IBT Staff Reporter

GDP Sustainable, Says Survey; Key Target Set at Yahoo; UK Banks See Bottom

The ZEW Indicator of Economic Sentiment for Germany decreased slightly by 4.9 points in November 2009 and now stands at 51.1 points after 56.0 points in the previous month. This value is still well above the indicator's historical average of 26.9 points.

Stock index futures edged lower on Tuesday as investors paused after the market hit a 13-month high in the previous session on expectations for prolonged low interest rates.

The world's two largest cell phone makers, Nokia and Samsung Electronics, have unveiled their latest attempts to keep pace in the battle with smartphone rivals like iPhone and Blackberry.

Following are comments from European Union finance ministers as they gathered in Brussels on Tuesday for a meeting.

Oil prices fell slightly on Tuesday but held above $79 a barrel as the dollar weakened, gold stayed strong and a late-season hurricane subsided in the Gulf of Mexico.

China on Tuesday restated its long-standing policy to maintain the basic stability of the yuan at a reasonable and balanced level, after U.S. President Barack Obama said he would discuss the currency when he visits Beijing.

Fitch Ratings warned Japan on Tuesday to keep to its borrowing target or risk a credit rating downgrade as the finance minister acknowledged the problem and tried to reassure rattled investors by saying spending had to be cut.

Stock index futures edged lower on Tuesday as investors paused after the market hit a 13-month high in the previous session on expectations for prolonged low interest rates.

The world is closer to a peak in oil supply than International Energy Agency estimates admit, UK newspaper The Guardian reported in its Tuesday edition, citing an unidentified whistleblower at the IEA.

The EUR now looks poised to continue its breach of resistance and head north to 1.5265. One of the factors that we consider when looking for technical entry and exit points is the speed at which price is moving.

The dollar's trade-weighted index hovered near a 15-month low on Tuesday on the view U.S. interest rates will stay low, while sterling fell after Fitch said the UK was the major economy most at risk of losing its AAA rating.

News, details on corporate bond issues in the European markets on Tuesday:

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd will unveil long-awaited draft legislation on financial regulation reform on Tuesday, his office said on Monday.

Bailed-out British lender Lloyds Banking Group is to cut a further 5,000 jobs by the end of 2010 as it continues to overhaul its operations and integrate HBOS.

EU antitrust regulators launched an investigation on Tuesday into news and financial data publisher Thomson Reuters' use of its real-time market datafeed, saying it might block users moving to rival firms. The European Commission, which polices competition in the 27-country European Union, said the investigation was launched on its own initiative and that it did not imply it had proof of an infri...

Investment bank Lazard's board may pick more than one person to lead the company following the death of Chief Executive Bruce Wasserstein, the New York Post said.

Bailed-out British lender Lloyds Banking Group is to cut a further 5,000 jobs by the end of 2010 as it continues to overhaul its operations and integrate HBOS.

Oil prices fell on Tuesday to around $79 a barrel as a late-season hurricane subsided in the Gulf of Mexico and traders awaited key U.S. inventory data.

The European Commission has objected to Oracle Corp's acquisition of computer maker Sun Microsystems Inc , throwing the $7 billion deal into question.

Britain's top two banks, HSBC and Barclays, signaled bad debts may be past their peak, with HSBC declaring on Tuesday the first drop in U.S. consumer finance impairments for three years.

Barclays Plc said strong investment banking helped limit a fall in profit in the third quarter and it expects bad debts to peak earlier than it had previously expected.

Europe's biggest bank HSBC Holdings Plc said its underlying third-quarter profits were significantly ahead of a year ago and losses on U.S. consumer loans had shown their first fall in three years.

Europe's biggest bank HSBC Holdings said its underlying third quarter profits were significantly ahead of a year ago and said losses on U.S. consumer loans had shown their first fall in three years.

Oil prices fell on Tuesday to $79 a barrel as a late-season hurricane subsided in the Gulf of Mexico and traders awaited key U.S. inventory data.

World stocks ticked higher on Tuesday as positive reports from UK banks kept the momentum with investors who chased risky assets in anticipation countries would keep monetary policy accommodative.

Nokia has started deliveries of its new top-of-the-range model N900, a key product for the world's top phone maker in its battle against rivals iPhone and Blackberry.

Oil prices fell to below $79 a barrel on Tuesday, as tropical storm Ida, which cut U.S. oil and gas supplies, was downgraded from a powerful hurricane and U.S. crude oil stockpiles were forecast to rise slightly.

Asian stocks nudged higher on Tuesday on hopes continued stimulus will support economic recovery, while the dollar hovered near a 15-month low on expectations U.S. rates will remain near zero.