WTO’s Global Trade Deal; Ford’s Lowered Expectations; Surprise Decline in Jobless Claims; Oil Drags on Hang Seng; Wider Loss for B&N; Big Oil Spends $1.3 Million in 1Q Lobbying; Bill Miller Joins Ichan in Pressuring Yahoo; IEA to Probe World’s Oil Supply; Medtronic Coughs Up $75 Million to Settle Suit.

Citing the global inflation epidemic as a key threat to growth, JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) made double-digit cuts to its 2008 stock index forecasts for several major Asian economies.

Another batch of earnings announcements sent shares lower, as weak results from non-financial firms fueled investor concerns that economic weakness is spreading to other industries.

A fresh round of earnings reports dragged on U.S. stocks today (Thursday).

Stocks surged today (Wednesday), on a round of earnings releases that met or exceeded Wall Street expectations.

Stocks dipped lower today (Tuesday), as investor confidence about first quarter earnings remains low.

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.

U.S. markets gained after two days in the red on gains in the tech sector and a positive sales report from the nation’s largest retailer.

Boeing Struggles to Get 787 Off Ground; Citigroup Sells $12 Billion in Loans; UPS Failing to Deliver; American Airlines Cancels 1,000 Flights; IBCB Expects 50% First-Quarter Profit Spike; Hershey Trust CEO to Retire; New Oil High; Wholesale Inventories Climb.

U.S. markets dropped on a disappointing initial round of first-quarter earnings.