5 Things You Need to Know Before the Stock Market Opens

BOSTON (TheStreet) -- More debt news from around the globe leads your quick fix of company, market, economic and investing news for Tuesday, Jan. 3, the first trading day of 2012 in the U.S.

Tuesday's 5 Biggest Stories

Happy New Year! There is more than $7.6 trillion of debt around the globe maturing this year. [Bloomberg]

Investment bank strategists are predicting the smallest gain for the S&P 500 since 2005. And remember, strategists are always right. [Bloomberg]

U.K. manufacturing activity improves in December, but it's still in a contraction. [MarketWatch]

Meanwhile, in Germany, the unemployment rate in December was the country's lowest since 1991. [BBC]

It's Iowa caucus day and everything is still up for grabs for the GOP candidates. [News 10]

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Quote of the Day

"Not really," GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul answered in reply to the question "When you lay your head on your pillow at night, do you see yourself in the Oval Office?" [ABC News]

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Company News

France's Total SA(TOT) buys a $2.3 billion shale stake in Ohio from Chesapeake Energy(CHK). [WSJ]

Research In Motion's(RIMM) co-founders and co-CEOs are reportedly about to relinquish control of the company's board of directors. [Financial Post]

Apple(AAPL) is planning an important media-related event in New York later this month. [All Things D]

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Markets

In other Apple news, a look at the pros versus bloggers ahead of the iPhone maker's quarterly results. [Fortune]

Mutual fund flow trends for bonds and equities are likely to continue into 2012. [Sober Look]

Same-store sales likely rose 4.3% in December. [Reuters]

Will the Federal Reserve raise rates soon? [Crossing Wall Street]

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Investment Strategy

Warren Buffett failed to beat the S&P 500 in 2011. [Bloomberg]

Ray Dalio's hedge fund Bridgewater Associates stays bearish heading into 2012. [WSJ]

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Odds and Ends

Fidel Castro is rumored to have died -- there's even a photo floating around the Internet -- although no credible news source is reporting this as fact yet. [Business Insider]

Welcome to 2012. Here's a New Order song to start your year off right. [YouTube]

-- Written by Robert Holmes in Boston.

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