AFP - European and Asia stock markets fell sharply on Monday and Wall Street was set to open lower after banking giant HSBC said it was seeking a huge capital injection to survive the global economic crisis, traders said.

AFP - Global stock markets fell heavily on Monday, hitting fresh multi-year lows after news of another massive bailout for key US insurer AIG and a huge cash call at banking giant HSBC.

AFP - The FTSE 100 index of leading shares slumped to a near six-year low on Monday after news of a huge cash call from banking giant HSBC and another massive bailout for key US insurer AIG.

AFP - New York oil prices dived by more than four dollars on Monday, mirroring sharp falls on global stock markets amid growing expectations that energy demand will weaken further, dealers said.

AP - The Dow Jones industrial average plunged below 7,000 Monday for the first time in more than 11 years as investors grow even more pessimistic about the health of banks, and in turn the economy.

Reuters - Stocks skidded to fresh multiyear lows on Monday as the government bailed out American International Group again and reported a record $61.7 billion loss that raised fears efforts to stem the financial crisis still are not enough.

AFP - Japan's Nikkei stock index fell 3.2 percent on Monday, after Wall Street sank to multi-year lows last week with dampened sentiment over grim economic data and troubled banking giant Citigroup.

Reuters - World stocks fell to nearly six-year lows on Monday and the dollar hit 3-year peaks after a 12.5 billion pound ($17.75 billion) rights issue by HSBC and another cash injection to U.S. insurer AIG .

AP - Asian stocks tumbled Monday as the worsening U.S. recession and more evidence of deep rot in the financial industry dashed hopes of a global recovery later this year. Benchmarks in Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong all sank about 4 percent.

Reuters - Wall Street is unlikely to get a reprieve this week as relentless worries about U.S. banks and the economy could embolden bears to drive the market below the 12-year lows hit on Friday.

AP - The arrival of March is unlikely to bring much relief to a stock market battered by bad news throughout February.

AFP - The US financial regulator has accused Texas financier Allen Stanford of committing a multi-billion-dollar fraud like that of Wall Street swindler Bernard Madoff, documents showed Saturday.

AP - Wall Street ended another unforgiving month with a steep loss — one that left the Dow Jones industrial average at less than half its record high.