10 Top-Traded US Stocks: Amazon announces 20-for-1 stock split and $10 billion buyback plan

1. The top U.S. securities regulator asked a judge for permission to distribute $40 million to investors it obtained in a 2018 civil settlement with Elon Musk and $Tesla(TSLA.US)$ Inc that resolved a fraud charge and required Musk to obtain advance approval for some tweets.

2. $Amazon(AMZN.US)$ shares are moving sharply higher in after-hours trading after the e-commerce and cloud-computing giant declared a 20-for-1 stock split and announced an expanded stock-repurchase program.

3. $Microsoft(MSFT.US)$ has begun calling employees back to its headquarters in recent weeks, but its return-to-office strategy hinges on hybrid work.

4. A joint venture between $Chevron(CVX.US)$ and Phillips 66 has agreed to spend $118 million to upgrade and clean up three of its petrochemical plants on the Gulf Coast and pay a $3.4 million civil penalty as part of a settlement for violating federal air quality rules, the U.S. Justice Department announced on Wednesday.