MARKETS / FINANCE

U.S. stocks edged lower on Tuesday following three days of gains, but the recent rally has investors feeling less edgy about crises in Japan and Libya, and should help keep losses in check.

The Federal Reserve earned a record $81.7 billion in 2010, largely on investments made to help the economy and banks weather the 2007-2009 financial crisis, and turned the bulk of it over to the U.S. Treasury.

Stocks edged lower on Tuesday following three days of gains, but the recent rally has investors feeling less edgy about crises in Japan and Libya, and should help keep losses in check.

Dollar General Corp reported a higher-than-expected profit and said sales and profit should rise again this fiscal year.

U.S. stocks edged lower on Tuesday following three days of gains, but further losses may be limited as investors have adapted to a defensive strategy.

The U.S. debt situation is at a tipping point, Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Richard Fisher said on Tuesday, and urged the U.S. central bank to refrain from any further stimulus measures.

LinkedIn, the online social network for professionals and job seekers, now has 100 million members worldwide and more than half are from outside the United States.

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett said on Tuesday he was looking to invest in large countries like India.

Wall Street was little changed on Tuesday as fighting in Libya and chances of a interest hike in Europe kept investors from making new bets on stocks.

The Group of Seven (G7) countries may have sold a total of around 530 billion yen ($6.5 billion) on Friday as they intervened in forex markets to weaken the currency, data from the Bank of Japan showed on Tuesday.

Dollar General Corp posted a higher quarterly profit as more shoppers visited the discount chain for gifts and food during the holiday season and said it expected sales and earnings to rise again this fiscal year.

U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Tuesday as fighting in Libya, resolving Japan's crisis and the chances for a European interest rate hike next month kept investors jittery.

(Corrects number in para 3 to ... 830 billion yen, ... not ... 830 yen)

U.S. stocks were set to open little changed on Tuesday as geopolitical concerns in Japan and Libya kept investors nervous.

Pacific Investment Management Co , the manager of world's largest bond fund, has raised more than $1.5 billion for a new fund to buy assets from banks looking to strengthen their balance sheets, Bloomberg said, citing two people with knowledge of the fundraising.

U.S. firms are increasingly vexed over growing Chinese red tape that prevents them from expanding quickly in China's vast market, a survey by the American Chamber of Commerce showed on Tuesday.

China's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it did not accept accusations from Google Inc that the Chinese government was making it difficult for Gmail users to use the service in the country.

Gold prices rose for a fifth straight day on Tuesday, driven by safe haven demand amid continued uncertainty in the Middle East and the nuclear crisis in Japan.

U.S. firms are increasingly vexed over growing Chinese red tape that prevents them from expanding quickly in China's vast market, a survey by the American Chamber of Commerce showed on Tuesday.

Japan tried to keep the yen in check on Tuesday as it grapples with the aftermath of a deadly earthquake and tsunami, warning markets that Tokyo was keeping a close watch on the currency and would act together with its G7 partners if needed.

Japanese shares rose almost 4 percent on Tuesday while government bond futures slipped as reports of progress to contain radiation leaks at a quake-hit nuclear plant prompted investors to buy back risky assets.

Japanese stocks jumped more than 4 percent on Tuesday amid reports of progress in stabilizing an earthquake-damaged nuclear plant and the yen edged up, putting traders on heightened alert for more central bank intervention.

Japanese stocks jumped nearly 4 percent on Tuesday amid reports of progress in stabilizing an earthquake-damaged nuclear plant, and the yen was broadly weaker on the prospects for further intervention by major central banks.

The chief executive of Verizon Wireless said he has no interest in buying Sprint Nextel Corp even as the company stands to lose its top position in the U.S. wireless market because of a merger between AT&T Inc and T-Mobile USA.

Shutterfly said it agreed to buy privately held card design company Tiny Prints in a $333 million cash-and-stock deal, as the photo-sharing service tries to win back customers in a market increasingly dominated by social networking sites like Facebook.

Microsoft Corp filed lawsuits for patent infringement on Monday against bookseller Barnes & Noble Inc over its Nook electronic book reader, widening the software company's legal assault on devices running on Google Inc's Android system.

NEW YORK, March 21 - Six former and current employees of a U.S. unit of Bayer AG filed a class-action lawsuit against the company on Monday, alleging gender discrimination in pay, promotions and the treatment of pregnant women and mothers.

NEW YORK, March 21 - Six former and current employees of a U.S. unit of Bayer AG filed a class-action lawsuit against the company on Monday, alleging gender discrimination in pay, promotions and the treatment of pregnant women and mothers.

A nascent boom in the demand for rental apartments is luring U.S. property developers from the shadows, and their efforts to meet that demand are softening the blow for a still sliding housing market.