Mark Brooks

Moreover, Obama arrives at the G-8 with Syria foremost on his mind.

Benchmark oil for July delivery gained 81 cents to close at $96.69 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The actively traded December contract for corn fell 13.25 cents, or 2.4 percent, to $5.375 a bushel.

By midday in New York, benchmark oil for July delivery was up 48 cents to $95.86 a barrel. Oil lost a combined 65 cents a barrel Monday and Tuesday.

The Business Roundtable says its April-June quarterly survey found 32 percent of its members expect to expand payrolls in the next six months.

The Federal Constitutional Court was holding a second day of hearings to weigh allegations that the ECB's plan to purchase government bonds amounted to financing for governments, which is illegal for the central bank.

Gold for August delivery fell $9, or 0.6 percent, to $1,377 an ounce. Silver fell 27.9 cents, 1.3 percent, to $21.646 an ounce.

The industry watchdog issued a new investor alert Tuesday that explains the unique characteristics and risks of these investments, which can carry much higher risk than some investors may realize at first glance.

Benchmark oil for July delivery fell 39 cents to close at $94.68 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Crude fell to $94.04 earlier in the day.

The White House says top officials, including chief of staff Denis McDonough, learned of an impending inspector general's report on the matter in late April. Obama has said he didn't learn about it until seeing news reports on May 10, the day the story broke.

The stakes are high because any deal could have major implications for global trade and could serve as a model for future deals.

The Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe is considering arguments against the ECB's program, which has been credited with easing turmoil in bond markets in the 17-country eurozone but which some say oversteps the ECB's mandate.

If confirmed by the Senate he would replace Alan Krueger, who is returning to his teaching post at Princeton University.

The actively traded gold contract for August delivery edged up $3 to settle at $1,386 an ounce.

Benchmark oil for July delivery fell 26 cents to close at $95.77 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The news, announced as a delegation from Greece's international creditors returned to Athens for a new round of inspections, hammered stocks in Greece, with the main index closing 4.7 percent lower.

Apple software head Craig Federighi says the next version of Mac OS X will be called "Mavericks," after an undersea rock formation that produces big waves near Half Moon Bay, Calif.

The London-based oil giant said the Coast Guard has concluded "active cleanup operations" in Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, but the work continues along 84 miles of Louisiana's shoreline.

The event's focus on women's pay comes during a week when Obama is paying special attention to Democratic constituent groups.

Germany's Federal Constitutional Court, the country's highest, holds a two-day hearing starting Tuesday centering partly on the ECB's offer last September to purchase unlimited amounts of government bonds, a policy that has been widely credited for an easing in Europe's debt crisis.