A US mall shooting that left three people dead and forced hundreds of Christmas shoppers to flee in terror appears to have been a random attack, authorities said today.

Wall Street finished sharply lower today as investors pored over more signs of economic weakness, including a huge round of lay-offs in the financial sector.

Oil prices that soared to US$65 (€52.48) a barrel choked off an early rally on Wall Street today, pummelling the market's optimism about the economy in the process.