ECONOMY & MARKETS

U.S. Treasuries climbed on Tuesday after several Canadian investment trusts had trouble repaying short-term loans, further evidence that a crisis that began in mortgages has led to a wider credit crunch.

VMware Inc. shares soared 79 percent in the software maker's trading debut early Tuesday, a start following an initial public offering that initially lived up to hopes that it could be Wall Street's hottest IPO of the year.

Stock index futures were little changed on Tuesday before data on inflation that could shed light on the Federal Reserve's next move in dealing with a deteriorating credit environment.

Stocks edged higher on Monday after central banks pumped more cash into the global financial system and a report showed U.S. consumers spent more freely than expected last month.

With world stocks have fallen more than 7 percent in a month and some indexes down more than 10 percent from their highs, some market players are saying the time is near to buy.

Asian stock markets made a tentative recovery on Monday following last week's hammering as fears of a global credit crisis eased after central banks around the world pumped money into banking systems.

Stock index futures signaled a rebound on Wall Street on Monday after gains in overseas markets and data showing U.S. retail sales grew last month, reassuring investors about consumer spending.

On the heels of a crisis, investment bank shares are looking cheap. Some say it's a great time to buy.

It will be a weekend of high anxiety for investors on Wall Street, as they brace themselves for what will likely be another rollercoaster ride for the battered financial markets.

Countrywide Financial Corp led shares of U.S. mortgage companies lower on Friday as investors received fresh reminders that a shortage of liquidity might crimp profits.

The last time the U.S. markets experienced such wild swings as they have in the past week, Wall Street warriors in their 20s and 30s were trading baseball cards and lunchbox snacks, not stocks and bonds.

Wall Street economists do not foresee an imminent interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve despite a credit squeeze that is pressuring financial markets and forcing central banks to funnel liquidity into the system.

Wall Street's roller-coaster ride, triggered by the meltdown in subprime mortgage lending, is spreading pain through financial markets -- but has not hit Main Street yet.

Central banks probably will halt their monetary tightening campaign and the Federal Reserve may start cutting interest rates to ward off a global credit crunch, financial market dealers said on Friday.

After a wave of initial public offerings in recent years, the total market value of stocks listed on two major Chinese stock exchanges surpassed the country’s GDP for the first time on Thursday.

Tighter credit, broad deterioration in the housing market and skittish consumer spending will lead to a slower U.S. economy than earlier estimated, according to the most closely watched forecast by U.S. economists.

U.S. regulators are scrutinizing the books of some top Wall Street brokers and investment banks for subprime-mortgage losses, according to a report in the online version of the Wall Street Journal.

European stocks extended their losses on Friday, losing more than 2 percent as a deepening concern surrounding the U.S. subprime mortgage market continued to hit stocks worldwide and pushed U.S. futures in the red.

The yen firmed broadly on Friday as continued turbulence in global financial markets caused investors to shun risk, cutting their exposure to carry trades.

Shares in Dutch bank ABN AMRO fell as much as 11 pct on Friday as analysts cited a report that Fortis may find it difficult to finance its part of the deal to buy ABN together with Royal Bank of Scotland and Santander.

U.S. stock index futures signaled a further decline on Wall Street on Friday as concerns about the impact of losses related to U.S. subprime mortgages stoked flight from global equity markets.

Fears of a global liquidity crisis gathered pace on Friday, hitting stocks and high-yielding currencies, while the European Central Bank and Asian authorities acted to calm surging short-term borrowing costs. What started as trouble with risky U.S. residential mortgages is now gripping global markets.

Central banks from Tokyo to Sydney injected extra cash into banking systems or pledged to do so on Friday, as Asia joined a global campaign by monetary authorities to calm panicky credit markets.

Stocks tumbled on Thursday, with the Dow and S&P down nearly 3 percent, after a French bank froze three funds that invested in U.S. subprime mortgages, prompting central banks to take steps to calm investors. Evidence the U.S. mortgage market crisis was having a global impact and spreading to other markets hammered financial stocks.

Vonage Holdings Corp. reported a narrower quarterly loss on Thursday as it sacrificed subscriber growth by spending less on advertising its Web-based calling service, sending shares up 9 percent.

Major central banks swept in to calm credit markets spooked by mounting losses on Thursday, with the European Central Bank injecting record amounts of cash to prevent the financial system from seizing up.

Stocks fell sharply on Thursday as another shoe dropped in the U.S. subprime mortgage sector meltdown, causing investors to flee riskier assets for the relative safety of government bonds. Stocks added to their declines after the Wall Street Journal reported a second Goldman Sachs Group Inc. hedge fund was suffering losses and was selling its positions.

The low-yielding yen jumped against the dollar and euro on Thursday as investors trimmed exposure to carry trades after BNP Paribas said three of its funds were hit by problems in the U.S. subprime mortgage sector.

Stocks rose for a third session on Wednesday, a day after the Federal Reserve reassured investors about the economy and technology bellwether Cisco Systems Inc. raised its revenue outlook.