(Reuters) - Boeing Co (BA.N) said on Tuesday that it took an order for 38 Next-Generation 737 airplanes and purchase rights for seven additional 737s from leasing company CIT Aerospace. The order -- potentially worth $3.2 billion -- includes 15 737-900ERs and 23 737-800s. Boeing said it was the largest order placed by a leasing company for the 737-900ER, the largest and newest member of the Boeing Next-Generation 737 series.

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(Reuters) - U.S. retailers should post another month of strong sales gains for December, capping their best holiday season since 2007, amid doubts that shoppers will keep spending as enthusiastically in the new year. Wall Street analysts expect top U.S. chains to report that sales at stores open at least a year, or same-store sales, rose 3.3 percent in December.

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(Reuters) - Macy's Inc (M.N) plans to hire 725 more people in the next two years to beef up its e-commerce sales, one of the department store operator's fastest growing segments. Combined online sales at its namesake chain and its upscale Bloomingdale's chain rose 28.5 percent in the first three quarters of its current fiscal year.

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(Reuters) - American International Group's (AIG.N) protracted sale of its Taiwan unit took another twist on Tuesday when a local firm proposed jointly running the unit with the bailed-out insurer instead of a sale that AIG has been pushing for. AIG has been trying to sell the unit, Nan Shan Life, since October 2009 as it looks to pay back the U.S. government for its bailout. It drew four bidders in a first round in December, with reports putting the offers at up to as high as $3 billion.

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(Reuters) - China's central bank chief Zhou Xiaochuan said the Chinese economy likely grew around 10 percent in 2010. In a speech published on Tuesday on the central bank's website (www.pbc.gov.cn), Zhou said he was not confident that China's economy, the world's second largest, was on a "normal" growth trajectory because of tepid demand in the developed world. Zhou first delivered the speech on Dec 15.

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(Reuters) - Optimism about the state of the world economy lifted stocks on Tuesday and kept oil prices at a near 27-month peak. Wall Street looked set to join in with gains at the open. The dollar was flat and the euro gained. Monday's U.S., Chinese and European PMI manufacturing data continued to boost risk sentiment across financial markets along with the "January effect" that occurs as fund managers dispense with the need to settle end-of-year balances.

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(Reuters) - Stocks rose on Monday, lifting the Nasdaq 100 to a 10-year high, as investors bet a 2010 rally would continue in the new year and factory and housing data pointed to a strengthening recovery. The Institute of Supply Management's manufacturing survey grew for a 17th straight month in December, adding to recent evidence the recovery was picking up steam, while the Commerce Department said construction spending increased to its highest level since June.

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(Reuters) - Goldman Sachs was the top global mergers and acquisitions advisor last year, retaking the position from rival Morgan Stanley, which derailed its multiyear grip on the ranking in 2009. Investment banks Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have been neck-and-neck in the M&A stakes throughout the year, according to Thomson Reuters data, ahead of rivals JP Morgan, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, UBS, Bank of America and Citigroup.

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(Reuters) - The manufacturing sector grew for a 17th straight month in December, adding to recent evidence that a recovery in the economy was picking up steam, according to an industry report released on Monday. The Institute for Supply Management said its index of national factory activity rose to 57.0 last month from 56.6 in November. That was in line with the 57.0 median forecast of the 57 economists surveyed by Reuters. A reading above 50 indicates expansion in the sector.

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(Reuters) - Construction spending rose more than expected in November to touch its highest level in five months, a government report showed on Monday, a further sign that the economic recovery was gaining momentum. The Commerce Department said construction spending increased 0.4 percent to an annual rate of $810.2 billion, the highest level since June, after rising by an unrevised 0.7 percent in October. November's increase in construction outlays marked the third straight month of gains.

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