Reuters - Stocks fell on Thursday as insurer American International Group and Citigroup weighed on the financial sector, while lower-than-expected July sales by Wal-Mart Stores Inc raised concerns about consumer spending and profit outlook.

Reuters - Claims for jobless aid rose last week and big retailers had disappointing sales in July, reports showed on Thursday, but a gauge of future home sales rose in a hopeful sign for the battered housing sector.

Reuters - Citigroup Inc agreed to buy back more than $7 billion of illiquid auction-rate securities and pay a $100 million civil fine to settle charges it marketed the debt fraudulently.

Reuters - Stocks rose on Wednesday, building on the previous day's big gains, as a further drop in oil prices and a reassuring outlook from Cisco Systems overshadowed persistent credit concerns.

Reuters - HSBC Holdings (0005.HK) on Thursday denied a South Korean media report saying it had agreed with U.S. private equity firm Lone Star to set a new deadline for a $6.3 billion deal for control of Korea Exchange Bank.

Reuters - McDonald's Corp said on Thursday it was considering further price increases, but would do nothing that slowed customer traffic into its global network of stores.

Reuters - Freddie Mac , one of the major players in the U.S. mortgage market, on Wednesday posted its fourth straight quarterly loss as it braced for a prolonged housing market slump by setting aside twice as much money for bad loans and cutting its dividend by at least 80 percent.

Reuters - American International Group Inc posted its third consecutive quarterly net loss of more than $5 billion on Wednesday as it wrote down bad mortgage-related investments, sending its shares down almost 8 percent.

AP - Retailers preparing for a difficult back-to-school season are getting creative in their attempts to entice shoppers into the stores — aggressively introducing new products, slashing prices and amping up marketing in the battle for parents' bucks.

Reuters - Blackstone Group LP posted a second-quarter loss as tight credit markets curtailed buyouts, but the private equity firm said the choppy economic environment offered some investment opportunities.

Reuters - Yahoo Inc's board confirmed billionaire investor Carl Icahn as a director, while board member Robert Kotick tendered his resignation as part of a previously announced deal, the company said on Wednesday.