AFP - Oil prices briefly struck fresh record highs over 142 dollars on Friday as the US dollar remained weak, and as world stock markets tumbled amid economic jitters marking the end of a volatile week.

Reuters - Stocks fell on Friday, pushing the Dow to the brink of a bear market, hounded by concerns that record oil prices and the seemingly endless credit crisis will further damage the economy.

Reuters - As the Federal Reserve and securities regulators neared an agreement on investment banks, leaders of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee on Friday warned them not to get ahead of Congress with any Wall Street reforms.

AP - Wall Street ended a depressing week with another big loss on Friday, with the Dow Jones industrials falling more than 100 points amid ever-escalating worries about high oil prices and fallout from the credit crisis. The major indexes are all down more than 3 percent for the week.

AP - Japanese stocks dropped for a seventh day to a two-month low on Friday as sentiment turned downbeat on an overnight tumble on Wall Street and skyrocketing global oil prices.

Reuters - S&P 500 futures rose 0.2 percent, Dow Jones industrial average furtures were up 0.2 percent and futures for the Nasdaq 100 were up 0.2 percent early on Friday. U.S. benchmark indexes (.DJI) (.SPX) (.IXIC) fell 3 percent on Thursday.

AP - Asian stock markets tumbled Friday amid growing alarm as oil prices spiked above $141 a barrel for the first time and Wall Street plummeted overnight.

AFP - European stocks mostly fell on Friday as oil prices shot to record levels, but losses were less than falls on other global markets hit by soaring crude costs and a weak US economy.

AP - European stock markets were mixed Friday in the wake of steep falls on Asian and U.S. exchanges as oil prices hit a record $142 a barrel.

AFP - Oil prices struck record highs above 142 dollars on Friday as the US currency weakened and stock markets tumbled at the end of a volatile week for investors worldwide.

Reuters - Oil prices rose to a record near $143 a barrel on Friday as a drop in global equities markets sent fresh investors into commodities.

Reuters - The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) of stocks slid on Friday into bear market territory as investors fretted about the impact of record oil prices and mounting credit losses in the financial sector.

Reuters - Stocks fell sharply on Friday, as concerns about the impact of record oil prices on the economy and fears of more credit losses in the bank sector rattled investors.