(Reuters) - General Motors Co's (GM.N) U.S. sales rose 26 percent in April, a sign that the top U.S. automaker has not been greatly affected by supply disruptions from Japan after the March 11 earthquake. Auto sales are an early indicator each month of U.S. consumer demand, and GM, as the biggest U.S. seller of autos and the first to report April sales on Tuesday, indicated that industry sales will be strong.

• Read more

(Reuters) - Pfizer Inc reported lower-than-expected quarterly revenue on a decline in sales of its prescription drugs, exposing the risks the company faces should it divest its better performing animal health, consumer products and nutritional products units. Sales of Pfizer's core business of prescription drugs fell 2 percent to $14.2 billion. Cholesterol fighter Lipitor, the company's biggest product, led the downturn, as its revenue tumbled 13 percent to $2.39 billion due to generic competition in overseas markets.

• Read more

(Reuters) - U.S. factory orders surged in March, posting a fifth straight monthly increase that showed a healthy manufacturing sector well placed to support economic recovery. The Commerce Department said on Tuesday new orders for manufactured goods rose 3 percent to a seasonally adjusted $463 billion, well above Wall Street economists' forecasts for a 1.9 percent pickup.

• Read more

(Reuters) - The United States sued Deutsche Bank AG, accusing the German bank and its MortgageIT Inc unit of repeatedly lying to be included in a federal program to select mortgages to be insured by the government. In a civil complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, the government said that defendants recklessly chose mortgages that violated program rules "in blatant disregard" of whether borrowers could make mortgage payments.

• Read more

(Reuters) - MasterCard Inc's (MA.N) first-quarter profit rose 24 percent, beating expectations, as consumers spent more money on their credit and debit cards. The company's shares rose 2.8 percent in premarket trading Tuesday after the world's second-largest card processing network said revenues increased more than expected. People with MasterCards are swiping them more often than they did last year, said Jim Tierney, chief investment officer of money management firm W.P. Stewart, which owns MasterCard shares.

• Read more

(Reuters) - Investors pulled back some of their exposure to equities in April, buying bonds and turning to safe-haven cash amid worries that global economic growth could falter from its rapid pace, Reuters polls showed on Tuesday. Surveys of 56 leading investment houses in the United States, Europe ex-UK, Japan and Britain showed exposure to stocks falling to 51.3 percent in the month from 52.6 percent in March. Bonds rose slightly to 34.6 percent from 34.0 while cash was lifted to 5.1 percent in a balanced portfolio from 4.7 percent a month earlier.

• Read more

(Reuters) - Sony CEO Howard Stringer faced harsh criticism of his leadership after the consumer electronics conglomerate revealed hackers may have stolen the data of another 25 million accounts in a second massive security breach. Also under growing pressure was Kazuo Hirai, the likely successor to Stringer and who had spearheaded the development of Sony's networked businesses until March, when he was promoted to the number 2 position as executive deputy president.

• Read more

(Reuters) - Clorox Co (CLX.N) posted disappointing quarterly results and narrowed its full-year outlook on Tuesday, hurt by rising packaging costs, and the consumer products maker's shares fell 3 percent premarket. To alleviate pressure on its margins, the company said it raised prices on its Glad trash bags by 9.5 percent, effective May 2. The company, which also makes Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing and its namesake bleach, is hopeful that new products like Brita water bottles, price increases and the appetite of affluent shoppers can help it rebound after a disappointing first half of the fiscal year.

• Read more

(Reuters) - An influential member of Germany's governing coalition backed the possibility on Tuesday of easing the terms of Greece's euro zone bailout, a move that might help Athens better weather the debt crisis. Michael Meister, deputy parliamentary leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats, said he saw logic in extending the repayment schedule for the 110 billion euros of loans granted to Greece on May 2, 2010.

• Read more

(Reuters) - Ally Financial Inc, the former General Motors Acceptance Corp, posted lower quarterly profit, hurt by bad mortgages made before the housing crisis. Ally said it earned $146 million in the first quarter compared with $162 million a year earlier when it was still known as GMAC. The company lost $39 million in its legacy mortgage portfolio, before taxes, compared with an $85 million gain in the same quarter last year.

• Read more