senior vice president Jeffrey W. Evenson outlines the advantages of Gorilla Glass over sapphire crystal, stating “What would people say if someone invented a cover that was about half the weight, used 99 percent less energy to make, provided brighter displays, and cost less than a tenth of sapphire? I think they’d say that sapphire was in real trouble. It so happens that we at Corning already invented that cover — and it’s called Gorilla Glass.”

James R. Steiner, senior vice president and general manager of Corning’s Specialty Materials segment notes that the company is continually working on making Gorilla Glass even better. Corning is developing a non-reflective version of its glass to enable users to view mobile screens in bright sunlight. Corning is also working on integrating antimicrobial properties into the glass to eliminate bacteria from device screens. Steiner also notes that Gorilla Glass is already made ”at a thinness level that allows it to be curved and formed into shapes without sacrificing any of its toughness.  This will allow manufacturers to offer more distinctive devices in the future.”

Although it is unclear if Apple was ever seriously considering replacing Gorilla Glass with sapphire crystal, Corning’s proactive defense of Gorilla Glass shows that the speculation was serious enough to warrant a response from the supplier of Apple’s display covering material. Perhaps the most interesting aspects of Corning’s defense are the fantastic possibilities that the newer versions of Gorilla Glass will offer to Apple and its device users.

Here’s how Apple and Corning have traded so far this week.

Follow Nathanael on Twitter (@ArnoldEtan_WSCS)

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Target Corp. (NYSE:TGT): Following unexpectedly strong results from its new Canadian locations, Target has its sights set on repeat business in the country. While the retailer has leaned to the stingy side with its food offerings, the company is hinting that changes might be made to increase repeat business, coupled with ahead-of-projection REDCard penetration rates.

Cicsco (NASDAQ:CSCO): Citigroup believes that Cisco shares have enough upside that it could drive them up to $30, and has accordingly kept its shares rated at Buy, with a $26 price target. Citi notes that Cisco’s economic leverage is underappreciated, and an earnings surprise would bode well for shareholders.

United Continental Holdings (NYSE:UAL): EU regulators have accepted the concessions put forth by United, Lufthansa, and Air Canada meant to ease concerns about competition. The airlines would give up airport slots in Frankfurt and New York, and also allow rivals to sell tickets on the same route.

GameStop (NYSE:GME): Despite comparable store sales being down 6.7 percent year-over-year, GameStops’s quarterly results still managed to beat estimates, with EPS of $0.46 beating by $0.06, and revenue of $1.87 billion beating by $0.03 billion. New hardware sales fell 30.6 percent, while pre-owned sales slipping 7.5 percent. Opportunities for the company to grow include mobile sales (up 290 percent to $46.8 million) and digital sales (up 47.3 percent).

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