Mark Brooks

The Fed said it will spend $45 billion a month to sustain an aggressive drive to keep long-term interest rates low.

Setting up a supervisor is the first step in a broader plan to have a banking union, which could help European countries to avoid a repeat of the region's financial problems.

The policies are intended to help an economy that the Fed says is growing only modestly with 7.7 percent unemployment in November.

House Speaker John Boehner and President Barack Obama spoke on the phone Tuesday, a day after the president offered to reduce his initial demand for $1.6 trillion in higher tax revenue over a decade to $1.4 trillion.

Traders also were watching the U.S. Federal Reserve, which began a two-day policy meeting Tuesday.

Under the agreements, Harry Tanner, Sam Goldman, and American Precious Metals LLC are permanently banned from marketing any investment opportunities.

The price of wheat is falling after the government predicted U.S. inventories will increase by the end of next year's growing season in part because of weaker export demand. Wheat for March delivery fell 3.2 percent to end Tuesday at $8.215 per bushel. Corn and soybeans also fell. The U.S. Agriculture Department predicted wheat supplies will total 754 million bushels after next year's harvest. That's 11 million bushels higher than this year's production estimate. Meanwhile, orange juice futures are up nearly 4 percent after the government cut next year's production forecast to 9.01 million tons. That is a 4 percent drop from October's forecast and slightly less than this year's production. Prices for gold, silver, copper and natural gas are lower. Oil, gasoline and cotton are higher.

They relate the debate in Washington over their tax dollars with their own lives: average Americans who are struggling every day to make ends meet.

Aside from the new look unveiled Tuesday, Yahoo! introduced email apps for the iPhone, iPad, and mobile devices running on the new Windows 8 operating system.

Finance ministers from the 17 European Union countries that use the euro conferred late Tuesday on the results of a key bond buyback designed to ease Greece's crippling debt load and unlock vital rescue loans.

The White House and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi countered the assertion within moments.

Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV, D-W.Va., said Tuesday that Obama knows that "our votes are at stake" over the issue.

Sen. Mitch McConnell complained on Tuesday that Obama has spent his time talking about raising tax rates but has failed to specify where he would reduce out-of-control government spending.

Benchmark oil rose 10 cents to $85.65 per barrel Tuesday in New York.

Corn for March delivery lost 7.25 cents to settle at $7.30 a bushel Monday. Wheat also fell.

The sudden departure of Mario Monti struck a blow to Italian stocks and government bonds as investors feared that political uncertainty there could undermine confidence in the euro and Italy's economy.

However, Obama held back from directly criticizing Republicans for opposing his tax plans, perhaps signaling that private negotiations over the "fiscal cliff" are showing progress.

Eight former mutual fund directors are facing civil charges after they allowed others at the firm to set values for mortgage securities and investors lost roughly $200 million on those funds.

Google argued that selling advertising based on the content of a received email is a routine business practice permitted under an exception written into the wiretap law.

"The spectacular rise of Asian economies is dramatically altering ... U.S. influence," said Christopher Kojm, chairman of the National Intelligence Council, as it released the report "Global Trends 2030" on Monday.