Reuters - Standard & Poor's on Thursday cut ratings on all three major U.S. automakers deeper into junk status, citing expected losses due to higher gas prices and a weakening U.S. economy.

Reuters - The Dow industrials and the S&P 500 fell on Thursday as disappointing growth and employment data heightened concerns about the economy's health and the outlook for corporate profits.

Reuters - Exxon Mobil Corp broke its own record for the highest-ever quarterly profit for a U.S. company on Thursday, joining other major oil companies in posting stronger earnings on the back of sky-high oil prices.

Reuters - An emergency dose of government stimulus helped the economy grow at a 1.9 percent annual rate in the second quarter, a soft pace but enough to take it off a path perilously close to recession.

AP - Office supply retailers felt no relief from the pinch of weaker spending by consumers and small businesses, with both Office Depot and OfficeMax citing the struggling economy as they reported losses for the second quarter.

Reuters - Chrysler is in talks to lease U.S. production capacity and share retail distribution with Fiat SpA , allowing the Italian automaker to return the U.S. market for the first time in 25 years, people briefed on the talks said on Wednesday.

Reuters - A former Credit Suisse broker charged with fraud in an auction rate securities scam may have fled to his native Bulgaria, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the case.

Reuters - Most Asian stock markets rose on Thursday after a move by central banks to boost liquidity in financial markets offset a $4 rebound in oil prices, while a surprisingly strong U.S. jobs indicator kept the dollar well bid.

Reuters - Starbucks Corp posted its first quarterly loss as a public company on Wednesday and said its U.S. coffee chain would shrink in the year ahead, but investors stunned by months of uncertainty sent shares up 4 percent as it stuck by its profit target for 2009.

AP - Federal regulators on Tuesday extended through mid-August a temporary order banning a certain kind of short-selling of the stocks of mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and 17 large investment banks.

Reuters - Private employers added 9,000 jobs in July, according to a private report by ADP Employer Services released on Wednesday.