IBT Staff Reporter

Coca-Cola Co's quarterly results slightly missed Wall Street estimates, as the Japan earthquake and the timing of marketing expenses overshadowed strong sales volume, and its shares fell 2.3 percent.

Solid earnings from big U.S. companies such as Ford, 3M Co and United Parcel Service lifted stocks on Tuesday, but investors braced for a report on consumer confidence amid concerns about the recent rise in oil prices.

U.S. stocks opened slightly higher on Tuesday after stronger-than-expected earnings from bellwethers, including Ford Motor Co , 3M Co and United Parcel Service , though weakness in Coca-Cola Co limited gains.

The Gold Price recovered an overnight dip below $1500 per ounce in London on Tuesday, trading less than 1% shy of yesterday's new all-time high at $1518 as European stock markets rose together with major government bonds and energy prices.

The Iranian government has not issued any details about kind of damage the Stars virus did. While Jalali did not accuse the U.S. or Israel directly, he did refer to attacks from the U.S. and Israel on Iranian web sites and Internet infrastructure.

Dubbed the S1 and S2, the Sony tablets offer drastically different form factors from each other.

French dairy group Lactalis on Tuesday launched a 3.4 billion euro ($4.9 billion) takeover bid for rival Parmalat , prompting intervention by Italy and France to defuse a row over control of the Italian company.

Rep. Ron Paul R-TX, will announce Tuesday he is formally exploring the possibility of running for the U.S. presidency in 2012 and says Washington's leaders are not realistically trying to pay down the United States' $14.3 trillion debt.

English giants Manchester United make the trip to Germany to face the surprise package Schalke 04 at the Veltins-Arena in the semi finals of the Champions League on Tuesday.

The odds are always stacked against opposition candidates in Singapore elections and for Nicole Seah, a political novice contesting in the backyard of a popular former prime minister, they should be overwhelming.

The euro zone's overall budget gap fell last year but deficits in Greece and Portugal were higher than expected, underlining the challenges presented by their austerity programs.

States are short $1.26 trillion in paying for public employee pensions and other retirement benefits, a gap that grew 26 percent in one year and will take many more years to wipe out, according to a report released on Tuesday.

Silver and gold tumbled on Tuesday as investors sold on uncertainty about the direction of monetary policy in the United States, but a softer dollar helped support prices and sentiment.

Coca-Cola Co's quarterly profit missed Wall Street estimates by a penny, hurt by lost revenue in Japan, and its shares fell 1.4 percent in premarket trading.

Gold is constant. What is changing is everything else - the volume and quality of debt, in particular, and the volume of US Dollars most especially. That's what makes the golden constant stand out against the noise of the Dollar's latest plunge.

U.S. stocks index futures rose on Tuesday after earnings from Ford Motor Co and 3M Co beat analysts' forecasts on a big day for bellwether companies.

English giants Manchester United make the trip to Germany to face the surprise package Schalke 04 at the Veltins-Arena in the semi finals of the Champions League on Tuesday.

China's Minmetals Resources bowed out of the battle for copper miner Equinox Minerals on Tuesday, saying Barrick Gold Corp's C$7.3 billion ($7.7 billion) bid was too rich to justify a counter-offer.

Ford Motor Co reported its best first-quarter profit in 13 years, driven by strong sales in its home market and demand for more fuel efficient vehicles.

China's top economic planning agency on Tuesday published a detailed list of industries that it would encourage, restrict or ban, a blueprint that could have a far-reaching impact on investment activity in China over the coming years.

French dairy group Lactalis launched a 3.4 billion euro ($4.9 billion) takeover bid for Italy's Parmalat , raising pressure on Italian investors who want to keep the company in domestic hands.

Researchers have found a strong association between computer and Internet use in adolescents and engagement in multiple-risk behaviours (MRB), including illicit drug use, drunkenness and unprotected sex.

Sony launched its first tablet computers in an ambitious attempt to grab the No 2 spot in a market dominated by Apple's iPad and set to quadruple in four years.

Sony launched its first tablet computers in an ambitious attempt to grab the second spot in the market more than a year after Apple's iPad revolutionized mobile computing.

UBS appeared to put the financial crisis behind it, with money pouring back into its core wealth management arm in the first quarter, although its investment bank struggled to regain momentum.

China's economic planning agency on Tuesday published a detailed list of industries that it would encourage, restrict or ban, a blueprint that could have a far-reaching impact on investment activity China over the coming years.

At 0909 GMT (5:09 a.m. ET) futures for the S&P 500, Dow Jones futures and Nasdaq futures were 0.1 to 0.3 percent higher.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of Sanofi Pasteur's bacterial meningitis vaccine Menactra in children as young as 9 months.

Silver tumbled before finding a footing on Tuesday, dragging prices of gold and oil with it and subduing European shares, although investors were wary of taking strong positions ahead of a U.S. Federal Reserve policy meeting.