IBT Staff Reporter

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq rose on Tuesday as a signal that the Federal Reserve might cut its benchmark interest rate soon muted persistent concerns about withering credit markets.

German banks face a critical situation because foreign banks are reluctant to lend to them after the joint rescue of small-company lender IKB, state-backed lender WestLB's chief executive said.

A prolonged U.S. housing slump is causing a surge in the number of job losses announced by U.S. financial services companies, consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. said on Tuesday.

Tilera Corp, a Silicon Valley semiconductor start-up, is launching a single microchip with 64 processing units, or cores, in a technological jump generations ahead of the mainstream.

Struggling electronics maker Sanyo Electric Co said on Tuesday its mobile phone operations will likely turn profitable in the current quarter to the end of September, helped by brisk demand for its latest models.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke signaled a willingness to consider an early cut in the benchmark interest rate to quell market unrest, a key U.S. lawmaker said on Tuesday after meeting with the Fed chief, sending Wall Street higher.

U.S. private equity fund Lone Star confirmed on Tuesday it was in exclusive negotiations with HSBC to sell its 51 percent stake in Korea Exchange Bank, with a market value of $4.8 billion.

Decades pass but the story remains the same -- financial markets lurch from boom to bust, central banks rush in to avert disaster and their rescue operation sets the scene for yet another boom-bust sequel.

China raised interest rates on Tuesday for the fourth time this year, aiming to counter expectations of accelerating inflation after consumer prices rose in July at the fastest pace in more than a decade.

A U.S.-based workers' rights group said it found brutal conditions and labor violations at eight Chinese plants that make toys for big multinationals, and called on the companies to take steps for better standards.

Nasdaq expects the sale of its London Stock Exchange stake to boost its stock price and enrich its bid for Nordic bourse operator OMX, target of a higher offer from Borse Dubai, Nasdaq CEO Robert Greifeld said on Tuesday.

China, the world's top emitter of sulphur dioxide, has managed to cut emissions of the acid-rain causing pollutant in first half of 2007, but the government said on Tuesday that meeting national targets would be tough.

The U.S. space shuttle Endeavour returned to its Florida home port on Tuesday, touching down safely at the Kennedy Space Center following a hectic but successful 13-day mission to the International Space Station.

Adams Respiratory Therapeutics Inc posted a quarterly loss, forecast its outlook for the year below Wall Street expectation and indicated that its key drug may face competition from a generic version.

Canada's annual inflation rate held unchanged at 2.2 percent in July and the core rate fell to 2.3 percent from 2.5 percent in June, a steady performance that analysts said makes an interest rate rise in September highly unlikely.

Stock markets may have fallen sharply from their recent highs over the past weeks, but there is a wall of money sitting out there that could turn it all into a far greater rout.

The Disney made-for-TV movie was the most watched U.S. TV telecast ever for the 6 to 11 age group.

U.S. stocks rose to session highs on Tuesday after a U.S. lawmaker said the Federal Reserve chairman pledged to use all available tools to calm financial markets, increasing speculation about a rate cut. U.S. crude oil futures fell below $70 a barrel, pushing up airline stocks like the parent of American Airlines, AMR Corp., up nearly 7 percent at $23.73. It was the first time oil has fallen below $70 since July 2.

A plague carried around the world by travelers, pets and curious teen-agers may show that experts have not taken everything into account when planning for an outbreak of disease, researchers said on Monday.

Oil tumbled nearly $2 a barrel below $70 on Tuesday as Hurricane Dean lost strength, easing concerns of supply disruptions from Mexico and the U.S. Gulf where oil installations were threatened by the powerful storm.

Gold slipped with stock markets and other commodities on Tuesday as fears about the effect of a global credit squeezed lingered, analysts said.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said on Tuesday he was talking with housing finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac about policy options to ease strains in mortgage markets, including possible legislation that could expand their mortgage investment options.

Dell Inc. shares shed more than 2 percent on Tuesday amid concerns that industry-wide constraints on some display screen components and production issues with the paint on some of its notebook PC lines could delay the delivery of new machines.

Shares of Take-Two Interactive Inc. rose about 10 percent on Tuesday after the interactive entertainment company announced the North American release of its highly anticipated science-fiction shooter game BioShock.

The yen gained broadly in volatile trading on Tuesday as persistent jitters about global credit conditions prodded investors to sell more risky assets funded by borrowing at low rates in the Japanese currency.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd on Tuesday said he asked the Bush administration to lift the portfolio caps on housing finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson expressed reluctance to do so.

Marsh Inc. the world's largest insurance broker and risk adviser, on Monday warned financial institutions they may face more claims as a result of the subprime mortgage crisis.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed civil fraud charges on Monday against Sentinel Management Group Inc, the cash management firm serving the U.S. futures industry that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection late on Friday.

Target Corp on Tuesday said its quarterly profit rose more than 12 percent, boosted by strong sales at stores open at least a year and returns from its credit-card business. The retailer also reiterated its full-year earnings outlook.