Emerson Electric reports its fiscal fourth-quarter profit fell 26% from a year ago as the manufacturer cut inventories amid soft demand for its industrial-power tools and consumer appliances.

A roundup of the latest corporate earnings reports and what companies are saying about future quarters.

Technology stocks rise in early trading as the sector advanced on a day highlighted by Emerson Electric Co.’s $1.2 billion acquisition of networking-equipment company Avocent Corp.

U.S. stock futures pointed to a second day of gains Tuesday, with the dollar back on the defensive after Australia became the first of the major developed economies to lift interest rates. See Indications.

Technology company Emerson agrees to buy data-center specialists Avocent for $1.2 billion in cash, a 22% premium.

Enhancements Provide a Unique View Into Capacity Planning, Bringing Additional ROI and Total Cost of Ownership Benefits to Enterprise Customers

LANDesk(R) Management Suite 9 and LANDesk(R) Security Suite 9 Enable Complete Asset Management, Easier Windows 7 Migrations, Layered Endpoint Security