UNITED STATES

U.S. stocks fell on Thursday as financial leaders such as American International Group and Merrill Lynch declined, fueling concerns that credit market losses will continue to hit financial shares.

President George W. Bush, visited San Diego and had an aerial view and tour of the damages caused by wild fires that have wrecked havoc across southern California, forcing more than 500,000 to flee their homes.

The United States will consider further sanctions against Sudan if it continues "dragging its feet" over accepting a U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force, a top U.S. official said on Thursday.

The dollar's drop is addressing problems - including a big trade deficit and slowing economy - with few ill effects.

Oil major BP will pay $373 million to settle U.S. charges stemming from a deadly Texas refinery explosion and an Alaska oil spill, as well as allegations it manipulated propane markets, the government said on Thursday. The settlement comes as the company seeks to set a new course with a restructuring aimed at improving its record on safety and the environment.

Investors looking to gauge economic sentiment drew upon several government reports on Thursday indicating the state of home sales, durable goods investments and jobless claims.

Strong corporate earnings and speculation about another cut in U.S. interest rates boosted stocks on Thursday but the Bank of England issued a stark warning that all is not over in the credit crisis.

The dollar fell closer to a record low versus the euro on Thursday after a report showed an unexpected fall in September durable good orders, bolstering the view a slowing U.S. economy will prompt a cut in U.S. interest rates next week.

Sony Corp swung to a quarterly operating profit thanks to strong sales of personal computers and digital cameras and a weaker yen, and it raised its full-year forecast by 2 percent.

Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc posted a narrower third-quarter loss, helped by sales of its key drug Soliris, sending its shares up nearly 8 percent in early electronic trade.

Honda Motor Co posted a forecast-beating 63 percent jump in quarterly earnings as strong sales of its new CR-V crossover made up for higher raw material costs, and it raised its full-year net profit forecast on a lower tax rate. Honda's factories are running at full capacity around the world -- including in Japan despite weak sales at home -- thanks to brisk demand for exports to North America and Europe.

Brent crude hit an all-time high and U.S. oil surged more than $1 towards $89 on Thursday, after a slide in U.S. oil stocks renewed fears of an energy crunch during the northern hemisphere's winter heating season.

Turkish forces said they repelled a Kurdish rebel attack near the Iraqi border and President Abdullah Gul warned the PKK on Thursday that Turkey's patience was running out.

Asian indexes were mixed Thursday, with financials dropping in Japan after Mizuho Financial Group reported losses related to U.S. subprime markets, while South Korean shares jumped on Samsung Securities a day after the brokerage firm announced strong earnings.

Countrywide Financial Corp. said on Wednesday that Henry Cisneros, a former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Development, resigned from its board of directors.

Wal-mart, the world's largest retailer is considering concentrating more on its international stores as well as opening up more stores in other countries for its business growth.

Bank of America Corp on Wednesday said it planned to eliminate 3,000 jobs, and shook up its corporate and investment bank after a dismal quarter at that unit led to a 32 percent drop in overall profit.The second-largest U.S. bank said a majority of the cuts will be in corporate and investment banking, and the rest elsewhere. The cuts amount to 1.5 percent of the bank's 198,000-person workforce.

The chief executive officer of Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Wednesday that he is optimistic about the Christmas season.

Expectations for a cut in U.S. interest rates rose on Wednesday as the housing market continued to show signs of weakness and the largest U.S. securities brokerage met with its first unprofitable quarter in nearly five years.

U.S. forces hope to hand over half of Baghdad to Iraqi security control by the end of 2008, after violence in Iraq dropped to its lowest level since January 2006, the No. 2 U.S. general in Iraq said on Wednesday.

The housing market took a sharp turn for the worse in September as prices tumbled and sales of previously owned homes fell to a record low, battered by rising foreclosures and tighter lending standards.