Tuesday's Top Stories in Two Minutes

• Email
• Share
• Print

Here at the Fool, we've searched high and low across the Web this Tuesday morning to find the biggest news and best stories around. Here are your top five morning reads.

1. Bring on more health-care debate!
A new study by Thomson Reuters shows the U.S. health-care system wastes between $505 and $850 billion a year. Political hogwash? You can decide for yourself. However, one certain takeaway is that investors can benefit by investing in companies who create products that attack this waste, however much it may be. (Read more at Reuters.)

2. What caused banks to get bigger?
One of the sobering results of the financial crisis is that banks that were already too large to fail have gotten bigger. Notably, Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) swallowed Merrill, JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) took Washington Mutual's assets, and Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) absorbed Wachovia. Each bank is now bigger, and a smaller number of banks controls a larger number of deposits. The New Yorker examines why the big banking phenomenon continues, and what benefits and problems it causes. (Read more at The New Yorker.)

3. International earnings
A couple notable earnings from this morning:

• Despite quarterly earnings that were half last year's level, Honda (NYSE: HMC) raised full fiscal year expectations. It believes green initiatives and China will bring added demand over the next six months. (Read more at Yahoo! Finance.)
• BP (NYSE: BP) beat expectations, but still saw earnings fall 34% year-over-year. The good: more production and refinery output. The bad: declining oil and gas prices. (Read more at MarketWatch.)

4. Will a recovery bring back jobs?
Banking on an economic recovery to bring you your job back? Not quite so fast, you might be living on canned beans a bit longer. The Financial Times compares three different viewpoints on what level of unemployment will persist after the economy gets back on its feet. (Read more at Financial Times Alphaville.)

5. Wal-Mart, now 35% less evil!
It's long been on people's radars that Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) stands to benefit from this recession. Its emphasis on low prices naturally appeals to scrimping consumers. However, the company's also raking in a veritable PR bonanza as public antagonism shifts to large banks and away from its competitive practices. Hey Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS), Wal-Mart's thank you card is in the mail. (Read more at Fortune.)

Check Fool.com throughout the day for commentary and analysis on these and other stories. Or you can follow us on Twitter, on Facebook, or through our email digests.

Eric Bleeker owns shares of no companies listed above. Wal-Mart Stores is a Motley Fool Inside Value pick. Try any of our Foolish newsletters today, free for 30 days. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.