MARKETS / FINANCE

Goldman Sachs Group Inc posted stronger-than-expected quarterly profit, earning more money from bond trading than analysts had forecast.

U.S. stocks were poised for a higher open on Tuesday after Goldman Sachs and Johnson & Johnson reported solid earnings.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc posted a 72 percent decline in first-quarter profit as it made less money from trading bonds for clients.

U.S. stock index futures were flat on Tuesday as investors digested the latest round of corporate profits.

Brent crude oil fell on Tuesday, slipping below $120 a barrel for the first time in two weeks, pressured by concern about the economic outlook and that high prices could erode demand.

Some of the United States' biggest creditors moved to shore up confidence in its sovereign debt Tuesday after Standard & Poor's threatened to cut its credit rating on the world's top economy, touching a nerve among big holders of Treasuries.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc is expected to report sharply lower quarterly earnings due to weak trading results and a charge for buying back preferred stock from Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway.

Wearing neon colors, dancing and flashing I vote signs for video cameras, students in Canada's capital on Monday joined a growing movement of youth vote mobs aimed at shaking up the May 2 national election.

Asian stocks slid on Tuesday, falling further from a three-year high hit last week as investors took profits on risks of a Greek debt restructuring in Europe and the long-term threat of a U.S. government debt downgrade.

Stock index futures pointed to a slightly lower open on Wall Street on Tuesday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.1 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.1 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.1 percent at 0733 GMT.

The Treasury could sell a big chunk of its remaining 33 percent stake in General Motors Co in the summer or fall, a person with knowledge of the matter said on Monday, although doing so may lead to more losses for it on the automaker's bailout.

Asian stocks fell on Tuesday after rating agency Standard & Poor's lowered its U.S. credit outlook to negative, prompting a global flight to other assets.

Japanese cabinet ministers on Tuesday moved to shore up confidence in U.S. debt after Standard & Poor's threatened to lower its credit rating on the world's largest economy due to a bulging budget deficit, touching a nerve with one of the largest holders of Treasuries.

An Illinois man pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges he helped three popular online poker websites trick banks into illegally processing payments from U.S. customers in $3 billion scheme.

Standard & Poor's threatened on Monday to downgrade the United States' prized AAA credit rating unless the Obama administration and Congress find a way to slash the yawning federal budget deficit within two years.

Chip maker Texas Instruments Inc warned of slower-than-usual quarterly sales growth as it scrambles to restart production after Japan's massive earthquake, and said it was unclear when the supply of the silicon and wafers it needs will return to normal.

The President of the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank Richard Fisher said on Monday he expected to be at the front of the pack in pressing for monetary policy tightening at an appropriate time.

Federal Reserve officials offered clashing views on Monday of whether soft U.S. growth or inflation pose a greater risk to the economy but the face-off looked unlikely to alter the Fed's ultra-loose stance for now.

Anxiety over a possible Greek debt restructuring and an outlook warning on the United States spurred safety bids for U.S. Treasury bills and pushed their rates lower on Monday.

Standard & Poor's threatened to downgrade the United States' prized AAA credit rating on Monday unless the Obama administration and Congress find a way to slash the yawning federal budget deficit within two years.

Microsoft Corp urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to make it easier to challenge some patents as part of its appeal of a record $290 million jury verdict for infringing a small Canadian software firm's patent.

Fresh fears that Greece will have to restructure its mountain of debt, possibly as early as this summer, sent the euro and some euro zone bond prices tumbling on Monday as the bloc's debt crisis escalated.

Microsoft Corp urged the Supreme Court on Monday to make it easier to challenge some patents as part of its appeal of a record $290 million jury verdict for infringing a small Canadian software firm's patent.

Microsoft Corp urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to make it easier to challenge some patents as part of its appeal of a record $290 million jury verdict for infringing a small Canadian software firm's patent.

Oil fell sharply on Monday after ratings agency S&P revised lower its U.S. credit outlook to negative and OPEC ministers said high crude prices could place a major strain on consumer countries' economies.

Microsoft Corp urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to make it easier to challenge some patents as part of its appeal of a record $290 million jury verdict for infringing a small Canadian software firm's patent.

U.S. stock indexes fell more than 1 percent in heavy volume on Monday after Standard & Poor's downgraded the credit outlook of the United States, adding to worries about the global economy after China moved to curb liquidity.

Wall Street fell more than 1 percent on Monday as sovereign debt fears on both sides of the Atlantic and China's monetary tightening hurt the outlook for global economic growth.

Citigroup Inc's first-quarter profit fell 32 percent as shrinking loans and poor trading results pressured revenue while expenses surged.