UNITED STATES

Investors are expected to look past a weak crop of earnings reports from U.S. chemical companies this quarter and focus on whether a potential economic upturn can keep shares on an upswing, analysts said.

A surge of troubled loans overshadowed better-than-expected earnings at Bank of America Corp, and the largest U.S. bank said it expects the credit situation to worsen, driving its shares down 24.3 percent.

Iran should reciprocate recent overtures by the Obama administration to discuss its nuclear program, Mohamed ElBaradei, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said on Monday.

President Barack Obama will challenge government agencies to cut $100 million in spending when he holds his first Cabinet meeting on Monday, an administration official said.

The chairmen of two Senate committees drafting legislation to overhaul healthcare told President Barack Obama on Monday they were working together to have bills ready by early June.

A speech by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad calling Israel a racist state was vile and fed racial hatred but did not preclude U.S.-Iranian diplomatic contacts, the United States said on Monday.

Oil slid over 8 percent to under $46 a barrel on Monday, depressed by a rising U.S. dollar and growing caution about the pace of any economic recovery and its impact on oil demand.

Stocks slid on Monday on concerns over the sustainability of recent better-than-expected results from banks after Bank of America Corp reported a big increase in troubled loans.

General Motors Corp said on Monday it is telling about 1,600 salaried U.S. employees this week to leave by May 1 as it scrambles to reduce costs under a restructuring mandated by the U.S. government.

Eli Lilly & Co reported higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Monday as it controlled costs and revalued overseas inventory because of the stronger dollar.

Stocks slid on Monday on concerns over the sustainability of recent better-than-expected results from banks after Bank of America Corp reported a big increase in troubled loans. Wall Street's tumble follows a six-week winning streak, the longest for the S&P 500 since 2007, with the Dow scoring its biggest gain over the period since 1938.

Fannie Mae , the government-controlled U.S. home funding company, on Monday named Michael Williams as president and chief executive officer.

The parents of the American journalist jailed in Iran visited their daughter for the first time since she was sentenced to prison, saying that she remained in good condition.

The U.S. Treasury said on Monday there was no basis for a report that said its stress tests on the health of the nation's 19 top banks showed several were technically insolvent.

Oil slid over 7 percent to $46 a barrel on Monday, depressed by a rising U.S. dollar and growing caution about the pace of any economic recovery and its impact on oil demand.

Oil slid nearly 8 percent to $46 a barrel on Monday, depressed by a rising U.S. dollar and growing caution about the pace of any economic recovery and its impact on oil demand.

American International Group Inc , which has received more than $150 billion in taxpayer support since last September, has closed a deal to access nearly $30 billion in additional federal funds.

PepsiCo Inc offered $6 billion to buy the remaining stakes in its two largest bottlers, Pepsi Bottling Group and PepsiAmericas Inc, as it seeks to secure more control of its distribution and cut costs.

A surge in troubled loans overshadowed better-than-expected earnings at Bank of America Corp, and the largest U.S. bank expects the credit situation to worsen, driving its shares down 17 percent.

Hasbro Inc , the maker of Transformers action figures and Tonka trucks, posted a lower quarterly profit on Monday but said the worst may be behind it.

Oil slid more than 8 percent to around $46 a barrel on Monday, depressed by a rising U.S. dollar and growing caution about the pace of any economic recovery and its impact on oil demand.