IBT Staff Reporter

Investors who were heartened when U.S. retailers reported their best holiday sales season in three years hope for one more gift: upgraded earnings forecasts.

Investors abandoned red-hot commodity shares on Tuesday, while fears of lower supermarket profits hit food retailers, sending the S&P and Nasdaq lower.

Wall Street cheered Motorola's separation into two companies, sending both their share prices higher on their first official day of trading on Tuesday.

Film producers and writers on Tuesday jumped into Hollywood's Oscar race with their choices of 2010's best movies, including The Social Network, The Fighter and Black Swan, among others.

John Boehner, a Republican Congressman from Ohio, gets sworn in tomorrow as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, one of the most powerful positions in the world. He will have to show, almost at once, if he has the stuff for the job.

Investors abandoned red-hot commodity shares on Tuesday, while fears of lower supermarket profits hit food retailers, sending the S&P and Nasdaq lower.

Citigroup Inc is hoping that one of the country's most famous customer service gurus can help it rebuild its reputation -- one Tweet at a time.

Federal Reserve officials in December felt the U.S. economic recovery was still weak enough to warrant monetary support despite growing signs of strength, Fed meeting minutes released on Tuesday showed.

Investors welcomed Motorola Inc's rebirth as two independent companies, as shares of both Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions rose on their first official day of trading on Tuesday.

Dell Inc has agreed to buy SecureWorks, a closely held computer security company, to expand its technology services business.

Morgan Stanley advised investors to cut holdings in Supervalu Inc and Safeway Inc as rising food costs threaten to dent results, sending shares of two down 6.8 and 3.4 percent, respectively.

Gurgaon police on Tuesday registered a first information report (FIR) against Indian-born global chief executive of Citigroup Vikram Pandit and ten others in the $80 million Citibank fraud case in the north Indian state of Haryana.

New orders received by factories unexpectedly rose in November, and orders excluding transportation recorded their largest gain in eight months, according to a government report on Tuesday that pointed to underlying strength in manufacturing.

Stocks could post double-digit returns in 2011 for the third straight year and outdo global markets, said Bob Doll, chief equity strategist at BlackRock Inc.

Researchers in the United States have developed an entirely new type of nanomaterial - dubbed nanoscoop - that could enable the next generation of high-power lithium (Li)-ion rechargeable batteries for electric automobiles, laptops and cell phones.

Japanese researchers at the Kyoto University have broken the rare earth import jinx as they have created a new alloy which resembles rare metal palladium, bringing a sigh of relief to countries depending on Chinese exports of rare earth metals.

Boeing Co said on Tuesday that it took an order for 38 Next-Generation 737 airplanes and purchase rights for seven additional 737s from leasing company CIT Aerospace.

The number of people looking for health information online is set to soar as workers return from holiday breaks, but few will check where the information comes from, according to an international survey on Tuesday.

LOS ANGELES - For a technophobe, the annual Consumer Electronics Show can be an intimidating place. But an enthusiast might feel a bit more like a small child who has been unleashed at FAO Schwarz.

Stocks fell on Tuesday as declines in oil and metals prices dragged down energy and materials shares, while concern about lower supermarket profits hit consumer stocks.

U.S. auto sales rose to the highest rate in 16 months in December as major automakers forecast the recovery would gather momentum in 2011 despite the drag from a weak housing market and rising oil prices.

Morgan Stanley has named Jim Rosenthal, the bank's head of technology, as chief operating officer, according to an internal memo obtained by Reuters. A company spokeswoman confirmed the memo's accuracy.

Inflation might not be China's biggest concern in 2011, as many experts believe, an economist at Capital Economics said in a note.

Tiger Woods has lost some major sponsors after revelations of marital infidelities hurt his image, but Electronic Arts Inc said on Tuesday it remains in the professional golfer's corner with plans for the next version of its Woods' branded video game.

Internet TVs are expected to be a hot product at this year's CES.

Computing is going greener -- at least if the products at this year's Consumer Electronics show are any indication.

Companies ready release of their tablets and e-readers at the 2011 CES.

AMD has unveiled a new class of accelerated processor that brings in supercomputer-like performance to every day computing tasks, including superior Internet, video and gaming experiences. AMD's launch comes a day after Intel showcased its Sandy Bridge second generation of Core processors.

American International Group's protracted sale of its Taiwan unit was further complicated on Tuesday when a Taiwanese company proposed buying a stake in the business, an offer that may please regulators but runs counter to AIG's plans.