Reuters - U.S. employers cut 159,000 jobs last month, a ninth straight monthly reduction and the deepest in 5-1/2 years, the government said in a report on Friday that suggested the economy may be in recession.

Reuters - Stocks fell, shedding earlier gains on Friday, as concerns about the economy overshadowed the U.S. House of Representatives' approval of the Bush administration's $700 billion financial rescue package.

Reuters - The House of Representatives approved a $700 billion bailout package for U.S. banks, under pressure from all sides as the effort to head off a spreading financial crisis hung in the balance.

Reuters - Wells Fargo & Co said on Friday it would buy Wachovia Corp for about $16 billion, apparently besting a government-backed Citigroup Inc bid for some of the bank's assets, in a deal that would catapult Wells Fargo into the ranks of the leading national consumer banks.

AP - Alarmed by the financial meltdown, stores nationwide are slapping sale signs on everything from fall sweaters to furniture — frantically trying to attract shoppers who are cutting back.

Reuters - The Federal Reserve should not cut interest rates again, even though the economy may face recession, a top Fed policy-maker said on Thursday.

Reuters - Oil fell nearly a dollar to near $93 a barrel on Friday, its third consecutive day of losses, on skepticism that a U.S. bailout package would be enough to prevent further oil demand falls.

Reuters - Stocks slid on Thursday as tight credit markets and bleak economic data forced investors to focus on the rocky road still ahead for the U.S. economy even if Congress passes a $700 billion rescue package this week.

Reuters - John Thain, the Merrill Lynch & Co Inc chief executive who engineered the firm's sale to Bank of America Corp, will head investment banking, securities and wealth management at the new company -- at least for now.

Reuters - Europe's top banker pressed the U.S. Congress to approve a $700 billion bailout of the U.S. financial industry on Friday and urged European states to unite in tackling a crisis now shaking the world economy.

Reuters - The cost of protecting insurers' debt with credit default swaps rose on Thursday as concerns mounted about potential investment losses.

Reuters - Oil dropped 4 percent on Thursday as financial market turmoil stoked concerns about fuel demand and sent investors seeking safer havens.

Reuters - Stocks extended losses on Thursday as tight credit markets and a spate of bleak economic data left investors even more anxious about the economy's health a day before release of the crucial payrolls report.

Reuters - General Electric Co shares fell as much as 10 percent on Thursday, touching a new 5-1/2-year low, as its sale of $15 billion in new stock to investors including Warren Buffett failed to soothe Wall Street worries.