AP - The Federal Reserve's aggressive period of cutting interest rates to keep the country from falling into a recession is over. That point is in general agreement. The trouble starts when you try to figure out what period the Fed has now entered.

Reuters - Nissan Motor Co (7201.T) Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn said industrywide sales in the United States could fall well below 15 million vehicles this year as high gas prices and a sluggish economy sap demand, and warned of another push by steelmakers to hike prices.

AFP - Oil prices dived on Wednesday after official data revealed an unexpected rise for crude stockpiles in the United States, the world's biggest energy consumer, traders said.

AP - Stocks gained Wednesday after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged and issued a mixed but unsurprising assessment of the economy.

Reuters - Stocks added to gains on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve held a key interest rate steady.

Reuters - Durable goods orders held steady last month, but sales of new single family homes fell, government data showed on Wednesday, highlighting a weak economy as the Federal Reserve met to ponder interest rates.

AFP - A government survey Wednesday showed sales of new homes tumbled 2.5 percent across the United States in May amid unsettled economic times, as Federal Reserve policymakers deliberated over interest rates.

AP - Sales of new homes tumbled for the sixth time in seven months in May while median prices kept plunging, underscoring the depth of the nation's housing woes.

Reuters - Oil fell more than $3 on Wednesday after U.S. weekly data showed crude inventories in the world's top consumer rising as high fuel prices continued to erode demand.

AFP - US consumer confidence plunged in June amid growing concerns about jobs and the economy, with one gauge of future expectations hitting an all-time low, the Conference Board reported Tuesday.

AP - Oil futures ended an uneven session with a modest gain Tuesday as traders awaited news that could help the market break out of a trading range that has lasted for more than two weeks. Retail gas prices, meanwhile, slid below a national average of $4.07 a gallon.

Reuters - Stocks fell on Tuesday, on concerns about the economy after a report showed consumer confidence hit a 16-year low and as a profit warning from United Parcel Service stoked fears about corporate results.

AP - U.S. consumers are the gloomiest they've been since the tail end of the last prolonged recession. Inflation, sinking home values and soaring gas prices have pushed confidence to the lowest level since 1992. Consumers' view of the economic future has never been lower, raising worries that already weak consumer spending could deteriorate further.