Hard times are back on the American farmstead, as the price paid for crops is dropping much faster than the cost of growing them.

American dominance is likely to weaken by 2025 as India and China grow stronger, a new US intelligence report says.

Reuters - Waves of selling in world stock markets crashed into Asia on Friday, with gains from the region's 5-year bull run now erased as a global recession tightened its grip, and investors sought refuge in government bonds and cash.

Reuters - Dell Inc's sales in China slowed last quarter, but Beijing's economic stimulus measures are likely to boost technology spending, the world's No. 2 personal computer maker said on Friday.

Asian stock markets followed New York?s plunge but then rebounded when Japan?s finance minister said that governments should be prepared to take action.

Singapore downgrades its economic growth figure, which confirms it was Asia's first country in recession in the current financial crisis.

Banks must start lending again to households and businesses, or face being named and shamed, the Treasury Select Committee chairman says.

Fuller, Smith & Turner says it is confident it will 'cope well' even though the UK economic outlook did 'not look good'.

Reuters - Asian stock markets rebounded from a five-year low on Friday as a variety of rumors such as China cutting interest rates later in the day prompted investors to cover short positions before the weekend.

Japan's central bank keeps its key rate unchanged at 0.3% on Friday but warns of an uncertain outlook.

Rwanda's booming manufacturing and farming sectors could push growth in the country to 10% this year, its central bank says.

Oil prices bounce back from a three-and-a-half year low, tracking Asian stocks higher, but are still below $50 a barrel.

The number of properties repossessed by mortgage lenders rose by 12% to 11,300 in the third quarter of the year.

Reuters - Stock futures pointed to a rebound on Friday after sharp losses in the previous session. Dow Jones futures were up 3.9 percent, S&P 500 futures were up 4.5 percent and Nasdaq futures were up 3.9 percent at 5:03 a.m. EST.

Reuters - Honda Motor Co (7267.T) said it would build fewer cars in Japan, Europe and North America to reflect an increasingly bleak outlook for sales as the global economic crisis discourages big-ticket purchases.

AP - Bernhard Mattes, chief of Ford Motor Co's. German unit, said that while the company can survive without a bailout from the German state, it hopes the European Union will help the ailing auto industry with a loan package.

Asian stock markets followed New York?s plunge but then rebounded when Japan?s finance minister said that governments should be ready to act.

One of America's biggest banks may sell parts of its business or merge with a rival, according to newspaper reports.

Spanish savings bank La Caixa may sell its 14% stake in Spanish-Argentine energy firm Repsol to Russia's Lukoil.

Business activity in the 15 countries sharing the euro falls in November to a ten-year low, the purchasing managers' index (PMI) shows.

American clothes retailer Gap defies Wall Street forecasts and reports higher-than-expected third quarter net profits.

Hutchison Whampoa subsidiary 3 Italia fails to reach a merger agreement with Telecom Italia because of price disagreements.

The number of properties repossessed by mortgage lenders rose by 12% to 11,300 in the third quarter of the year.

Honda is to cut production in Japan and Europe and close its Swindon plant in the UK in February and March next year.

AP - Shares in DSG International PLC soared 40 percent Friday from a 20-year low after Credit Suisse raised its rating of the stock to 'outperform' on the basis that market concern over the economic slowdown had left the stock overly cheap.

Asian stock markets followed New York?s plunge but then rebounded when Japan?s finance minister said that governments should be ready to act.

The world?s largest retail chain said that Michael T. Duke, 58, had been chosen as the next chief executive and president, succeeding H. Lee Scott Jr.

The food products company said that strong sales of products like frozen meals bolstered second-quarter profit by 22 percent as consumers cooked more meals at home.

With the stock market plunging and the credit market freezing, cries are being heard for quick government intervention.

Chancellor Alistair Darling is reportedly planning to force banks to lend to small firms in the pre-Budget report.

Reuters - Stocks opened higher on Friday as investors followed up two days of steep losses that toppled Wall Street to an 11-year low by scooping up shares of beaten-down sectors.

