IBT Staff Reporter

Dr. Shad Helmstetter, my favorite contemporary author on the subject of self-talk, titled his book, What to Say When You Talk to Yourself.

SanDisk Corp Chief Executive Eli Harari said 2009 could turn out to be significantly better than anticipated at the start of the year as big cutbacks in flash memory production bring balance back to an industry stung by oversupply.

Oil prices rose on Tuesday as a flurry of U.S. refinery problems stoked supply fears leading into peak summer driving season.

Stocks moved higher on Tuesday as investors bet that April's slide in U.S. housing starts and permits signaled that the housing market may soon stabilize as the supply of new homes dwindles.

HSBC Holdings, Europe's biggest bank, expects to see consolidation in the financial industry later this year and in early 2010 that will create buying opportunities, Chief Executive Michael Geoghegan said on Tuesday.

Norilsk Nickel Chairman Alexander Voloshin said on Tuesday it would make sense for the world's largest nickel miner to merge with other Russian metals companies after the financial crisis is over.

President Barack Obama proposed on Tuesday the first U.S. regulation of auto emissions in a bid to reduce climate-warming greenhouse gasses and lower dependence on foreign oil.

Luxury goods may have lost their luster for many people due to the recession, but in Australia, some pets are still living the good life.

Oil prices rose on Tuesday on buying inspired by gains on Wall Street and a flurry of U.S. refinery problems leading into peak summer driving season.

Oil slipped from a six-month high above $60 a barrel on Tuesday along with other commodities and stock markets as data showed U.S. housing starts fell to a record low in April, tempering hopes of economic stabilization.

U.S. banking supervisors have received requests from several major banks to repay emergency government investments, a Federal Reserve spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa did what four of his predecessors could not do, and many thought was impossible -- win one of the world's most stubborn civil wars.

Sales of smartphones are set to grow 12-15 percent in 2009, said Lee Williams, chief of the Symbian Foundation, the consortium of companies around the world's most popular smartphone operating system.

Receivers would take control of three hedge funds run by prominent money manager Ezra Merkin and linked to the Madoff fraud, lawyers for New York's top legal officer and Merkin said on Tuesday.

Jewish settler leaders on Tuesday shrugged off President Barack Obama's call for Israel to halt settlement building in the occupied West Bank, saying Palestinians needed to halt terror first.

A Chinese government spokesman on Tuesday brushed aside questions about a top official purged for opposing the armed crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1989, saying the official verdict on the demonstrations still stood.

Indian Prime Minister-elect Manmohan Singh vowed on Tuesday to revive growth and spread the benefits of economic expansion that swept his coalition back to power with a decisive mandate in a general election.

Myanmar's Southeast Asian neighbors expressed grave concern on Tuesday over the trial of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi but China said it would not interfere in the regime's affairs.

Iran's leading authority accused the United States on Tuesday of promoting terrorism in border areas and using arms and money against the Islamic state, in his latest verbal attack on Tehran's arch enemy.

The Palm Pre, the supposed iPhone killer, is set to launch June 6 in the U.S., and will only be available through Sprint, Palm confirmed on Tuesday, ending months of speculation as to when it will be rolled out to the public.

Stocks were little changed on Tuesday as data suggesting no let-up in the housing slump tempered investors' hopes that the recession was moderating.

Western-backed technocrat Salam Fayyad will stay on as prime minister of the Palestinian Authority at the head of a new cabinet to be announced shortly, Palestinian officials said on Tuesday.

American Express said Tuesday it would cut about 4,000 jobs, or 6 percent of its worldwide workforce, along with other reductions in spending, as the company said it was taking a “cautious outlook” as the economy moves toward a recovery.

Sales of smartphones are set to grow 12-15 percent in 2009, said Lee Williams, chief of the Symbian Foundation, the consortium of companies around the world's most popular smartphone operating system.

Morgan Stanley announced today it plans to sell its remaining 27.7 million shares in indexing and analytics company MSCI Inc.

Rodney Ringler is an unemployed blue collar male without a college degree. He's hardly alone. Men like him have been the main victims of the current recession in the United States.

Afghan president Hamid Karzai has no plan to install former U.S. ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad as chief executive of his country, a spokesman said on Tuesday, denying a report in the New York Times.

Indian Prime Minister-elect Manmohan Singh vowed on Tuesday to revive growth and spread the benefits of economic expansion that swept his coalition back to power with a decisive mandate in a general election.

Sri Lanka's military on Tuesday said Tamil Tiger leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran's body had been found, and President Mahinda Rajapaksa urged Tamils to join in rebuilding a nation split by a 25-year separatist war.