AP - Millions of economic stimulus payments sent after-tax incomes surging in May by the largest amount since a similar recession-fighting effort by Gerald Ford 33 years ago.

Reuters - Consumer confidence fell more than expected in June, hitting another 28-year low as surging prices and mounting job losses contributed to a bleak outlook, according to a survey released on Friday.

Reuters - Consumer spending jumped last month as stimulus checks boosted household budgets and pushed the saving rate to the highest level since 1995, but another report released on Friday showed confidence took a hit.

AP - The Federal Reserve was scrambling to prevent a "contagion" from infecting the nation's financial system when it took unprecedented actions to back a Bear Stearns rescue package and provide emergency loans to big Wall Street firms.

AP - Gas prices have long been sky-high in Europe. So given what's happened to prices at the pump in America recently, has a gallon of gas in Paris or Rome gone from expensive to ridiculous?

AP - A barrage of bad news including yet another record high for oil drove stocks sharply lower Thursday, hurtling the Dow Jones industrials down nearly 360 points to their lowest level in almost two years.

AP - Wall Street companies scaled back their borrowing from the Federal Reserve's emergency lending program over the past week, while commercial banks stepped it up.

Reuters - General Motors Corp's assurance on Thursday that it has sufficient liquidity did not prevent credit investors pricing in a 75 percent chance that the largest U.S. automaker would default on its debt in the next five years.