BUSINESS

U.S. retail sales posted their largest gain in five months in February as Americans stepped up purchases of motor vehicles and other goods even as they paid more for gasoline.

Japanese billionaire Kazuo Okada, embroiled in a legal fight with former partner Steve Wynn, the chairman of casino operator Wynn Resorts, used a video on Tuesday to deny claims by the Las Vegas mogul that he was unsuitable to be a company director.

Stocks rose at the open on Tuesday on easing concerns about the euro zone's economy and after a report showed better-than-expected retail sales last month.

Britain's Financial Services Authority has fined Nicholas Kyprios, head of Credit Suisse's European Credit Sales business in London, 210,000 pounds ($327,900), alleging that he gave away confidential client information.

At least 50 advisers who managed nearly $12 billion in client assets at Merrill Lynch have left the thundering herd since January 1, based on moves tracked by Reuters.

Retail sales recorded their largest gain in five months in February as Americans snapped up motor vehicles and bought a range of goods even as they paid more for gasoline, government data showed on Tuesday.

The World Trade Organization said on Monday it had upheld the bulk of a ruling that Boeing received billions of dollars of subsidies to compete with Europe's Airbus , as both sides once again claimed victory in a long-running trade row.

Volkswagen AG unit Audi is in talks to buy Italian motorbike maker Ducati, two sources familiar with the matter said, in a deal that could extend a long-standing rivalry with BMW to superbikes.

Stock index futures advanced on Tuesday ahead of data that could provide clues about the intensity of consumer spending and before a monetary policy announcement from the Federal Reserve.

European shares rose and the dollar held near highs on Tuesday on hopes German and U.S. data will fuel expectations of an economic recovery and of no fresh stimulus moves from the Federal Reserve later in the day.

The package of new financing, debt restructuring and reforms can put Greek debt on a sustainable path, but Athens will have to stick to good policies until 2030 to make it work, an updated debt sustainability analysis by international lenders showed.

The Bank of Japan kept monetary policy on hold on Tuesday, overruling a lone proposal for more stimulus and disappointing some in markets who thought the central bank could follow up last month's easing with another move to amplify its impact.

European shares gained on Tuesday on hopes German and U.S. data will support rising hopes of an economic recovery ahead of a monetary policy statement by the Federal Reserve.

Asian equities hit a one-week high on Tuesday, holding firm in the wake of recent signs of improvement in the U.S. economy, while the yen rose after the Bank of Japan kept monetary policy steady.

Some big financial firms have offered to buy the claims of thousands of MF Global customers, whose money went missing after the brokerage firm collapsed last year, the New York Times said, citing people involved in the negotiations.

The Bank of Japan held off on easing monetary policy on Tuesday after last month's surprise loosening, but board member Ryuzo Miyao unsuccessfully proposed a further easing by increasing the bank's asset-buying and loan scheme by 5 trillion yen ($61 billion).

The Federal Reserve on Tuesday is expected to hold a steady course on monetary policy, acknowledging a mildly brighter economic outlook while refraining from any suggestion that further easing is now off the table.

The trustee managing MF Global Holdings Ltd's assets in bankruptcy told a lawmaker he has made no decision on whether to seek bonuses for the top executives of the collapsed commodities firm.

The Bank of Japan is expected to refrain from easing monetary policy further on Tuesday, while stressing its readiness to act again in coming months if needed and extending a cheap loan line supporting growth industries.

The terrifying scene of a self-destructing Antarctic iceberg has been captured by tourists.

This is the largest star-forming region near the Milky Way galaxy.

Defensive names rallied in an otherwise flat day for Wall Street on Monday as investors paused after recent gains and looked ahead to the Federal Reserve's monetary policy statement.

Aereo Inc, an online television service backed by billionaire Barry Diller that is preparing to launch on Wednesday, filed a countersuit against broadcasters seeking to stop the retransmission of their programming.

China's top two online video companies are joining forces, with Youku.com buying smaller rival Tudou Holdings Ltd in an all-stock deal worth over $1 billion, creating an industry leader with more than a one third share of a market that is losing money as it battles rising costs.

Citigroup Inc may be a surprise winner when the Federal Reserve reveals the results of bank stress tests designed to gauge the health of the biggest U.S. banks.

Stocks were little changed on Monday as investors looked to defensive names after a three-day rally and a day ahead of a Federal Reserve monetary policy statement.

United Parcel Service will only sweeten its 4.9 billion euros ($6.4 billion) bid for Dutch parcel-delivery firm TNT Express by a symbolic amount at best, three sources close to the talks said.

The Chicago Board Options Exchange sees no need for a merger and is happily solo, CBOE Holdings Inc CEO William Brodsky said on Monday.

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq slipped on Monday as China's economic data and a Federal Reserve monetary policy statement due later this week gave traders reason to pause after a three-day rally.