IBT Staff Reporter

Bank of America Merrill Lynch has put its wealth management units outside the United States up for sale, three sources familiar with the situation said, hoping to bring in up to $3 billion for the sub-scale business.

UK Prime minister David Cameron is pushing China for a proper investigation of the death of British expatriate, Neil Heywood, which is at the center of a political scandal in China involving disgraced party boss Bo Xilai and his wife Gu Kailai.

Stocks rose sharply on Tuesday as investors welcomed a slew of quarterly corporate results and as a decline in borrowing costs for Spain eased concerns about Europe's debt crisis.

Shintaro Ishihara may not be a household name in the United States. But in East Asia, he is often at the center of international controversy because of nationalistic-themed statements that regularly infuriate China and South Korea -- and on Monday, he did it again.

Output at U.S. factories slipped in March and builders started construction on fewer homes, offering cautionary signals for an economy that appeared to be gaining traction.

Stocks rose on Tuesday as investors welcomed a slew of corporate results and as a decline in borrowing costs for Spain eased concerns about Europe's debt crisis.

Cutting government programs is favored as the way to reduce the budget deficit by more than twice as many Americans as those who favor raising taxes, said a Reuters/Ipsos poll.

The Pentagon says it is making progress in developing weapons for its newest battleground - cyberspace - but still faces funding, technology and policy challenges.

Stocks rose at the open on Tuesday, with the Dow industrials climbing as much as 1 percent, as investors welcomed a slew of corporate results and a decline in borrowing costs for Spain.

American manufacturing output slipped in March and groundbreaking on homes fell, casting a shadow over the economic outlook.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc surprised Wall Street on Tuesday, reporting better-than-expected profit and dialing back risk-taking in ways that are uncharacteristic for the traditionally aggressive investment bank.

Industrial output was flat for a second straight month in March, held back by a drop in manufacturing, according to a Federal Reserve report on Tuesday that suggested a cooling in factory activity.

Groundbreaking on homes fell unexpectedly in March but permits for future construction rose to their highest level in 3-1/2 years, giving a mixed message for one of the economy's weaker sectors.

Bank of America Corp is under contract to sell a downtown Manhattan office building and lease it back, as the big bank continues to shed properties from its balance sheet.

Global growth is slowly improving as recovery in the United States gains traction and dangers from Europe recede, but risks remain elevated and the gains are very fragile, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday.

Stocks were set for a higher open on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 looking to snap a two-day drop, as investors focus on a slew of corporate results and a decline in borrowing costs for Spain.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc reported higher-than-expected quarterly earnings thanks to aggressive cost-cutting and strong investment banking and trading revenues, and the Wall Street bank raised its dividend.

Johnson & Johnson reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings but global company revenue fell slightly on anemic sales of medical devices and consumer medicines -- businesses that have been hit by costly recalls in the past two years.

Stock index futures rose on Tuesday, indicating the S&P 500 may snap a two-day drop, as investors focus on a slew of corporate results and a drop in borrowing costs for Spain.

A group calling itself Raise Your Voice hacked into 15 Lebanese government websites on Tuesday, demanding an improvement in living standards and an end to widespread electricity and water shortages.

Stock index futures rose on Tuesday, indicating the S&P 500 may snap a two-day drop, as investors focus on a slew of corporate earnings and Spanish bond yields dip.

Playtech, the world's biggest provider of online gaming software, plans a string of acquisitions as it branches out into the social gaming market but news that it will be buying the businesses from its main shareholder unnerved investors.

Yahoo Inc hired PayPal's former head of products to help oversee its newly-formed commerce group, as the Web pioneer looks for new ways to reignite growth.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez unveiled plans on Monday to seize control of leading energy company YPF, drawing swift warnings from key trade partners and risking the country's further economic isolation.

China bagged foreign direct investment at a record-setting pace in the first three months of 2012, but an easing in its monthly momentum and a difficult trade outlook will keep monetary policy poised to compensate for any dip in capital inflows.

Japan said on Tuesday it will provide $60 billion in loans to the International Monetary Fund, becoming the first non-European nation to commit money to boost the fund's financial firepower to contain the euro zone debt crisis.

Shares of HTC Corp fell as much as 6 percent on Tuesday after a change in its chief financial officer and the imminent launch of a new phone by arch rival Samsung Electronics raised concerns over the Taiwanese firm's recovery.

The International Monetary Fund hopes to gain governments' agreement this week to raise its funds by more than $400 billion, around two thirds of the amount it said it would need three months ago, fund managing director Christine Lagarde signaled on Tuesday.

Billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who became one of the world's richest men by creating a casino empire in Las Vegas and Macau, is doubling down on his bets in Asia, the hottest gambling market on the planet where his Singapore operation made $1 billion the first year it was opened.