(Reuters) - A sharp drop in bond trading revenue pushed Citigroup Inc fourth-quarter profit far below expectations, highlighting Chief Executive Vikram Pandit's challenges in fully reviving the bank. The earnings miss by Citigroup, which only survived the financial crisis thanks to a massive taxpayer bailout, stoked concern that the bank has yet to resolve the operational weaknesses that have plagued it for years.

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(Reuters) - The health of Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs was set to overshadow quarterly sales numbers on Tuesday from the consumer electronics powerhouse, whose iPhone and iPad excited holiday shoppers. The world's most valuable technology company said on Monday Jobs was taking a medical leave of absence without specifying a return date or detailing his condition.

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(Reuters) - Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL.N) reported a lower-than-expected quarterly profit on Tuesday as fuel prices and plane repair costs increased, and its shares fell more than 2 percent. Rising fuel prices could add $1 billion to costs over last year, the company told staff in a memo. "There's concern that oil prices are only going to go up from here, and there's not really much that the airlines can do to offset that," said ITG Investment Research analyst Matthew Jacob.

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(Reuters) - Boeing Co (BA.N) said on Tuesday it has delayed first delivery of the 787 Dreamliner to the third quarter from the first quarter after an electrical fire on a test flight in November. Many industry experts had long expected the delay to Japan's All Nippon Airways (9202.T), but opinions differed on how long it might be.

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(Reuters) - - World stocks hit a fresh 28-month high on Tuesday, while the euro climbed on new evidence of robust growth in Germany and signs that policymakers will eventually firm up plans to ease the euro zone's debt crisis. Wall Street looked set to open higher, adding to its relatively solid start to the year.

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(Reuters) - Foreigners increased purchases of U.S. securities in November, the U.S. Treasury Department said on Tuesday, though it was private investors rather than central banks who did most of the buying. The United States attracted a net long-term capital inflow of $85.1 billion, above an upwardly revised October inflow of $28.9 billion. Net Treasury purchases rose, though China, the largest foreign U.S. creditor, cut holdings by $11.2 billion.

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(Reuters) - European finance ministers agreed on Tuesday to take their time over beefing up the euro zone's rescue fund and to publish new stress tests on the region's shaky banks in the second half of the year. The go-slow approach could test the patience of investors, spooked by the euro zone debt crisis, who sold off peripheral countries' bonds this month until the European Central Bank intervened to steady markets.

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(Reuters) - Goldman Sachs said it will limit its private placement of shares of social networking site Facebook to investors outside the United States, citing "intense media coverage." Goldman expects to raise $1.5 billion for Facebook, the wildly popular site used as a message board and for online social networking.

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(Reuters) - Video rental chain Blockbuster Inc (BLOAQ.PK) said it had received an additional three weeks from its lenders to file a bankruptcy reorganization plan. The company received an extension to February 4 from January 14 to file a plan, a regulatory filing shows. It is common for debtors to seek such extensions, and U.S. bankruptcy courts routinely grant them.

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(Reuters) - Stock index futures extended their fall on Monday, pulled lower by Apple Inc (AAPL.O) after the company's CEO Steve Jobs said the company's board had granted him leave to concentrate on his health. Apple's shares traded in Frankfurt (AAPL.F) fell 7.5 percent by 1438 GMT, while futures for the S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq dropped 0.3 and 0.9 percent, respectively.

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