Stocks may rise Tuesday amid shake-ups in the boardroom at CIBC, Bear Stearns and Starbucks.

Bear Stearns CEO James Cayne, is stepping down from the post but will remain chairman. Cayne has been under fire from shareholders since the firm was burned by the U.S. mortgage-market downturn.

Howard Schultz is taking the opposite tack at Starbucks, replacing Jim Donald as CEO while remaining chairman, as the coffee retailer fends off stiffer competition.

On Monday, CIBC recruited TSX Group chief executive officer Richard Nesbitt to take on a new role as CEO of CIBC World Markets, and moved chief financial officer Tom Woods into the position of chief risk officer.

There are no major economic releases from Statistics Canada today.

The Canadian dollar opened at US99.98¢, up more than half a cent from Monday.

At noon, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada Sheryl Kennedy addresses the Association of Quebec Women in Finance, in Montreal.

South of the border, data on November pending-home sales are due shortly after the open.

In today’s earnings news, Constellation Brands Inc., the world’s biggest winemaker and owner of more than 200 alcohol brands, said its third-quarter profit rose 11%, helped by sales in North America.

In M&A news, Microsoft will pay US$1.2 billion to buy Norwegian search software group Fast Search & Transfer.

Gold futures hit a new record high, up US$14 to US$876 an ounce in electronic trade.

Crude-oil futures rebounded a bit, up 79¢ to US$95.88 a barrel.

Overseas, gains for Sony helped push the Nikkei 225 up 0.2% in Tokyo.

The FTSE 100 rose 0.6% in London.

Toronto stocks sank on Monday for the second session in a row, as slumping resource and financial issues weighed on the market.

The S&P/TSX Venture composite index fell 159.71 points, or 1.16%, to end at 13,618.87.

The junior S&P/TSX venture composite index also fell, shedding 36.68 points, or 1.35%, to end at 2,819.98.

In New York, markets finished mixed as investors poured into companies seen best able to withstand an economic slowdown following Friday’s dismal U.S. employment data.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 27.31 points, or 0.21%, to 12,827.49. The S&P 500 added 4.55 points, or 0.32%, to 1,416.18. But the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index fell 5.19 points, or 0.21%, to close at 2,499.46.