AP - Shares of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac plummeted Friday as Wall Street and Washington became more convinced that the government is likely to bail out the nation's key mortgage financiers.

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.

AFP - Shares of US mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were in a freefall Friday on heightened concerns the trillion-dollar firms may face insolvency or a government takeover.

Reuters - Stocks fell sharply on Friday on worry about the financial stability of the top two home financing providers Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, while oil prices hit an all-time high, clouding the outlook for the economy.

AP - Wall Street sank further into a bear market Friday, as investors dumped stocks on troubles at mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and oil's continuing climb into record territory. The Dow Jones industrials slid below the 11,000 mark for the first time in two years before paring their losses.