Billionaire investor Ron Burkle is working with a union representing workers at Dow Jones & Co to explore alternatives to Rupert Murdoch's $5bn (€3.69bn) bid for the company, which publishes The Wall Street Journal.

Surging oil prices left stocks little changed today as interest rate worries also diluted Wall Street’s enthusiasm over multibillion-dollar acquisitions in the banking and newspaper sectors.

US stocks fell moderately today as investors found little reason to extend a year-end buying spree.