IBT Staff Reporter

MetLife Inc , the largest U.S. life insurer, said the Federal Reserve blocked it from raising its dividend and buying back shares, a surprise to investors and analysts who had expected both as soon as this week.

A laundry list of referrals about trading at SAC Capital have shed new light on the firm's opportunistic bets but also illustrate why regulators are having a tough time making allegations of insider trading stick against one of the world's biggest hedge funds.

Plenty of investors expected Netflix Inc shares to fall after the company reported third-quarter earnings -- but not 35 percent.

Enbridge Inc said on Tuesday its pipeline to southern Illinois from Oklahoma was overbooked by a wide margin for November, the latest in a string of months in which shippers clamored to move crude from the glutted Cushing storage hub.

President Barack Obama said Tuesday the United States would once again waive import duties on goods made in the Ivory Coast, Guinea and Niger after the countries held free and fair democratic elections.

A proposed tax break designed to keep exchange operators CME Group Inc and CBOE Holdings Inc from leaving Illinois has some floor traders worried it could crimp their business.

Securities regulators are negotiating to raise the threshold that would trigger extensive reporting requirements for advisers to large hedge funds and other private funds, according to people familiar with the deliberations.

U.S. oil prices shot to a 12-week high on Tuesday in a second day of frenetic spread trading, with dealers racing to claw back a record discount versus Europe's Brent as they gave in to evidence of tightening supplies.

MetLife Inc , the largest U.S. life insurer, said the Federal Reserve did not approve its planned dividend increase and stock repurchases as it requires the company's capital actions be tested under a revised stress scenario.

IBM CEO Sam Palmisano will hand over the reins to global sales chief Virginia Rometty from 2012, ending a reign of nearly a decade during which he helped transform Big Blue from a PC hardware company into a global services behemoth.

Broadcom Corp warned that its revenue would likely fall this quarter from the third quarter because of industry softness.

Townspeople in northern Peru are demanding an end to construction of the $4.8 billion Minas Conga gold mine because they fear it will threaten local water supplies, residents said on Tuesday.

Darrell Hammond writes book and gives an interview in which he opens up on his drug abuse and being abused and tortured by his mother.

Star performer Canada cut economic growth forecasts sharply on Tuesday as troubles abroad hit exports and dampened confidence about a recovery touted as the strongest in the G7.

Italy's ruling coalition reached agreement on Tuesday on reforms ahead of a European Union summit on Wednesday but a key coalition leader said he was still pessimistic about the future of the government.

Although all members were re-elected to News Corporation's board of directors Friday, shareholder votes showed that not everyone is happy with the company's leadership.

Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd (CP.TO:Quote) expects demand to ship oil by rail from the prolific Bakken field to continue to rise, with most of the crude destined for Gulf of Mexico refineries, the railway's executives said on Tuesday.

Amazon.com Inc shares slumped after reporting weaker-than-expected results as it spent heavily on a new tablet computer and other long-term projects.

Sprint Nextel lost a bid on Monday to get access to masses of AT&T documents that it had hoped to use in its lawsuit aimed at stopping AT&T's $39 billion acquisition of discount rival T-Mobile.

Guns and bloodshed may be the perfect gifts to ensure a merry Christmas for Target Corp .

Shares of one-time Wall Street darling Netflix Inc plunged 34 percent in heavy trading on Tuesday, a day after the battered movie rental company warned of more subscriber defections and mounting costs.

Panasonic Corp will start manufacturing small and midsize LCD panels for tablet devices at its television panel production base next spring as business for larger displays worsens, the Nikkei business daily said.

Amazon.com Inc reported a 73 percent drop in quarterly profit on Tuesday after spending heavily on its new tablet computer and other long-term projects.

Broadcom Corp warned that its revenue would likely decline this quarter from the third quarter due to industry softness.

In the largest penalty of its type, Swiss bank UBS AG was fined $12 million by a U.S. brokerage regulator over its systemic failure to properly handle millions of short-sale orders.

The Philadelphia Flyers overcame an ugly first-period injury to defenseman Chris Pronger to turn back the Toronto Maple Leafs with a 4-2 home victory that ended their slump on Monday.

The government pressed ahead on Tuesday with plans to scrap a registry of shotguns and rifles, brushing off police complaints the move will make their life tougher.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney is revamping its financial adviser pay structure to help raise its profit margin to 20 percent by encouraging brokers to bring in new business and sell more loans, industry sources said.

The union that represents Air Canada's check-in and call-center staff is considering job action after the airline appealed an arbitrator's ruling on pensions for new hires.