Reuters - Fears of global recession overshadowed signs on Wednesday that government attempts across the world to end the gravest global financial crisis in 80 years may be bearing fruit.

Reuters - Oil fell by more than $3 to near its lowest in 16 months on Wednesday, dropping back below $70 on mounting worries that output cuts by OPEC will not be enough to offset slackening energy demand in leading consumers.

Reuters - Shares in global miner and takeover target Rio Tinto Ltd jumped 5 percent in a weak market on Wednesday, swept up by rumors ranging from a sweetened cash bid by BHP Billiton to a Chinese counter-bid.

Reuters - Asian stocks slumped to their lowest since December 2004 on Wednesday as poor U.S. corporate results and falling commodity prices fanned worries of a protracted global economic slowdown.

Reuters - Wal-Mart Stores Inc , the world's largest retailer, has achieved annual sales growth in China of at least 25 percent and this strong growth will continue, a company executive said on Tuesday.

AFP - The US Federal Reserve reached deeper into the troubled financial system on Tuesday to offer help to money market mutual funds in its latest response to recent turmoil.

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.