MARKETS / FINANCE

Within days, Facebook is expected to file for an initial public offering with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, for the first time doing a public financial strip tease.

Investors have begun 2012 in a cautious mood, with U.S. and Japanese asset managers worried about the euro zone debt crisis cutting exposure to stocks and boosting bonds, while European accounts added risky assets, Reuters polls show.

The euro zone creaked under the weight of record unemployment at the end of 2011 while jobless rates in Germany fell to historic lows, putting the onus firmly on Europe's top economy to take the lead in steering the struggling region back to recovery.

CIT Group Inc , the business lender led by former Merrill Lynch Chief Executive John Thain, said fourth-quarter net income fell 59 percent, but a decline in problem loans and borrowing costs helped it beat analysts' expectations.

The U.S. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp, which has responsibility for insuring certain benefits under private defined benefit pension plans, said on Tuesday it believes American Airlines will seek to terminate employee pensions in bankruptcy.

U.S. Silver Corporation (TSE:USA) has forecast around 2.4 million ounces of silver production in 2012, the company said on Tuesday.

Bank of America Corp is shaking up the leadership of its investment bank as it looks to find its footing in a difficult market environment.

U.S. Silver Corporation (TSE:USA) has forecast around 2.4 million ounces of silver production in 2012, the company said on Tuesday.

Chancellor Angela Merkel cemented her political ascendancy in Europe Monday when 25 out of 27 EU states agreed to a German-inspired pact for stricter budget discipline, even as they struggled to rekindle growth from the ashes of austerity.

Home prices fell more steeply than expected in November, and consumer confidence soured in January, highlighting the hurdles still facing the economic recovery.

U.S. Silver Corp. said Tuesday it expects to produce about 2.4 million ounces of silver this year, with byproduct production of lead to be approximately 6.5 million pounds and copper to be some 1.2 million pounds.

Stocks gave up early gains to turn flat on Tuesday, weighed down by mixed corporate earnings and weaker-than-expected data on Midwest business activity and consumer confidence.

CIT Group Inc will again stop providing loans to suppliers of Sears Holdings Corp after Tuesday as the business lender awaits more information on the retailer's financial health, two retail sources told Reuters on Monday.

Consumer confidence unexpectedly fell in January as more Americans worried about the country's weak job market, according to a private sector report released on Tuesday.

Stocks opened higher on Tuesday on signs of progress in dealing with Europe's long-running sovereign debt crisis.

Euro zone unemployment has risen to its highest level since before the euro was introduced, data showed on Tuesday, a day after EU leaders promised to focus on creating millions of new jobs to try to kickstart Europe's floundering economy.

Single-family home prices fell more than expected in November, highlighting the struggle for a sector yet to make a meaningful recovery, a closely watched survey showed on Tuesday.

United Parcel Service posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit on Tuesday and forecast 9 percent to 15 percent growth this year as solid U.S. demand and growing e-commerce activity offsets an uneven global economy.

A World Trade Organisation ruling against China's restrictions on raw material exports could force changes to some of its rare earth policies but is unlikely to yield the boost in exports of the metals that consumers want to see.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Tuesday, with sentiment improving on signs of progress in dealing with Europe's long-running sovereign debt crisis.

United Parcel Service said on Tuesday it expects profit to rise 9 percent to 15 percent this year, as solid U.S. demand and growing e-commerce activity offsets an uneven global economy.

Greenpeace activists stormed Romania's Environment Ministry on Tuesday, chaining themselves to radiators in the minister's office in an attempt to stop approval for Europe's biggest open-cast gold mine in a small Carpathian town.

"I've drunk the company Kool-Aid to some extent."

CIT Group Inc , the business lender led by former Merrill Lynch Chief Executive John Thain, said its quarterly profit fell 59 percent on lower interest income.

Stock index futures rose on Tuesday, with sentiment improving on signs of progress in dealing with Europe's long-running sovereign debt crisis.

Stock index futures rose on Tuesday, with sentiment improving on signs of progress in dealing with Europe's long-running sovereign debt crisis.

Gold prices, headed for their strongest January in three years, rose Tuesday as fears of a Greek sovereign debt default receded, the dollar weakened and crude oil and copper prices increased.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Tuesday, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and Nasdaq 100 indexes up 0.5-0.6 percent.

Twitter Chief Executive Dick Costolo said the company's recently announced online content policy was meant to be a transparent way to handle government requests for the removal of certain content and did not mean it is actively monitoring Tweets, the Wall Street Journal reported.