IBT Staff Reporter

Stocks treaded water on Tuesday in a low-volume session after data showed a rise in consumer confidence, but a housing report pointed to more bumps in the road.

The Harbinger Capital Partners hedge fund has failed to win dismissal of a lawsuit accusing it of receiving accurate tips about a rival bid for an appliance company it eventually bought and amassing a big stake before merger talks became public, court papers show.

The world's top mobile phone maker Nokia launched a new patent broadside against Apple, escalating a battle for control of the smartphone market that has already led to a flurry of lawsuits.

The foiled Christmas Day bomb attack on a U.S. airliner has put further pressure on ailing Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua to either confirm he is fit to govern or hand over to his deputy.

Google Inc said it will hold a briefing about its smartphone business at its headquarters next week as rumors continue to swirl that the Internet search giant is preparing to sell a Google-branded device.

As troubled U.S. trucker YRC Worldwide fights to stay afloat, investors scooped up stocks in its rivals on Tuesday in anticipation of a bankruptcy.

Oil prices steadied near $79 a barrel on Tuesday as the market weighed gains in the dollar against strong U.S. consumer confidence data and colder weather in top consumer the United States.

The sex scandal that engulfed Tiger Woods may have cost shareholders of companies endorsed by the world's No. 1 golfer up to $12 billion in losses, according to a study by two economics professors from the University of California, Davis.

The California Public Employees' Retirement System Board , the largest U.S. public pension fund, has tightened policies governing board members' involvement in investment decisions, it said on Tuesday.

Morgan Stanley has been sued by a Virgin Islands pension fund that accused the Wall Street bank of defrauding investors by marketing $1.2 billion of risky mortgage-related notes that it expected to fail.

Short interest in Comcast Corp has jumped in recent weeks as some investors bet that the rise in the cable company's shares following its NBC Universal deal has reached a peak.

Most of the time, when travelers are thinking about going to a foreign country in order to witness a particular festival celebration first-hand, they're thinking in terms of what festival will help them understand the culture better, or which ones have the most free-flowing alcohol. But if you're one of

Every four years, the World Cup, perhaps the most popular sporting even in the world, draws in hundreds of thousands of fans from around the globe. Next year, South Africa will become the first nation on the African continent to play host to soccer’s premier tournament. For travelers in search of an epic trip next year, consider joining the hundreds of thousands of soccer pilgrims set to make the...

Investors' optimism surrounding the shares of airport security systems makers could be premature as interest in the companies' products after the Christmas Day plane scare is not expected to translate into immediate orders.

A $40 billion deal by the United Arab Emirates to acquire nuclear reactors puts it ahead in a drive to meet fast growing power needs among its Gulf neighbors, while also allowing it to export more of its oil.

Stocks barely budged on Tuesday as data showing a rise in consumer confidence was offset by home prices stalling in October.

The Internet made shopping without checkout lines a no-brainer. Now, some Web companies are betting that people are ready to forsake another shopping tradition: tangible products.

JPMorgan Chase & Co Chief Executive Jamie Dimon called British Finance Minister Alistair Darling earlier this month to say Britain's 50 percent tax on bankers' bonuses punishes the bank unfairly, a person close to the bank said.

President Barack Obama on Monday signed into law an increase in the U.S. national debt limit to $12.4 trillion, the White House said in a statement.

Yemen's Foreign Minister Abubakr al-Qirbi said on Tuesday there could be up to 300 al Qaeda militants in his country, some of whom may be planning attacks on Western targets.

An Afghan soldier killed a U.S. servicemember and wounded two Italian soldiers when he opened fire on foreign troops at an army base in western Afghanistan on Tuesday, a senior Afghan army officer said.

Institutional investors are ending the year with a burst of optimism, breaking a three-month decline in confidence, State Street said on Tuesday.

Auto sales will gain momentum worldwide in 2010 on the back of better access to credit and a return to 3 percent growth in the global economy, setting the stage for record volumes in 2011, according the latest industry forecast from Scotia Economics.

The drummer with Avenged Sevenfold, a rising force in the heavy metal scene, died on Monday at his home in southern California, the group and authorities said.

An unprecedented 22 percent of U.S. consumers said they did not finish their Christmas shopping this year as fewer discounts kept many wallets closed, according to a survey released on Tuesday.

U.S. consumer confidence rose to a three-month high in December, while prices in the hard-hit housing sector stalled in October, breaking a five-month string of gains.

From the German town that unwittingly advertised pornography on its website to the American who interrupted his wedding to update his Facebook and Twitter accounts, the world was full of weird stories in 2009.

The world's top mobile phone maker Nokia launched a new patent broadside against Apple, escalating a battle for control of the smartphone market that has already led to a flurry of lawsuits.

Individually designed music therapy may help reduce noise levels in people suffering from tinnitus, or ear ringing, German scientists said on Monday.