Wall Street closed a quiet session with a moderate advance today, with energy and other commodities companies leading the market as oil prices extended their record-breaking run.

US stocks tumbled today as the ailing credit market and a spike in home foreclosures intensified the market’s worries about a sagging economy. The Dow Jones industrials gave up 214 points.

Stocks in the US retreated from lofty heights today after a European Central Bank official pointed to rising price risks and a major Wall Street bank lowered its sales expectations for Chinese internet company Baidu.com.

Wall Street shook off early uncertainty to close moderately higher today as a series of mixed economic reports managed to make investors more optimistic about the chances for an interest rate cut.

A VIOLENT computer game blocked by the Irish censor from entering the market here earlier this week is looking unlikely to be released anywhere as more countries ban it for its extreme content.

Stocks surged higher today as another round of corporate takeovers prodded investors to continue a largely uninterrupted months-long buying streak.

UNDETERRED by protesters who have dogged him at every stop on his five-nation Latin American trip, US President George W Bush yesterday tried to convince Guatemala’s residents that the United States is a compassionate nation.

Connie Guglielmo, Bloomberg

LIONS Gate Entertainment, whose films include Fahrenheit 9/11 and Monster’s Ball, is on course to swoop for Hit Entertainment, a British children’s television company that last month agreed to a $921 million (€703 million) takeover by venture capital firm Apax Partners.

Concerns over the economic impact of the Asian earthquake tsunami disasters pushed stocks lower in the United States today, putting Wall Street’s recent rally on hold despite decent holiday sales figures and falling oil prices.

Wall Street extended its fourth-quarter rally into a second day, supported by falling oil prices and a bullish assessment of the economy from a Federal Reserve official.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc and Big Lots Inc reported disappointing June sales because higher petrol prices crimped consumer spending. Wal-Mart said this month’s increase may be as little as 2%.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc’s Asda Group, Britain’s second-largest supermarket chain, plans to cut another £65 million off prices of products ranging from gardening equipment to Vienetta ice cream as competition between British food retailers intensifies.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed above the 10,000 milestone for a second day today as investors shrugged off a downbeat report on consumer sentiment to push stocks higher.

Wall Street sank today as investors sifted through a series of downbeat economic reports.