The Irish market fell yesterday. The Iseq index followed the trend among many of its European peers falling around 0.25% or 7.57 points to 3,217.60.

Two US government panels are to investigate Facebook’s high-profile stock offering amid claims that the bank handling the flotation may have provided only select clients with a negative assessment of the company.

Two top US senators have offered a bill to impose sweeping new penalties on Iran and thwart its alleged nuclear ambitions.

Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke says new regulations will be unveiled this summer to protect the US economy from another meltdown of the nation’s largest banks and financial companies.

The head of the US Federal Reserve has played down the risk of renewed recession, despite saying the outlook for the economy there is "unusually uncertain".

A deal with the US Congress to help America’s failing car industry will “very likely” be reached, the White House said today.

The three biggest US carmakers pleaded with Congress for a $25bn (€19.7bn) lifeline to save their once-proud companies from collapse, warning of broader peril for the American economy as well.

Senate leaders will vote tonight in a surprise move to resurrect US president George Bush’s $700bn (€482bn) Wall Street rescue plan.

US Congressional leaders, with advice from their parties’ presidential nominees, scrambled today to find out what changes are needed to sell the failed $700bn (€497bn) financial system bailout to rank-and-file members.

A deal to solve the US financial crisis will happen “eventually” after an emergency meeting at the White House ended without an agreement, Barack Obama said today.

A Republican revolt stalled efforts in Washington to agree a national economic rescue plan with negotiations broken off for the night and to resume later today.

A $700bn (€474bn) plan to help rescue the global economy from collapse was taking shape tonight following negotiations by Democrat and Republican politicians in the United States.

Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain found themselves in rare agreement, each demanding the Bush administration's unprecedented US$700bn (€477bn) bailout for US financial institutions be subject to independent oversight and guarantees their top executives not be rewarded.

Financial markets extended their declines today as investors worried that politicians were beginning to doubt the necessity of a broad government bailout for financial institutions as a way to revive ailing credit markets.

The Bush administration insisted Congress must move quickly to approve what one politician called the "mother of all bailouts" - a US$700bn (€483.5bn) proposal to buy a mountain of bad mortgage debt in a bid to free up the nation's credit markets.

The US government will provide an US$85bn (€59.9bn) emergency loan to rescue the huge insurer AIG, the Federal Reserve said today.

Wall Street’s angst over the ongoing fallout from the credit crisis made for a turbulent end to a volatile week today.

Stocks finished mixed as lacklustre economic reports offered Wall Street little incentive to place big bets ahead of a long weekend.

US TREASURY Secretary Henry Paulson was aiming a shot across Europe’s bow about currency intervention, rather than Japan’s, when he warned that he opposed any such bid to alter relative currency values.

Wall Street shot higher today after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said US economic growth seemed to be moderating and inflation remained contained.

THE US Federal Reserve wants to keep the dollar at present rates as the White House pushes to keep it down.

Stocks staggered to a mixed finish today after US Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan told a congressional committee the economy is strong, a sign that the central bank is likely to continue raising interest rates.

Inflation is not likely to be a serious concern and the Federal Reserve can stick to its plan to introduce measured increases in the benchmark interest rate, Federal Reserve chair-man Alan Greenspan said in a statement yesterday.

Investors received some reassurance about inflation and the economy from Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan today – and sent stocks higher as the market’s interest rates worries ebbed.

The banking system in the United States is in good shape to deal with rising interest rates, Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan has told Congress.

Wall Street wobbled again today, dropping sharply at the opening, stabilising on soothing words from Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan and then falling sharply again in late afternoon amid investors’ continuing anxiety about the market’s own dynamics.

Reforms under way to improve corporate accounting standards and hold chief executive officers more accountable for corporate disclosures will boost investor confidence, said US Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill.

Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan has offered his most optimistic assessment of the US economy in more than a year.

Stock prices dropped sharply on Wall Street today with the Dow industrials tumbling by triple digits for a second day on a spate of bad news.