IBT Staff Reporter

U.S. mortgage bond investors are crying foul as federal policy responses to the worst housing crisis since the 1930s threaten to cripple their tenuous positions.

The possible return of the uptick restriction on short-sellers of shares and the prospect of changes in an accounting rule that has forced banks to take billions of dollars in writedowns, sent U.S. shares higher on Tuesday.

Solar power, wind and biotech made record money last year and promise excellent results in the future, but first, companies must survive the world financial crisis, a report said on Tuesday.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed a comprehensive U.S. system for reporting emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, a step toward regulating and reducing these emissions.

Stocks rallied strongly on Tuesday after Citigroup said it was profitable in the first two months of 2009 and a key lawmaker said he expects the reinstatement of a rule that hinders bets a stock will fall.

Citigroup Inc was profitable in the first two months of 2009 and is confident about its capital strength, Chief Executive Vikram Pandit said, easing concerns about the troubled bank's survival prospects.

AT&T Inc on Tuesday said it plans to invest $17 billion to $18 billion on capital spending in 2009, with about two-thirds to be used to improve its wireless and wired broadband networks.

AT&T Inc on Tuesday said it plans to invest $17 billion to $18 billion on capital spending in 2009, with about two-thirds to be used to improve its wireless and wired broadband networks.

Oil fell below $46 a barrel on Tuesday as the U.S. government revised down its forecast for world oil demand in 2009.

Stocks rallied further on Tuesday after Citigroup said it was profitable in the first two months of 2009 and a key lawmaker said he expects a rule that makes it harder to bet that a share's price will fall will be reinstated soon.

Citigroup Inc was profitable in the first two months of 2009 and is confident about its capital strength, Chief Executive Vikram Pandit said, easing concerns about the troubled bank's survival prospects.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Tuesday said leaders from the Group of 20 rich and developing economies should agree early next month on principles to guide nations as they revamp financial rules to prevent future crises.

U.S. stocks rose about 5 percent on Tuesday after Citigroup said it was profitable in the first two months of 2009 and a key lawmaker said he expects the restoration of a rule that makes it harder to bet that a share's price will fall.

Palm Inc., a mobile handset company, said Monday it will make a public offering of common stock to boosts its capital ahead of the launch of its anticipated Pre system.

Rumors that Apple laid off 50 salespeople last week has created quite a stir online prompting the company's PR to respond and deny the rumors. Meanwhile, CNET sources claim the layoffs are indeed true.

Iran's top military commander said the new U.S. administration was just as warmongering as its predecessor, but that the United States could not afford to attack Iran, an Iranian news agency reported on Tuesday.

A French bill that proposes disconnecting users from the Internet if they download music or video files illegally drew criticism Tuesday from consumer groups and opposition legislators.

Shares of General Electric Co soared 15.9 percent on Tuesday amid a broad rally in U.S. stocks triggered by assurances from Citigroup Inc that the big bank was profitable through the first two months of 2009.

Physicians at Thy-Mors hospital in Denmark and IBM have developed patient record software that uses a three-dimensional computer model of the human anatomy to visualize a patient's medical information.

Stocks jumped on Tuesday, extending strong gains after U.S. Rep. Barney Frank said he expects the SEC's uptick rule to be restored in about a month.

Shares of General Electric Co soared 15.9 percent on Tuesday amid a broad rally in U.S. stocks triggered by assurances from Citigroup Inc that the big bank was profitable through the first two months of 2009.

Dell goes ‘Ballistic’ with design for new Latitude E6400 XFR rugged laptop, which will be displayed during this week's Federal Office Systems Exposition in Washington DC.

Citigroup chief executive Vikram Pandit said the banking giant was profitable in the first two months of 2009, generating total revenue in that time of $19 billion, excluding externally disclosed marks.

China said on Tuesday that a U.S. Navy ship involved in a confrontation with its fleet off the southern island of Hainan had violated international and Chinese laws.

A breakaway Irish republican group said on Tuesday it had shot dead a policeman in Northern Ireland, the second such attack in two days on a power-sharing deal that has brought peace to the British-ruled province.

Delta Air Lines , the world's largest carrier, said on Tuesday it would cut its international capacity by an additional 10 percent starting in September as the global economic downturn batters the industry.

NEW YORK - eBay Inc is asking its stockholders to approve a one-time program to let employees exchange their underwater stock options for restricted stock units at a set ratio, according to a U.S. regulatory filing.

President Barack Obama's lifting of restrictions on federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research puts him at odds with Pope Benedict and the American Roman Catholic Church.

A suicide bomber killed as many as 33 people in an attack on tribal leaders and security officials in western Baghdad on Tuesday, officials said.