AP - Investors already disheartened about the growing problems of the financial sector and the soaring price of oil are facing more depressing news with the release of second-quarter earnings reports.

AP - Industrial and financial conglomerate General Electric Co. said Friday its profit fell 6 percent in the second quarter, and has agreed to sell its Japanese consumer finance business for $5.4 billion.

AP - Hotel operator Marriott International Inc. said Thursday that second-quarter earnings dropped 24 percent as the deteriorating economy dragged down demand, a trend the company expects will extend into next year.

AP - Hotel operator Marriott International Inc. said Thursday that second-quarter earnings dropped 24 percent as the deteriorating economy dragged down demand, a trend the company expects will extend into next year.

AP - Wall Street tumbled Wednesday as investors grappled with renewed worries about the soundness of the financial sector. The major indexes fell more than 2 percent, including the Dow Jones industrial average, which lost more than 230 points.

Reuters - Aluminum producer Alcoa Inc on Tuesday posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit, lifting its shares, as higher aluminum prices and sales volumes offset increased costs.

AP - Alcoa Inc., the world's third-largest aluminum producer, ushered in the second-quarter earnings season by posting a 24 percent earnings decline as rising production costs eroded profits, but the results still exceeded analysts' expectations.