UNITED STATES

Businesses relying on consumers, which make up the vast majority of U.S. economic activity, may have to tread cautiously in the coming holiday season, as results of a new household survey are seen as “not very encouraging news.”

U.S. auto sales likely fell in September back to the nearly three-decade lows of early 2009 without government incentives to spur buying, leaving in doubt the timing and pace of a recovery for the battered industry.

JPMorgan Chase & Co Chief Executive Jamie Dimon said on Tuesday he is starting to look for a successor, and he named Jes Staley, current head of the No. 2 U.S. bank's asset management unit, to the key post of investment bank CEO.

Oil rose above $67 a barrel on Tuesday, with support coming from the dollar's fall in response to U.S. data showing weak consumer confidence.

German industrial conglomerate Siemens said its order intake fell more than a fifth in its fiscal fourth quarter through September, indicating that recovery is not yet underway.

U.S. banking regulators proposed on Tuesday that banks prepay three years of fees to help cover the rising cost of bank failures, facing a $100-billion cleanup bill through 2013.

Walgreen Co , the largest U.S. drugstore chain, reported a quarterly profit that topped expectations as it began to benefit from a make-over that includes sprucing up stores and cutting corporate jobs, sending its shares 11 percent higher.

U.S. stocks traded slightly lower on Tuesday after mixed economic data on consumer confidence and home prices.

U.S. bank regulators are expected to propose on Tuesday that banks prepay three years of regular assessments to replenish the dwindling deposit insurance fund, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Shares of Peak Sport Products Co tumbled 17 percent on Tuesday, in the worst debut of a Hong Kong IPO in the current wave of offerings.

Gannett Co Inc forecast third-quarter earnings far stronger than analyst estimates, sending its shares soaring, as cost cutting is helping it soldier through a tough, albeit improving, advertising market.

The following are planned mergers under review by the European Commission and a brief guide to the EU merger process:

If President Barack Obama decides to send 30,000 to 40,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, he will be doing it against the advice of some advisers and leading Democrats in Congress.

Hedge fund manager John Paulson is considering merging troubled U.S. finance company CIT Group Inc with failed mortgage lender IndyMac Federal Bank, the New York Post said, citing people familiar with the matter.

A roadside bomb killed 30 people in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, officials said, in the deadliest strike on civilians since a NATO air raid earlier this month.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown will promise Tuesday to clean up British politics, get tough on crime and heal the economy, in a blizzard of policy moves aimed at avoiding a crushing election defeat next year.

Royal Bank of Canada said on Tuesday it reached a deal to buy JPMorgan Chase & Co's investment adviser servicing business, the latest step by RBC to expand its U.S. wealth management division.

Iran said on Tuesday it would refuse to discuss a newly declared nuclear plant at forthcoming international talks and cautioned Western powers it could curb cooperation further if they repeated past mistakes.

Days before the highly anticipated pricing for Wynn Macau's $1.6 billion public offering, Hong Kong's soaring IPO market is sputtering, with sportswear company Peak Sport the latest weak debut.

UBS AG's U.S. wealth management unit Paine Webber is not a core part of the bank's operations but will not be sold at present, UBS Chief Executive Oswald Gruebel was quoted saying in the FT.

U.S. consumer confidence fell unexpectedly in September as the worst job prospects in 26 years fueled worries over personal finances, according to a report released on Tuesday.