IBT Staff Reporter

President Barack Obama struck a balance between grim economic reality and a more hopeful outlook on Tuesday to try to reassure worried Americans their country will emerge from crisis stronger than before.

EQUITY FUTURES REGAIN NEARLY ALL OF MONDAY'S LOSSES, AS FED CHAIRMAN CALMS FEARS OF BANK NATIONALIZATION, FOCUS TURNS TO VALUE SHOPPING.

ECONOMIC DATA 02/25/2009: all times EST. 10:00 AM US EXISTING HOME SALES (4.80 MILLION). 10:30 AM EIA INVENTORY

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned on Tuesday the severe U.S. recession could drag into next year, but said banks should be able to weather the downturn without being nationalized, cheering markets.

Amid a time of crisis for the financial industry, shareholders of BB&T Corp., one of the largest U.S. regional banks, will continue to see steady dividend payments for fourth straight quarter although payout growth is slowing compared to previous years.

An eagerly awaited NASA satellite failed to reach orbit Tuesday after the rocket carrying it crashed shortly after liftoff from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Governments around the world have committed more than $200 billion to support renewable energy initiatives despite of the economic downturn, according to a Deutsche Bank analysis released Tuesday.

Little political enthusiasm exists for further support to the banking sector. One reason is that banks that received money in the initial rescues do not seem to have increased their lending, without which monetary and fiscal stimulus are unlikely to be effective. For banks to start lending again, even more intervention may be needed.

Australian Dollar: The Australian Dollar opens higher today at US65 cents having traded between a low of 0.6388 and a high of 0.6525 over the last 24 hours.

Assume that you are considering investing $700,000 and that this is a large sum for you. Experts give you the names of two reputable investment houses of long standing.

Microsoft Corp outlined plans to offset revenue declines as the PC market shifts to low-cost netbooks, but it failed to announce more cost cuts, sending its shares to an 11-year low.

Bank of America Corp Chief Executive Kenneth Lewis said the largest U.S. bank does not need more federal aid and is in better shape than most rivals, even as rumors, innuendo and falsehoods cause its stock to fall.

Former Liberian President Charles Taylor may walk free because the global financial crisis has cut donations to the court trying him for war crimes committed in neighboring Sierra Leone, its chief prosecutor said.

An Obama administration task force is carefully analyzing restructuring plans of General Motors Corp and Chrysler LLC , but bankruptcy is not the panel's goal, a U.S. senator said on Tuesday. Democrat Carl Levin of Michigan met with task force members this week on the turnaround plans submitted by GM and Chrysler that include a request for $22 billion more in bailout m...

A New York businessman's claim to recover $10 million he invested with Bernard Madoff's firm, days before the financier's arrest will not be treated differently than other customer claims, a judge ruled on Tuesday. In January, New York fuel service company president Martin Rosenman sued court-appointed trustee Irving Picard for the return of $10 million wired to the Madoff firm and put into a ...

is down more than 50 percent or about $10 trillion. Bernanke warned on Tuesday the severe U.S. recession may drag into 2010 unless the government succeeds in stabilizing the banking system and financial markets with strong action.

Gamers beware: Keeping too tight a grip on the console and furiously pushing the buttons can cause a newly identified skin disorder marked by painful lumps on the palms, Swiss scientists said on Tuesday. Called PlayStation palmar hidradentitis by the scientists, the skin disorder can cause painful lesions on the palms similar to patches found on the soles of children's feet after taking part...

Wall Street's fat cats are in the public's doghouse, and it could be a long time -- if ever -- before the eye-popping paychecks and glamour of the last two decades return.

have been shipped with Windows XP. While most netbooks currently run on a stripped-down version of Windows XP, Windows 7 was designed to work fully on the inexpensive laptops, he said. Buyers of netbooks with the low-end version of Windows 7 will have the option of upgrading to the more powerful versions, Ballmer said. Analysts expect Windows 7, which will replace the unpopular Windows Vista, t...

Thousands of protesters marched on Thailand's seat of government on Tuesday to demand that Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva step down, adding to his troubles as the economy slides into recession.

Pakistani Taliban militants announced on Tuesday an indefinite ceasefire in the Swat valley in the northwest of the country, a day after the army said it was ceasing operations in the region.

Four soldiers with U.S.-led coalition forces and an Afghan civilian working for them were killed in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb, the U.S. military said.

Sri Lankan soldiers battled on Tuesday inside the last town the Tamil Tiger separatists control, and the government said it had no plans for a truce amid U.N. and E.U. calls for a halt to fighting.

At least 13 people were killed and scores wounded in the Somali capital Tuesday as Islamist rebels battled police and African Union peacekeepers throughout the day.

would keep borrowing costs exceptionally low for some time and pledged to use all available tools to stimulate the economy and heal financial markets. The Fed chairman made no mention of the prospect the central bank would purchase longer-term U.S. government debt, marking his third consecutive appearance in which he has not mentioned the possibility, which was front-and-center in a statemen...

Stocks rose on Tuesday as investors snapped up beaten-down shares while reassuring results from Home Depot Inc boosted sentiment a day after Wall Street sank to a 12-year low. The benchmark S&P 500 index held a slight edge above its November bear market low as an advance in such shares as Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase eclipsed news th...

Thomson Reuters Corp posted a stronger-than-expected quarterly profit, raised its dividend and said it expected revenue to grow in 2009 despite job cuts and reduced spending among its financial industry customers. The news and financial data publisher, whose shares rose as much as 6.5 percent on the results, said on Tuesday that all its businesses would help increase...

have been shipped with Windows XP. While most netbooks currently run on a stripped-down version of Windows XP, Windows 7 was designed to work fully on the inexpensive laptops, he said. Buyers of netbooks with the low-end version of Windows 7 will have the option of upgrading to the more powerful versions, Ballmer said. Analysts expect Windows 7, which will replace the unpopular Windows Vista, t...

Thomson Reuters Corp posted a stronger-than-expected quarterly profit, raised its dividend and said it expected revenue to grow in 2009 despite job cuts and reduced spending among its financial industry customers. The news and financial data publisher, whose shares rose as much as 6.5 percent on the results, said on Tuesday that all its businesses would help increase...