Mark Brooks

The euro is unchanged from late Tuesday at $1.2934.

"I am ready and able and willing and excited to go ahead and get this issue resolved in bipartisan fashion so that American families, American businesses have some certainty going into next year," Obama said.

Benchmark oil dropped 88 cents, or 1 percent, to $86.31 per barrel in New York.

Crude supplies fell by 300,000 barrels, or 0.1 percent, to 374.1 million barrels, which is 11.8 percent above year-ago levels, the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration said in its weekly report.

Chicago-based-ShopperTrak said late Tuesday that foot traffic was up 8.2 percent for the four-day weekend, starting with Thanksgiving, while total sales rose 2.7 percent to $22 billion, compared with the same period a year ago.

Traders also bought the dollar as sales of machinery and equipment unexpectedly rose last month.

The decision came in a twice-a-year Treasury report on whether any other nations are manipulating their currencies to gain trade advantages.

The plea Tuesday in federal court was a procedural move paving the way for a later guilty plea.

Wheat for December delivery gained 24 cents to finish at $8.73 per bushel.

Paul Ceglia's opposition to Ohio attorney Dean Boland's request to withdraw from Ceglia's civil lawsuit surprised Facebook attorneys, who'd been ready to go along with it during a court hearing conducted by phone Tuesday.

The analyst added that lower supply and higher demand for used cars stemming from Superstorm Sandy should also help increase wholesale prices of used vehicles.

Obama will meet with small business owners at the White House on Tuesday and with middle-class families on Wednesday.

The lower oil prices Tuesday matched a slight decline in U.S. stocks markets.

Bernstein Research analyst Carlos Kirjner said Monday that Facebook is likely to beat Wall Street's revenue expectations over the next 12 to 24 months.

Platinum and palladium also fell, while silver and copper crept higher.

The latest gains extend a rally that has been gaining momentum in recent weeks as Yahoo buys back its own stock and more investors bet on CEO Marissa Mayer's ability to turn around the long-struggling company.

The protesters are calling on President Dilma Rousseff to veto a measure that would divide oil royalties more evenly between all Brazil's 26 states instead of favoring top oil producers like Rio and neighboring Espirito Santo.

Apple shares were at $584.66 in midday trading Monday, up $13.16, or 2.3 percent from Friday's close.

Authorities say it's the third consecutive Cyber Monday that websites selling knockoff sports jerseys, DVDs, and other goods have been targeted.

In a new report that coincides with Congress' return after the Thanksgiving holiday, the White House says that if lawmakers don't halt the automatic increase in taxes for households earning less than $250,000, consumers might even curtail their shopping during the current holiday season.