MARKETS / FINANCE

Billionaire hedge fund manager John Paulson said on Tuesday he still sees compelling long-term returns in equities even after their sharp run-up this year, while holding no short positions in the credit markets.

Stocks fell on Tuesday after disappointing corporate news from 3M Co and McDonald's, while negative developments in global credit markets caused a shift to safe-haven assets.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Tuesday he would not let his country's literary heritage be taken away by a friendly large American company, in a thinly veiled challenge to Google

Against a greater welter and flow of incoherence jerking the nation this way and that way en route to collapse comes ClimateGate, the latest excuse for screaming knuckleheads to defend what has already been lost. It is also yet another distraction from the emergency agenda that the United States faces - namely the urgent re-scaling, re-localizing, and de-globalizing of our daily activities.

JPMorgan Chase & Co sees additional losses on credit cards and home loans next year although there are some signs the rate of losses is settling and it may not need to build credit reserves much further, Chief Executive Jamie Dimon said on Tuesday.

Stocks fell on Tuesday after disappointing corporate news from 3M Co and McDonald's, while negative developments in global credit markets caused a shift to safe-haven assets.

The Australian Dollar opens lower today at 0.9010 after mixed local economic data releases yesterday. Strong demand out of Asia lifted the Aussie to an intraday high of 0.9165 after the current account deficit came in at A$16.183 billion in the September quarter, compared to A$16.8 billion median market forecast. Also underpinning the local unit on the day was the latest monthly NAB business survey which showed confidence has risen to its highest level since May 2002. Overnight however, it was l...

Microsoft Corp and SAP will attend an EU hearing on Oracle Corp's plan to buy Sun Microsystems Inc that could help EU regulators decide whether to clear or block the deal, two people close to the matter said on Tuesday.

Morgan Stanley's incoming CEO, James Gorman, began putting his fingerprints on the firm, making its chief financial officer and the head of investment co-heads of its crucial institutional securities unit.

(Corrects share price fall in last paragraph to down 4 cents from down 4 percent)

U.S. job openings and hirings fell in October, government data showed on Tuesday, highlighting the continued distress in the labor market.

Yahoo Inc CEO Carol Bartz put a 'for sale' sign on HotJobs on Tuesday, saying Yahoo was open to selling the non-core unit for the right price even though an improving economy could help its prospects.

General Electric Co expects profit to remain flat at its hefty finance arm next year, as losses and impairments on loans peak.

U.S. economic growth will resume in 2010, leading to a rebound in manufacturing and services sector revenues, but the weak dollar poses risks, industry experts said on Tuesday.

Stocks fell on Tuesday after a disappointing outlook from 3M Co and weak domestic sales at McDonald's Corp fanned worries that sluggish consumer spending threatened the economic recovery.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch named three executives on Tuesday to run its $450 billion retirement services business, including rehiring a former executive who left earlier this year.

U.S. chief executives' outlook on the economy improved in the fourth quarter, although most still are not ready to step up hiring or increase capital spending, according to a Business Roundtable survey released on Tuesday.

CIT Group Inc said on Tuesday it anticipates it will emerge from bankruptcy on December 10, 2009.

Diversified manufacturer 3M Co issued a cautious outlook for 2010 on Tuesday, saying tight credit conditions and other headwinds would make economic recovery patchy and slow.

Stocks fell on Tuesday after a disappointing outlook from 3M Co and a second straight month of falling domestic sales at McDonald's Corp triggered concern about consumer spending.

Procter & Gamble Co said on Tuesday that Chairman A.G. Lafley would retire in early 2010 and Chief Executive Bob McDonald would become chairman of the world's top household products maker on January 1.

Diversified manufacturer 3M Co issued a cautious initial outlook for 2010 on Tuesday, saying tight credit market conditions and other headwinds would make any broad economic recovery patchy and slow.

NEW YORK - Supermarket operator Kroger Co posted quarterly profit far below expectations and slashed its full-year forecast amid intense competition, and its shares fell 14 percent.

Women's clothing retailer Talbots Inc reported a surprise quarterly profit on cost cuts and eased concerns regarding its ability to pay down debt, sending its shares up 7 percent.

True Corporation PCL TRUE.BK, Thailand's only integrated telecoms firm, said on Tuesday it expected its 2009 revenue to rise less than 5 percent from last year due to the weak economy

U.S. small business lender CIT Group Inc headed to court on Tuesday to ask a New York bankruptcy judge for approval of its prepackaged reorganization plan.

Stocks fell on Tuesday after a disappointing outlook from 3M Co and a second consecutive month of domestic sales declines at McDonald's Corp triggered worry about the pace of consumer spending.

Investor confidence in Dubai took a fresh knock on Tuesday as officials dithered over a rescue for debt-laden state conglomerate Dubai World and ratings agency Moody's slapped a downgrade on government-related debt.

Procter & Gamble Co said on Tuesday that Chairman A.G. Lafley would retire in early 2010 and Chief Executive Bob McDonald would become chairman of the world's top household products maker on January 1.