GOLDMAN SACHS

Stocks, rebounding from a string of losses, rose 1 percent on Tuesday on higher-than-expected profit at Wal-Mart Stores Inc and oil prices below $93 a barrel.

Goldman Sachs has 6.9 percent, or $72 billion of its $1.05 trillion in assets in hard-to-value Level 3 assets, according to securities filings.

U.S. oil slid below $95 on Monday after top exporter Saudi Arabia said OPEC would look at raising output to brake oil's ascent towards $100 and safeguard world economic growth.

Robert Rubin is widely acclaimed as best-suited to rescue the struggling bank, but questions remain.

Stocks rose on Tuesday as oil prices topped $97 a barrel and lifted shares of Exxon Mobil Corp and other energy producers, while optimism a day ahead of Cisco Systems Inc earnings drove another rally in technology shares. Investors hunted for bargains among beaten-down bank and financial services shares after the previous session's sell-off left the sector near two-year lows.

Stocks erased gains and were little changed on Tuesday as a brokerage's dour view on Microsoft Corp weighed on technology shares, while investors worried that record crude oil prices could squeeze consumers and corporations.

Stocks fell on Monday after Citigroup's warning of billions more in loan losses compounded fears that the credit crunch could get worse. The news sparked a sell-off in shares of other financial companies as investors questioned which among them would be the next to reveal damage from the meltdown in the U.S. housing and subprime mortgage markets.

Charles Prince resigned on Sunday as chairman and chief executive of Citigroup Inc, as the bank said it may write off $11 billion of subprime mortgage losses, on top of a $6.5 billion write-down last quarter. Robert Rubin, the former U.S. Treasury Secretary who had chaired Citigroup's executive committee, was named chairman, while Sir Win Bischoff, who runs Citigroup's European operations, was named acting chief executive.

China National Chemical Corp (ChemChina) and U.S. private equity firms offered up to A$3 billion ($2.75 billion) on Monday for Australia's Nufarm Ltd, a deal that would create the world's largest generic farm chemicals firm.

Futures on benchmark U.S. stock market indexes fell before Wall Street's opening on Monday, with the focus on Citigroup after news of CEO Charles Prince's resignation. The largest U.S. bank said it may write off $11 billion of subprime mortgage losses on top of a $6.5 billion write-down last quarter.

Charles Prince resigned on Sunday as chairman and chief executive of Citigroup Inc, as the bank said it may write off $11 billion of subprime mortgage losses, on top of a $6.5 billion write-down last quarter.

Citigroup Inc's board of directors is holding an emergency meeting this weekend, Dow Jones reported on Friday.

Stocks fell on Friday as gains from an unexpectedly strong jobs report were quickly overwhelmed by fears of more fallout from the credit crisis.

Wall Street bankers are flocking to the Middle East, and it's not for oil or the balmy weather.

U.S. auto sales are expected to have dipped slightly in October, as stepped-up incentive spending by automakers could not totally offset the drag from continued turmoil in the U.S. housing market, analysts said.

An investor lawsuit has been filed against Merrill Lynch & Co Inc, contending that the company issued false and misleading statements about its exposure to risky mortgage investments, the plaintiffs' lawyers said on Tuesday.

Merrill Lynch & Co Inc ousted Chairman and Chief Executive Stan O'Neal on Tuesday, just days after reporting the biggest quarterly loss in the company's history, making him the highest-ranking casualty in the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis. Board member Alberto Cribiore will be interim chairman while day-to-day operations will be overseen by the firm's co-presidents, Ahmass Fakahany and Greg Fleming.

The anticipated departure of Merrill Lynch & Co Inc Chief Executive Stan O'Neal would mark a surprising flameout in a career that had been impressive in its ascent.

In the weeks after Wall Street returned from the Labor Day holiday, the credit market picture appeared to brighten, with loans moving through the system and banks reporting numbers not nearly as bad as some feared.

As fallout from the summer credit crunch spreads, Wall Street faces more job cuts -- and smaller bonuses. Investment banks have announced thousands of jobs cuts as investors stopped snapping up risky corporate loans, mortgage securities and complex asset-backed securities.

Insurer Coventry Health Care Inc on Friday posted a 14 percent increase in third-quarter profit, in line with forecasts, but shares fell on a slightly lower-than-expected 2008 profit forecast.