UNITED STATES

Orders for U.S. factory goods unexpectedly climbed 0.7 percent in November to $423.85 billion from the prior month, according to the Commerce Department said Tuesday.

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.

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.

Recently, investors have been wildly bullish on the U.S. stock market. However, extremely bullish sentiment often precedes a reversal of fortune for the stock market and there are fundamental reasons to be bearish on the stock market.

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.

The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: XOMA, ATP Oil & Gas, Sonic, DryShips, Qiao Xing Universal Resources, Melco Crown Entertainment, Star Scientific, Logitech International, Microvision, and Asia Entertainment & Resources.

Optimism about the state of the world economy lifted stocks on Tuesday and kept oil prices at a near 27-month peak.

Stocks fell on Tuesday on worries that rising food costs will sap supermarket profits, hurting consumer stocks and denting growing optimism about the economic outlook.

A new service from British telecoms provider BT that allows Internet service providers to pay for higher-quality video delivery will not create a two-tier Internet, BT said on Tuesday.

The U.S. economy is on course to a self-sustaining recovery in 2011, aided by the private sector’s return to health and a further injection of fiscal stimulus, IHS Global Insight has said.

The Producers Guild of America Tuesday unveiled nominees for their film and television awards with The Social Network and The King's Speech among nominees for best-produced movie.

Gallup publishes list of top 10 most admired women of 2010, in which talk show queen Oprah Winfrey falls behind politician Sarah Palin.

World’s largest drug maker Pfizer has moved the court against Dr Reddy’s Laboratories seeking a delay in launching the Indian drug maker’s low-cost version of atorvastatin, the world’s best-selling medicine, in the US market.

Apple’s iOS is the No.1 mobile operating system with 28.6 percent of the smartphone operating system market share in U.S, while Google’s Android with 25.8 percent share stands at No.3, said a report by research firm, The Nielson Company.

The five largest mortgage loan servicers, including Bank of America Corp and JPMorgan Chase & Co, may be the first to settle with 50 state attorneys general who are investigating foreclosure practices, Bloomberg reported, citing Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller.

Futures on major U.S. stock indices point to a higher opening on Tuesday with futures on the S&P 500 up 0.26 percent, futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 0.33 percent and Nasdaq100 futures up 0.16 percent.

New orders received by factories unexpectedly rose in November, and orders excluding transportation recorded their largest gain in eight months, providing more signs the economic recovery was on sustainable path.