Reuters - Wal-Mart Stores Inc , the world's largest retailer, said Lee Scott will retire as chief executive early next year, and will be succeeded by Mike Duke, who heads its international operations.

Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama's transition team is not exploring a prepackaged bankruptcy plan for U.S. automakers, officials from Obama's team said on Friday.

Reuters - (Reuters) -: Pimco's Mohamed El-Erian on Friday said fourth-quarter GDP is falling off a cliff, in an interview on CNBC. Highlights:

Shares rose in early trading after two straight days of steep drops on the major exchanges.

Shares in Citigroup, one of the biggest banks in the US, fell sharply on Friday amid ongoing uncertainty over the company's future.

EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes tells France and Germany not to start a 'subsidy race' to save the car industry

Will the downturn threaten the 2010 World Cup?

Reuters - U.S. stocks fell into negative territory on Friday as shares of financials including Citigroup declined and investors worried about the deepening economic slump.

Reuters - General Motors Corp said on Friday it will return two leased corporate jets.

Reuters - U.S. consumers expect the unemployment rate to rise steeply in a prolonged recession, and as a result have slashed spending plans, according to a survey released on Friday.

AFP - Wal-Mart Stores, the world's biggest retailer, announced Friday the appointment of Mike Duke, a company vice chairman, as the new chief executive effective February 1.

The major exchanges tried to hold onto early gains after two straight days of sharp declines.

Congress may yet be back next month, but for now the meager results show how postelection sessions often do not work.

Reuters - Stocks rose in choppy trade on Friday as investors snapped up cut-price shares in beaten down sectors, including commodities and energy, a day after Wall Street slid to 11-year lows.

Reuters - General Motors Corp said on Friday it plans additional temporary plant shutdowns in the next two months in response to deteriorating market demand.

AP - Shares in DSG International PLC rose 21 percent Friday from a 20-year low after Credit Suisse raised its rating of the stock to 'outperform' on the basis that market concern over the economic slowdown had left the stock too cheap.

A new digital library of Europe?s cultural heritage crashed just hours after it went online and will be out of operation for several weeks, the European Commission said Friday.

Alistair Darling may be forced to set out future taxes rises to pay for a short-term boost to the economy, the BBC understands.

Reuters - Stocks rallied late on Friday after multiple news reports that New York Federal Reserve President Timothy Geithner will be nominated as President-elect Barack Obama's Treasury secretary.

Wall Street surged on Friday afternoon after news reports that Timothy F. Geithner would be chosen to be secretary of the Treasury.

President-elect Barack Obama will name Timothy F. Geithner to be his Treasury Secretary, according to a knowledgeable Democrat.

At a time when so many people have so much less than they did just a few months ago, there ought to be a way to lessen the gift-giving pressure.

A day after declaring that American auto executives had failed in making their case for federal aid, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sought to encourage them on Friday.

The film and television production company started three years ago by the brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein has had a hit-and-miss record.

Alistair Darling may be forced to set out future taxes rises to pay for a short-term boost to the economy, the BBC understands.

Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama has selected Timothy Geithner as Treasury secretary, charging the respected head of the New York Federal Reserve with pulling the United States out of an economic nosedive, NBC news reported on Friday.

Reuters - U.S. stocks stormed higher in a late rally on Friday to cap another volatile week as investors welcomed reports that President-elect Barack Obama has chosen his point person to combat the U.S. economic crisis, instilling confidence about the administration's ability to take action.

Reuters - Goldman Sachs Group Inc is not interested in buying hard-hit Citigroup Inc , even with substantial U.S. government financial support, a person familiar with Goldman's strategy said Friday.

Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama will name New York Federal Reserve president Timothy Geithner as his Treasury Secretary, major media reported on Friday, sparking a late-day stock market rally and helping assuage concerns about a power vacuum in Washington.

Reuters - Target Corp on Friday rejected a proposal made by activist hedge fund manager William Ackman that the discount retailer boost its stock price by spinning off a real estate investment trust into a company that would own the land underneath its stores.

