AP - Consumers, armed with government rebate checks, still have eyes only for heavily discounted items and necessities, and the critical back-to-school season is looking like another difficult period for the nation's retailers.

Reuters - Stocks rose on Thursday, helped by optimism about a major deal in the chemicals sector and after the Federal Reserve chairman said the central bank and the government are focused on stabilizing the financial system.

AP - In a sign of some improvement in the credit crisis, Wall Street firms for the first time didn't borrow from the Federal Reserve's emergency lending program and commercial banks also scaled back.

Reuters - Toyota Motor Corp said on Thursday it would start building its Prius hybrid in the United States in 2010 and suspend production of slow-selling big trucks for three months in a sharp reversal of strategy forced by slumping sales and high gas prices.

AFP - The dollar climbed against leading currencies on Thursday amid investor caution after a Wall Street slump and ahead of congressional testimony by Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke, dealers said.

AP - Stocks moved higher in choppy trading Thursday as a deal for Dow Chemical Co. to acquire rival Rohm and Haas Co. boosted investor confidence but could not fully offset continued worries about the health of financial companies.

Reuters - The Dow and the S&P 500 turned negative on Thursday as the price of oil jumped more than $5 and financial stocks fell on worries about more credit losses.

AP - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson told Congress Thursday that new regulatory powers are needed to insulate the national economy from damage if a big Wall Street firm collapses.

Reuters - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress on Thursday that financial market turbulence persists and that government officials are focused on helping the financial system regain stability.