AFP - The dollar firmed slightly against the euro Monday after Washington moved to bolster ailing mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, dealers said.

Reuters - Buyers showed no hesitation in bidding on Freddie Mac's $3 billion debt sale on Monday, just hours after the U.S. government pledged support for the nation's top mortgage finance agencies, but the steps failed to stem growing alarm on Wall Street.

AP - Now that the federal government has thrown a lifeline to mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, taxpayers could be on the hook for billions more if the crisis of confidence spreads.

AFP - Shares in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac struggled anew after a near-meltdown last week, as investors mulled a weekend plan offering a government lifeline for the US mortgage finance giants.

AP - For Roxanna Evans, the Fed's new rules to crack down on abusive lending practices, approved Monday, came too late.

AFP - Investment giant Lehman Brothers and other US banks are being roiled by falling confidence in the banking sector which has been spurred in part by hefty mortgage-related losses, analysts said.

AP - Asian stock markets fell sharply Tuesday as investor confidence in the U.S. financial system eroded even further despite a government-backed plan to help beleaguered mortgage financiers Fannie May and Freddie Mac.

AFP - Troubled US mortgage giant Freddie Mac planned Monday to sell off three billion dollars in securities in a test of investor reaction to a bold rescue plan by the US Treasury.

AP - Oil prices hovered near $145 a barrel Monday, swinging between gains and losses as traders weighed global supply concerns and a mixed dollar against worries about the health of the U.S. economy.

AFP - European stocks were firmer on Monday but Asian markets fell as investors digested measures to bolster US mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac amid a raft of major company takeover news.

AP - World markets were mixed Monday as investors took in news of U.S. government moves to prop up ailing mortgage financiers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

AFP - Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac stocks wobbled Monday after a near-meltdown last week, as the market mulled a weekend plan offering a lifeline for the mortgage finance firms from the US Federal Reserve and Treasury.

AP - The Federal Reserve has adopted rules to give home buyers more protection from the types of shady lending practices that have contributed to the housing crisis and propelled foreclosures to record highs.