AP - Russia's Central Bank allowed the ruble to drop for a second straight day Monday after the country's 10-day New Year's and Orthodox Christmas holiday.

AP - Larry Miller believed he would retire from the auto parts manufacturer where he first got a job as a newly married 26-year-old.

AP - The 16-nation euro slipped against the U.S. dollar Monday as traders shrugged off unemployment figures from Washington and looked ahead to this week's ECB decision on interest rates.

AFP - US President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to maintain bilateral ties between the United States and China that blossomed over the last 30 years of China's economic reform period, state press said Monday.

AP - Brazil's president says the government will free up more credit for the private sector to counter a bleak global economic situation that is expected to hit the nation hard in the first quarter.

Reuters - The chief executive of Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Monday that he expects the U.S. economy to remain extraordinarily challenging in the first half of the year and he was not expecting a quick turnaround.

FT.com - The dollar has begun to weaken again after the Federal Reserve last month cut its interest rate target to zero and shifted more explicitly towards a policy of quantitative easing.

AP - Seeking to reassure wary lawmakers, President-elect Barack Obama's top economic adviser told congressional leaders Monday that Obama intends to broaden the goals of the remaining $350 billion financial bailout and impose tougher restrictions and oversight on how the money is spent.

Reuters - The chief executive of Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Monday he expects the U.S. economy to remain extraordinarily challenging in the first half of the year and that he was not expecting a quick turnaround.

AP - The country's economic health is 'very weak' and is likely to stay that way at least through the first six months of this year, a Federal Reserve official said Monday.

Reuters - The Texas economy, which has largely weathered the national recession until now, is expected to slow with tax revenues falling 10.5 percent in the new budget year, the state comptroller said on Monday.

AP - Federal Reserve Governor Randall Kroszner announced Monday that he will leave later this month, giving President-elect Barack Obama an opportunity to put his stamp on the central bank.

AP - Senior members of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition said Monday they had agreed on a multibillion-euro economic stimulus package to help the country out of recession.

AFP - President-elect Barack Obama on Monday set the stage for immediate action on the US economy when he is sworn in next week, promising not to waste the second half of a 700 billion dollar financial bailout package.

AFP - The Federal Reserve said Monday that Randall Kroszner submitted his resignation as a member of its Board of Governors, effective January 21.

AP - U.S. farmers delivered a bumper crop in 2008, according to a government report released Monday that eased fears of a looming food shortage but caused commodity prices to drop.

Reuters - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama sought the remaining half of $700 billion in financial bailout funds from Congress, as sinking corporate earnings underlined the depth of the gathering recession.