AFP - Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co, one of the most prestigious US investment firms, announced its intentions Sunday to sell its shares publicly on the New York Stock Exchange.

AP - Japan's economy showed more signs of deterioration as government data revealed Tuesday that the unemployment rate inched up and consumers tightened their purse strings amid rising food and oil prices.

Reuters - Stocks tumbled on Monday as fear of more credit and housing market turmoil battered financial shares and a mixed bag of quarterly results added to uncertainty the outlook for corporate profits.

Reuters - Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co's plan to become publicly traded by acquiring its struggling European affiliate signals that the buyout boom may flounder longer and force the private equity firm to focus on other businesses.

Reuters - Merrill Lynch & Co said on Monday it will take a $5.7 billion third-quarter write-down as it unloads huge amounts of risky debt, and will raise $8.5 billion by selling new stock.

Reuters - The Treasury and the nation's four biggest banks on Monday said they will kick-start a market for an investment product to support home financing in the latest effort to spur a slumping housing market.

AP - Japanese stocks ended slightly higher Monday as investors were cautious ahead of earnings and financial data due out later in the week.

AP - Franca Tantillo puts rising fuel prices in the same category as the springtime hail storm that wiped out part of her strawberry crop. Both cut into the profit she can make at the farmers markets she sells at in New York City, about 135 miles south of her farm.

Reuters - Wall Street earnings are "unlikely" to recover in the second half of this year meaning New York City's fiscal deficits could soar above the mayor's forecasts, the state comptroller warned on Monday.

Reuters - Merrill Lynch shares dropped nearly 10 percent on Monday, leading the entire sector lower as investors fretted over credit quality and the housing sector.

Reuters - Stocks fell on Monday as fears of more credit losses pushed financial shares lower while a mixed bag of quarterly results kept investors cautious about the outlook for the economy.

Reuters - Kraft Foods Inc posted higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Monday as price increases and gains on hedging positions offset rising costs for energy and commodities like wheat.

Reuters - U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said the nation's four biggest banks were ready to kick-start a market for covered bonds that could help significantly expand home mortgage financing.