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

Reuters - The financial crisis that has plunged the United States into recession is different in its complexity and scope than previous bouts of turmoil, key presidential economic adviser Paul Volcker said on Monday.

Reuters - Weakening economies will push spending on information technology products and services down 3 percent this year after seven years of growth, according to Forrester Research.

AP - The euro dropped Tuesday against the U.S. dollar on economic bailout news from Washington and Europe, and as investors anticipated a rate cut this week from the European Central Bank.

AP - Britain's retailers suffered their worst December in at least 14 years despite a blizzard of promotions and deals, a closely watched survey revealed Tuesday, stoking fears that more high-profile companies may go bust in the months ahead.

AP - Goldman Sachs said Tuesday that South Korea's economy will likely shrink this year, adding its weight to the increasingly widespread view that the country is headed for recession.

AP - U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is expected to shed light in a speech in London on the Fed's historic decision to push its target interest rate to near zero.

Reuters - Small business sentiment deteriorated in December, posting its second lowest reading in 35 years, highlighting the worst post-war economic climate that has seen a dramatic cut back in consumer spending.

AP - The costs of a new financial stimulus plan and a slumping economy will cause Germany's budget deficit to hit a record in 2009, a top lawmaker in Chancellor Angela Merkel's party said Tuesday.

Reuters - Germany detailed its second stimulus package in as many months on Tuesday as grim data from China and Japan underscored the scale of the global financial crisis.

Reuters - Germany presented a stimulus package on Tuesday aimed at saving Europe's largest economy from its worst recession since World War Two as Europe and Asia showed further evidence of the global slowdown.

AP - Government figures for November show Brazil's industrial employment index posting its steepest decline in five years. About 60,000 workers lost their jobs.

AFP - The US Federal Reserve still has 'powerful tools' at its disposal to tackle the economic crisis even if its main interest rate has been lowered to near zero, chairman Ben Bernanke said Tuesday.

AFP - Hyundai expects it will be able to expand its US market share despite a deepening recession and expectations for one of the worst industry-wide sales years in decades, an executive for the Korean automaker said.

AP - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday the latest financial stimulus plan agreed upon this week by the government will help the country weather the financial crisis by combining tax relief with public spending.

Reuters - Beazer Homes USA Inc's home closings and orders fell by more than half in the latest quarter as rising unemployment dealt another blow to already-moribund real estate demand, an analyst said.

AFP - US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke pledged Tuesday to expand aggressive efforts to stem the financial crisis in the face of credit markets that are 'more dysfunctional' than in Japan in the 1990s.

AFP - Employment levels in the United States will see 'continued weakness' in the coming months, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned on Tuesday.

Reuters - New York City has issued an open challenge to Las Vegas, seeking to become a premier destination for people to get married in what officials hope will boost tourism during uncertain economic times.

AP - Crude futures halted a weeklong price slide Tuesday, nudging higher after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the stimulus package could provide a 'significant boost' to the sinking U.S. economy.

Reuters - Idaho's governor has proposed a more than 7 percent cut in his state's next budget, along with increases to the state gasoline tax to pump money into road work -- in part to attract more highway dollars from an expected federal stimulus package.

AP - The federal government already has run up a record deficit of $485.2 billion in just the first three months of the current budget year, the Treasury Department said Tuesday.

Reuters - Germany unveiled a stimulus package aimed at alleviating its worst recession since World War Two, but the U.S. central bank chief warned on Tuesday that government spending alone cannot ensure a lasting recovery in the United States.

Reuters - More money for NASA in any an economic stimulus package would create jobs now and shore up the U.S. leadership in aerospace, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said on Tuesday.

Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama huddled with his fellow Democrats in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, trying to build support for upcoming votes on economic stimulus legislation and releasing $350 billion in unspent Wall Street bailout funds.

AFP - The confirmation hopes of US treasury secretary designate Timothy Geithner were thrown into doubt Tuesday over questions about tax records and the immigration status of a former housekeeper.

AFP - Oil prices rose Tuesday, getting a modest lift from a US cold wave, following hefty losses stemming from concerns about weak energy demand amid the global economic downturn.

AFP - First doubts were raised Tuesday over the confirmation hopes of Timothy Geithner, Barack Obama's choice to serve as treasury secretary and steer the US economy out of its deep crisis.

Reuters - Democrats are considering incentives for car buyers and millions of dollars more in financing to develop better batteries and alternative fuels as part of a U.S. economic stimulus package, officials say.

AFP - The troubled Dutch bank and insurance group ING will cut 750 jobs from its US operations during the first quarter of the year due to the economic crisis, the Dutch news agency ANP reported Tuesday.

AP - President George W. Bush is confident that he and first lady Laura Bush have lost money in the economic crisis, but that they won't find out until after he leaves office how much their financial accounts have lost.

AP - Oil prices rose to near $39 a barrel Wednesday in Asia after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said a stimulus package could help revitalize the ailing U.S. economy.

AP - The government revised up China's official 2007 economic growth Wednesday from an already-high 11.9 percent to an eye-popping 13 percent, suggesting its recent downturn due to global economic turmoil might be even sharper than expected.