AFP - US auto sales braked hard in July, automakers said Friday, as consumers avoided big-ticket spending in the face of rising unemployment, falling home prices and tight credit.

AFP - The pre-tax profit of major Japanese companies fell 15 percent year on year in the April-June quarter, weighed down by the US economic slowdown and price hikes, a survey showed on Sunday.

AFP - Any new attempt to grasp the grail of a world trade pact will probably have to wait until next year, after elections in the United States and India, despite some calls for more talks now, economists say.

The Christian Science Monitor - It's likely to be a bumpy ride for the US economy between now and Election Day.

AFP - US consumer spending cooled in June and inflationary pressures accelerated strongly as higher food and energy costs stretched Americans' wallets, a government survey showed Monday.

AP - Oil prices plunged to a three-month low Monday, briefly tumbling below $120 a barrel in another huge sell-off after Tropical Storm Edouard seemed less likely to disrupt oil and natural gas output in the Gulf of Mexico.

Reuters - Wall Street widely expects the U.S. Federal Reserve to keep short-term benchmark interest rates unchanged on Tuesday as the central bank grapples with a faltering economy, shaky financial system and higher prices.

AFP - The dollar wilted against the euro Monday ahead of an expected Federal Reserve decision to leave US interest rates on hold and on news that US consumer spending cooled in June.

Reuters - Consumer prices jumped at the sharpest rate in more than a quarter century during June, and consumers coping with soaring costs received their smallest income gain in a year, the government said on Monday.

AFP - The dollar was mixed against other major currencies Monday one day ahead of a Federal Reserve meeting at which the US central bank is widely expected to keep its key interest rate unchanged.

AP - Rising prices, falling home values, stagnant wages and tight credit. It's a potent combination that has struck the American consumer hard.

Reuters - More banks and financial institutions are likely to face insolvency and need bailouts before the global financial crisis is over, according to former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan.

AFP - Former US Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan has warned that governments the world over may have to bail out more banks before the current financial crisis is over.

AFP - Amid heightened economic uncertainty, the Federal Reserve is widely expected to keep its main interest rate unchanged Tuesday at 2.0 percent.