Disappointing earnings news and a slump in bank stocks tugged the US stock market down yesterday, giving major indexes their first three-day drop since June.

THE risk of Spain having to follow Greece and Ireland in seeking a bailout from the IMF has fallen considerably, a new report says.

A New York bankruptcy judge has approved a plan by Lehman Brothers to sell its investment banking and trading businesses to the British bank Barclays.

Wall Street started the week with a mixed performance today, as investors regained a cautious stance in response to a weaker-than-expected profit report from Bank of America Corp. and disappointing news from a smaller bank, National City Corp.

Wall Street finished only slightly higher in an erratic session today as investors remained unconvinced by a Federal Reserve plan to work with other central banks to alleviate the global credit crisis.

Wall Street shot higher today, lifting the Dow Jones industrials nearly 320 points after reassuring news from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. quelled some of the market’s worst fears about the credit crisis and the economy. A plunge in the price of oil gave investors further incentive to buy.

Wall Street pared its losses to finish flat today but remained uneasy after disappointing results from Bank of America Corp provided further evidence that the credit crisis is hurting the economy.

Stocks advanced on Wall Street today as investors welcomed an employment report that painted the US job market as robust heading into the holiday season, easing concerns that the economy is losing steam too quickly.