U.S.

Stocks declined slightly on Wednesday as a broker's weak outlook on some chip makers weighed on the sector, while data showing continued growth in the services sector helped limit losses.

Blue-chip stocks fell on Tuesday as investors booked profits following a record reached in the previous session, but in the broader market, bank stocks and home builders gained as investors bet the worst of the credit squeeze may be over.

Stocks edged lower on Tuesday as a drop below $80 a barrel in oil hurt energy shares, offsetting optimism about further interest rate cuts fueled by the latest disappointing news on housing.

Stocks surged on Monday, sending the Dow to a record close on the first trading day of the fourth quarter, as investors bet that Wall Street may have seen the worst of the credit squeeze after three global banks detailed expected losses from the crisis.

More than 100,000 Costa Ricans, some dressed as skeletons, protested a U.S. trade pact on Sunday they say will flood their country with cheap farm goods and cause job losses.

Stocks were set to open slightly higher on Monday, helped by optimism about shares' performance in the third quarter, while a profit warning from Citigroup Inc was expected to weigh on the financial sector.

After posting solid gains in September, U.S. stocks are once again near all-time highs. But a significant hurdle in the form of monthly payroll data must be cleared next week if the advance is going to carry over to the fourth quarter.

U.S. stocks finished Friday's trading session with a loss as investors looked to lock in profits gained after the strongest September since 1988.

Stocks dipped on Friday as money managers locked in profits on the last trading day of a strong September, while concerns surfaced about the strength of profits during a turbulent third quarter. Shares of technology, energy and material companies fell as investors took profits on the best-performing sectors for September, traditionally one of the weakest months for stocks.

European and U.S. antitrust regulators tried to calm a transatlantic storm on Thursday over a European Court ruling that Microsoft used monopoly power to muscle rivals, but did not back down over policy differences.

Stock futures dropped on Friday as oil prices hovered near record highs and investors turned cautious before economic reports that could provide clues about the outlook for interest rates and profits.

U.S. stocks edged up on Thursday as higher oil prices lifted energy companies' shares in a noncommittal market faced with conflicting data on the economy's health.

The White House demanded on Thursday that Myanmar's military government immediately halt an intensifying crackdown by security forces against protesters mounting the country's largest uprising in 20 years.

The U.S.-sponsored meeting of major emitting countries is aimed at supporting and accelerating the U.N. process on climate change, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice insisted on Thursday.

Stocks gained on Wednesday as a tentative labor agreement at General Motors Corp eased worries about Detroit's automakers and more weak economic data added to expectations for another cut in interest rates.

New orders for costly U.S.-made manufactured goods dropped at the sharpest rate in seven months during August, according to a government report which added to signs growth was slowing in the third quarter.

U.S. home loan applications slumped last week after climbing for three straight weeks, an industry group said on Wednesday, as falling demand for home purchase loans overshadowed a fourth consecutive weekly rise in refinancing requests.

Stock futures rose on Wednesday as news of a tentative deal ending a strike at General Motors Corp raised hopes that Detroit's automakers would soon slash their health-care costs.

American investors may soon earn more of their retirement savings in faraway places as nearly half of all U.S. fund managers predict new geographic markets will be their biggest sources of income, a new survey shows.

Stocks slipped on Monday as concern about the impact of the housing slump and credit squeeze hurt shares of financial companies.

Wall Street will watch next week for more ripples from the Federal Reserve's half-point cut in interest rates, including any deeper drop in the dollar, and any more spikes in the price of gold and oil.