Wall Street surged on Friday afternoon after news reports that Timothy F. Geithner would be chosen to be secretary of the Treasury.

The film and television production company started three years ago by the brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein has had a hit-and-miss record.

US shares rise sharply on reports that President-elect Barack Obama has chosen his treasury secretary, reassuring investors.

Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama on Friday moved toward nominating Timothy Geithner as Treasury secretary and charging the respected head of the New York Federal Reserve with helping pull the United States out of an economic nosedive.

Reuters - Wall Street faces stiff headwinds in the week ahead, the fate of Citigroup largest among them, that stand in the way of building on Friday's big rally and preventing November from winding up as one of the worst months for stocks on record.

Executives and officials weighed a number of options including whether to replace Citigroup?s leadership or sell all or part of the company.

G.M. executives are using the Chevrolet Volt as the centerpiece of their case to a skeptical Congress that their business plan for a turnaround is strong.

Wall Street surged on Friday afternoon after news reports that Timothy F. Geithner would be chosen to be secretary of the Treasury.

At a time when so many people have so much less than they did just a few months ago, there ought to be a way to lessen the gift-giving pressure.

The world?s largest retail chain said that Michael T. Duke, 58, had been chosen as the next chief executive and president, succeeding H. Lee Scott Jr.

You are an unsecured creditor if you are in possession of a gift card. And you may be right to feel pretty insecure.

The Standard & Poor?s 500 is down almost as far as it was in the worst year it ever experienced, at the height of the Great Depression.

The chief executive of Ryanair said the economic downturn will force weaker carriers to cut routes, allowing his airline to move in.

The decision is a setback to the digital ambitions of the BBC, which has expanded aggressively on the Internet.

Neal Goldberg, the chief executive of the Zale Corporation, spoke the company?s plans for the holiday season and beyond.

Mr. Fyodorov was prominent among the young economists responsible for post-Soviet Russia?s striking economic reforms.

Is it really possible that G.M. has not yet begun drawing up contingency plans for a bankruptcy filing ? as its chief executive told Congress this week?

Reuters - Citigroup Inc has been talking in recent days to the U.S. Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve about its options as its share price sinks, a person familiar with the matter said.

In a stunning turnabout, the banking giant has sunk to its knees and left it running short on time and options.

The news that Timothy F. Geithner would be named Treasury secretary helped drive stocks sharply higher on Friday afternoon.

Reports that Timothy F. Geithner would lead the Treasury Department were seen as a sign of continuity to a new administration.

Barclays executive Roger Jenkins forged relationships with several Middle Eastern investors who put $8.6 billion into Barclays.

The move comes just as the auto executives stirred controversy by traveling to Washington in private jets to lobby for a bailout.

Specialists said the last big effort to help Detroit, the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles, was not something to repeat.

The housing crisis has kept thousands of older Americans from moving into retirement communities, effectively stranding them in their own homes.

Dr. Frederick K. Goodwin, a psychiatrist, earned income from drug makers that he didn?t report on his show.

Shares of many suppliers of oil and natural gas have lost half their value or more in the stock market?s race to the bottom, and may be good buys.

Regulators say Downey Savings and Loan Association and PFF Bank & Trust fell victim to the acute distress in the housing market in that state.

Prices in Canada fell by 1 percent on an unadjusted basis between September and October, the largest such decline in 49 years, Statistics Canada reported on Friday.

The insurer will complete the sale of its airplane-leasing arm to a group of investors by early next year, an executive said.

The insurance broker cleared the way to raise $500 million in a stock sale to finance acquisitions.

The move would prevent its Aerolineas Argentinas? current owner from selling assets amid stalled nationalization talks.

The company said it had renegotiated terms of a $1.3 billion loan to stay in compliance with the conditions.

A Delaware bankruptcy judge approved the sale of Boscov?s, a regional department store chain, to two former executives.

Reuters - US Bancorp agreed to acquire the deposits of Downey Savings and Loan Association and PFF Bank & Trust, the latest in a growing list of banks to fail this year, U.S. banking regulators said on Friday.