MARKETS / FINANCE

The top U.S. securities regulator said no single event had been found to explain Thursday's mysterious market plunge but the events were unacceptable and additional safeguards were coming.

U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday as investors turned their attention back to the strong earnings picture in the United States and fears of a wave of euro-zone debt defaults ebbed.

The top U.S. securities regulator said no single event had been found to explain Thursday's mysterious market plunge but the events were unacceptable and additional safeguards were coming.

The Senate rejected an amendment on Tuesday that would have exposed the Federal Reserve to broader scrutiny by Congress, which critics said would extend to monetary policy decisions.

U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday, recovering from early losses on strength in the biotech sector after Gilead Sciences unveiled a large stock-buyback program, as well as in large-cap tech firms.

The Senate on Tuesday approved a proposal to examine the Federal Reserve's role in the Wall Street bailouts of 2008-2009 as part of a broad financial regulation reform bill.

A big U.S. exchange operator said on Tuesday there was no smoking gun to explain Thursday's mysterious market plunge, while regulators and exchanges solidified plans to adopt circuit breakers.

U.S. payroll numbers may be starting to improve, but leaders from a cross-section of manufacturing and transportation companies said this week they remain reluctant to hire too many workers too soon.

U.S. hirings touched their highest level in 15 months in March, while job openings also rose, according to a government report on Tuesday that confirmed a recovery in the labor market was gaining traction.

Russia said Tuesday, the possible merger of the Russian energy giant Gazprom and Ukraine's Naftogaz has no bearing on the South Stream project. Russian Energy Minister Sergey Shmatko said, We do not relate these two issues. South Stream is an issue of principle for us, a strategic entry to direct supplies for European buyers.

OPEC on Tuesday said it's forecast for global oil demand remained unchanged at 1.1 percent or by 0.9 million barrels per day. In its monthly oil market report, OPEC said although the economic recovery shows signs of improving momentum, important risks remain that could impact demand growth expectations for this year.

Platinum and palladium markets received some good news this week with the auto sales zooming in India and China. Platinum and palladium, two metals used in the high end car exhausts to cut pollution, prices depend mostly on the auto sales across the globe. With India and China reporting huge car sales in April, the prices of platinum and palladium are set to gain from this news.

The largest U.S. banks would be required to submit to regulators plans for their dismantling in times of severe distress, and securitizations with higher underlying standards would get federal protection, under two proposals to be considered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp on Tuesday.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Tuesday described the Greek debt crisis as a European problem but one that could have hit U.S. banks if left unattended, a senior Republican senator said.

U.S. consumer confidence improved in May, boosted by the perception that the worst was over in terms of job losses and helped by optimism associated with earlier gains in the stock market, a report released on Tuesday showed.

U.S. stocks managed modest gains at midday on Tuesday, recovering from early losses on strength in the biotech sector after Gilead Sciences unveiled a large stock-buyback program.

Germany's cabinet approved the biggest national contribution to a $1 trillion emergency package intended to stabilize the euro, as global markets sobered up after Monday's euphoric rally.

U.S. stocks slipped on Tuesday, easing from the previous session's hefty gains as concerns lingered about how Greece will get its budget deficit under control.

U.S. policy-makers must not wait too long to raise interest rates with inflation unlikely to stay at low levels as the economic recovery picks up steam, a top Federal Reserve official said on Tuesday.

American International Group Inc Chief Executive Robert Benmosche told employees he is confident a $35.5 billion deal to sell its Asian life insurance unit would move forward, a source familiar with the matter said.

Europe's travel industry is counting the cost of air traffic disruption caused by a volcanic ash cloud which forced thousands of flights to be canceled and is braced for more stoppages this month.

New York City's recession likely will linger for the average resident, though technical indicators suggest both the nation and the city have turned the corner, the Fiscal Policy Institute reported on Tuesday.

Some of the world's top advertising and marketing chiefs will meet in Moscow this week to exchange ideas on the best ways for the $450 billion industry to capitalize on a still fragile economic recovery.

Market watchdogs and six major exchanges agreed new safeguards were needed to curb trading in plunging markets, an effort to address last Thursday's mysterious market free fall.

Senior executives from NYSE Euronext, Nasdaq OMX Group Inc and CME Group Inc will testify to a congressional panel on Tuesday on last week's shock sell-off in the stock markets, according to a witness list obtained by Reuters.

The euro fell on Tuesday and stocks retreated as a relief rally ignited by a $1 trillion plan to contain Greece's debt crisis ran out of steam, while doubts on how the country will cut its budget deficit persisted.

U.S. stock index futures were lower on Tuesday, easing after the previous session's hefty gains and as concerns lingered about how Greece will get its budget deficit under control.

U.S. stock index futures were lower on Tuesday, easing after the previous session's hefty gains and as concerns lingered about how Greece will get its budget deficit under control.

A top Federal Reserve official warned on Tuesday that economies around the world must further rebalance their inward and outward capital flows to prevent a repeat of the damaging crisis of 2007-2008.