Microsoft (MSFT) falls after missing expectations, cutting jobs… Data on U.S. jobless, housing fuel worries over economy… Apple up after profit beats expectations… Dow off 2.4 pct, S&P off 2.5 pct, Nasdaq off 3.2 pct…

Gloomy economic picture fuels risk aversion… Financials, energy, retailers among top drags… Dow off 4.3 pct, S&P 500 off 5 pct, Nasdaq off 5.3 pct

World stocks edge up… Crude oil falls, trades just above $51 a barrel… U.S. dollar firmer, U.S. bonds rise

Come Wednesday morning – after the presidential election tomorrow (Tuesday) – the United States will have a new commander-in-chief. The president-elect will face some significant challenges: A weak economy (okay, a recession, given last week’s gross domestic product (GDP) report, which confirmed just how dire the country’s economic situation had become).

U.S. equities rallied yesterday (Tuesday) as the U.S. Federal Reserve convened for the first day of a two-day meeting of its monetary policy committee.

It’s hard to believe that summer’s heat (and hurricane season) is almost here. As the calendar turns to another month it’s often quite interesting to take a look back at the past month to see which trends may be in for a switch. One phrase comes to mind that perfectly sums up April’s market action: A reversal of fortune!

U.S. stocks posted their biggest decline in two weeks early today (Friday) after an unexpected profit decline by General Electric Co. (GE) reignited worries that the credit crunch is causing more damage than investors realize.

US markets marked the strongest second quarter start since 1938, reports Money Morning.

The rally in financial stocks led the three major indexes to post gains of more than 3%.

At the New York close, the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average Index had posted a gain of 391.96 points (3.20%), to close at 12,654.85.