ECONOMY & MARKETS

In case investors forgot amid the excitement coming out of Europe, third-quarter earnings are about to begin.

Sprint Nextel shares (S.N) fell 8 percent on Monday as analysts slashed their forecasts for the No. 3 U.S. mobile operator, which said last week that would have to raise new capital.

The U.S. stock market is having a euphoric rally on Monday on a promise by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicholas Sarkozy to unveil a Eurozone bailout plan by month's end.

Ironically, RIMM shares are up 2.4 percent in New York trading.

Global markets are ecstatic on Monday over the promise of Germany and France to announce a bailout plan to address the European debt crisis by month's end.

U.S. stocks rose on Monday, along with other global risk assets, as investors welcomed a promise from German Chancellor Merkel and French President Sarkorzy to devise a bailout plan for the Eurozone.

On the heels of the French-Belgian bank Dexia breakup, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced a promise to come up with a plan by month-end to recapitalize European banks and deal with Greece's debt burden

The euro rose to its highest in more than a week versus the dollar Monday, supported by a renewed German and French pledge to unveil a comprehensive plan by the end of the month to rescue the region from a sovereign debt crisis.

European index futures rose on Monday, following small gains for Asian shares, and the euro firmed 1 cent after the leaders of France and Germany pledged to unveil a plan to solve the euro zone's sovereign debt crisis by the end of the month.

The Belgium government has offered to buy Dexia's Belgian banking business for 4 billion euros ($5.4 billion) according to a statement by the Prime Minister.

U.S. stocks will face the third quarter earnings season next week. Some investors are hoping that U.S. earnings will take center stage, take focus off the European debt crisis and potentially prolong the current mini-rebound in U.S. stocks.

Next week, investors will be greeted with third-quarter earnings.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the U.S. economy added 103,000 non-farm jobs in September.

Moody's Investors Service said Friday it may cut Belgium's Aa1 sovereign credit rating, citing its struggles to rein in high levels of public debt and concerns about long-term funding risks.

Investors tiring of the Eurozone's debt crisis dragging the market all over the place are hoping to focus on something else next week -- earnings.

Monday's closing was not the bottom of the current downtrend. Instead, the bear market will take the S&P 500 around 975, Douglas Ramsey, chief investment officer at Leuthold Group.

Wall Street clearly cares about the European debt crisis and Friday's session reaffirmed it.

Despite the largely encouraging news coming out of the Eurozone this week, the European Debt Crisis is far from over.

U.S. stocks turned negative as investors reassessed Friday's Bureau of Labor Statics (BLS) non-farm payroll (NFP) jobs report and digested a pair of downgrades from Fitch Ratings.

Jefferies has provided analysis of Adobe Systems Inc.'s (NASDAQ: ADBE) 10-Q filing for the fiscal third quarter of 2011.

Eurozone authorities are discussing ways to recapitalize European banks and the ECB announced on Thursday that it will reintroduce year-long loans to banks. These measures, however, are band-aid solutions that don't address the core issue of the European debt crisis.

U.S. stock futures jumped Friday on a better-than-expected September jobs report, but growth remained to weak to lower the unemployment rate, which remains stuck at 9.1 percent.

Employment likely grew only modestly in September, with hiring too weak to pull down a lofty jobless rate and dispel recession fears.

Equities were expected to steady on Friday after sharp gains in the previous session, with futures for the S&P 500 staying flat, for the Dow Jones gaining 0.08 percent and for the Nasdaq 100 falling 0.07 percent.

U.S. employment likely grew only modestly in September, with hiring too weak to pull down a lofty jobless rate and dispel recession fears.

Columbus Day 2011 is this Monday and in honor of Mr. Columbus himself stores are offering some great holiday deals.

Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) has produced its share of headlines in the past two months, and not all of them have been pleasant. Where is Hewlett's stock headed from here?

In the midst of global market turmoil in the second half of 2011, at least two central banks of developed countries have responded with quantitative easing.

U.S. stocks continued to rally on Thursday’s afternoon session ahead of Friday’s all-important September jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).