consumer confidence

Stocks ended mixed Tuesday despite early gains bolstered in part by a report showing that consumer confidence rebounded in November.

United States policy makers are warning that continued financial tumult in Europe could hurt exports and further erode American consumer confidence.

Poor reports on corporate earnings and American consumer confidence dragged stocks lower. Worries about Europe's debt problems also pulled the market down after three days of gains.

Gainers

• SPDR Gold Shares (NYSE: GLD) up 2.33 percent to $177.94. Gold prices falling as investors expect further monetary policy easing, and reports that had consumer sentiment at its lowest level since April 2009.
• PowerShares DB US Dollar Index Bullish (NYSE: UUP) up 0.43 percent to $21.02.
  
  The U.S.

Consumers' confidence in August dropped almost 15 points to the lowest level since April 2009 as worries about the economy fueled the wildest stock market swings since the financial meltdown in 2008.

Americans are losing faith that the economy will keep improving, according to a monthly survey.

Wall Street edged higher Tuesday amid new data on consumer confidence. Stocks were little changed on news that U.S. housing prices fell in most major cities.

Consumer confidence slipped this month as more people worried that the job market is worsening.

Wall Street pointed to a lower opening Tuesday as investors awaited news on consumer confidence and home prices.

(Association for Psychological Science) Despite modest economic gains, gloomy unemployment numbers and low workplace morale still loom large within corporate America.

Whether or not companies can capitalize on the momentum of this fragile financial revitalization is dependent on more than enhancing consumer confidence -- it falls largely on employees' levels of commitment to corporate success.

Researchers have discovered that building a more committed workforce can be as simple as asking employees to reflect on their company's history.