AFP - The head of the US Federal Reserve backed a stimulus plan for the flagging American economy, buoying stock markets despite gloomy unemployment figures and fears the rebound could be limited.

Reuters - The credit crisis weighed on results at six large U.S. regional banks located throughout the country, as they reported lower profits or continued losses.

Reuters - The U.S. Federal Reserve on Tuesday launched a new program to fund purchases of $600 billion worth of money market mutual fund assets in the latest step to provide liquidity to strained financial markets.

Reuters - The Nasdaq Stock Market's decision to suspend one of its own listing rules comes as an avalanche of shares tumble below the $1 threshold, and is intended to avoid the mass delistings that followed the burst of the dot-com bubble.

Reuters - Billionaire Kirk Kerkorian sold shares worth about $18 million in Ford Motor Co at a big loss and could sell his remaining 6 percent stake after becoming the automaker's largest outside investor this year.

Reuters - Stocks tumbled on Tuesday, hurt by a pullback in commodity shares due to concerns that the global economy might be spiraling into recession, dimming the profit outlook.

Reuters - Research In Motion shares fell as much as 10 percent on Monday after one brokerage said retail sales trends for its BlackBerry smartphones in North America and Western Europe were weaker than hoped and another cut its earnings forecasts.

AFP - US stocks roared higher Monday on signs that governments' massive actions to get credit flowing again were beginning to work and growing momentum behind a second US economic stimulus package.

Reuters - Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG

Reuters - Merrill Lynch & Co Inc, which last month accepted a takeover offer from Bank of America Corp, is set to cut about 500 jobs in its trading divisions, Bloomberg News reported on Monday, citing unidentified sources.

Reuters - American Express Co said on Monday third quarter earnings fell more than 20 percent as it set aside more money to cover growing losses in its credit card business, but operating earnings beat analysts' estimates and there was a sigh of relief from investors as results were not as bad as some had expected.

Reuters - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress on Monday that another wave of government spending may be needed as the economy limps through what could be an extended period of subpar growth.

Reuters - Research In Motion shares dropped as much as 10 percent on Monday after a brokerage report said that retail sales trends for BlackBerry smartphones in North America and Western Europe have been "slightly disappointing".