<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?>
<rss version="2.0">
	<channel>
		<title>Business</title>
		<link>http://emediaworld.com/press_release/rss/rss_54.xml</link>
		<description>Business</description>
		<language>en-us</language>
		<lastBuildDate>Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:13:11 EST</lastBuildDate>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[NY Fed begins purchasing mortgage securities]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308876</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:29:37 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The Federal Reserve Bank of New York said Monday it has begun purchasing mortgage-backed securities in an effort to bolster the battered housing market.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[S&amp;P turns positive lifted by energy stocks]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308873</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:11:14 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Stocks pared losses on Monday and the S&amp;P 500 turned positive, helped by strong gains among energy stocks as crude oil rose more than $1 a barrel.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Tyson Foods CEO Dick Bond leaves company]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308872</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:07:52 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Tyson Foods Inc  Chief Executive Dick Bond said on Monday that he was leaving the No. 1 U.S. meat company, effective immediately.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Economy hits December sales at Walgreen, Rite Aid]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308874</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:00:24 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Walgreen Co&#039;s  sales at drugstores open at least a year rose in December, while Rite Aid Corp&#039;s  showed a decline as cash-strapped consumers bought just the basics even during the holiday season.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Pfizer chief open to acquisitions: report]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308875</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 05 Jan 2009 08:18:05 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Pfizer Inc , the world&#039;s biggest pharmaceutical group, is open to acquisitions, its chief executive Jeff Kindler told the Financial Times in an interview.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Estate Planning in a Down Market]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308877</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 05 Jan 2009 08:08:41 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[When times are tough, people tend to hold on to what they have that much more tightly. But for  those who can get beyond that psychological response, there&#039;s a silver lining in today&#039;s combination of depressed asset values and low interest rates: Transferring assets to the next generation has rarely been less costly.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[HK toy makers urge Li &amp; Fung to pay up for failed US retailer]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308878</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 05 Jan 2009 07:12:03 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[More than 40 Hong Kong toy makers who say they lost 10 million US dollars following the collapse of US retailer KB Toys said Monday they would be seeking compensation from trading firm Li &amp; Fung.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Obama, Congress leaders to meet Monday on economy]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308700</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2009 20:07:02 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Both President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden will huddle with Democratic and Republican congressional leaders on Monday to try to advance a huge economic stimulus bill that Obama hopes can be enacted quickly, despite Republican reservations.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Private equity group buying IndyMac assets]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308699</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:47:51 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The assets of failed U.S. mortgage lender IndyMac are being bought by a group of private equity and hedge fund firms, including Dune Capital Management and J.C. Flowers &amp; Co, which are putting up $1.3 billion in cash.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Treasury to view Citi-style rescues case-by-case]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308588</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:12:22 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The Treasury said on Friday said it will consider financial institution rescues and asset guarantees similar to those it provided Citigroup  on a case-by-case basis.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Plan B for retirees who counted on home equity]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308565</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:01:12 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The safety net is almost gone, the nest egg is cracking.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Steel companies may gain if buyers restock inventories]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308536</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:41:59 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Steelmakers, which are pressing President-elect Barack Obama for an aggressive stimulus plan to revive the sagging market, could soon see an increase in demand as buyers move to restock shrinking inventories.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Stocks gain near 2 percent]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308490</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2009 12:59:57 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Stocks continued their recent advance on the first day of trading in 2009 as gains in large caps pushed main indexes up about 2 percent while energy and consumer discretionary were the leading sectors in the S&amp;P 500.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[World markets kick New Year off in style]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308780</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2009 12:17:04 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[World stock markets rallied strongly Friday on the first trading day of 2009 as New Year&#039;s optimism more than offset grim economic news from around the globe.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Factories mired in worst slump in 28 years]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308489</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2009 11:52:38 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[U.S. factory activity fell to a 28-year low in December as the deepening year-old recession hammered the manufacturing sector, producing a bleak outlook at the start of 2009.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[IndyMac deal slowed by Fannie mortgage issues: source]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308492</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2009 10:57:17 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The pending sale of failed mortgage lender IndyMac  hit a snag as mortgage giant Fannie Mae  negotiates with federal regulators over the value of about $1 billion in obligations it believes IndyMac owes it, according to a source familiar with the matter.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Estate Planning in a Down Market]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308493</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2009 08:08:41 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[When times are tough, people tend to hold on to what they have that much more tightly. But for  those who can get beyond that psychological response, there&#039;s a silver lining in today&#039;s combination of depressed asset values and low interest rates: Transferring assets to the next generation has rarely been less costly.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Global stocks rise on first trading day of year]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308701</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2009 07:42:54 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[World stock markets opened the new year with gains on Friday after a dismal 2008, while the dollar rose against major currencies and prices in crude and gold fell.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[HK stock index up 4.6 pct in first session of 2009]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308491</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2009 05:53:12 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Hong Kong stocks jumped 4.6 percent in their first session of 2009, led by Chinese telecom companies after the central government approved licenses for next generation mobile phone services.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Standout 2008 fund managers staying defensive]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308295</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 01 Jan 2009 13:38:25 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Playing it safe paid off in 2008 for Tom Forester and David Ellison, two standout mutual fund managers in a year when winning meant losing less money than the competition.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Bank of America, Wells close mergers as banking transforms]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308293</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 01 Jan 2009 11:38:39 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Bank of America Corp  completed its purchase of Merrill Lynch &amp; Co and Wells Fargo &amp; Co  finished buying Wachovia Corp, the latest sea changes in a transformed banking industry facing dire economic times ahead.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Bank of America completes Merrill Lynch purchase]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308294</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 01 Jan 2009 10:15:53 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Bank of America Corp  completed its purchase of Merrill Lynch &amp; Co on Thursday, creating the largest U.S. bank and perhaps one of the biggest challenges yet for longtime Chief Executive Kenneth Lewis.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Wells Fargo completes Wachovia purchase]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308296</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 01 Jan 2009 08:16:57 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Wells Fargo &amp; Co  said it has completed its roughly $12.7 billion purchase of Wachovia Corp, a big bet that it properly assessed the risks in Wachovia&#039;s huge book of mortgage and real estate loans.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[ShopperTrak cuts holiday retail view]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308297</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 31 Dec 2008 13:56:23 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Despite holiday shoppers&#039; last-minute bargain-hunting sprees, ShopperTrak on Wednesday lowered its 2008 U.S. holiday retail sales forecast to call for a decline of 2.3 percent on a 16 percent drop in traffic and said it expected an even weaker store performance in January.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Mortgage rates drop to 37-year low]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308142</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 31 Dec 2008 12:47:46 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Interest rates on U.S. 30-year fixed-rate mortgages dropped for a ninth consecutive week, reaching their lowest level in 37 years, according to a survey released on Wednesday by home funding company Freddie Mac.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Mortgage rates fall to third straight record low]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308141</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 31 Dec 2008 12:14:27 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Rates on 30-year mortgages fell to a record low for the third straight week and borrowers took advantage of the drop, sending new applications soaring.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[GMAC eases burden with $21.2 billion debt swap]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308139</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 31 Dec 2008 10:49:35 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[GMAC, the General Motors Corp  financing affiliate that received a $6 billion infusion from the government, completed a multibillion dollar debt swap on Wednesday designed to bolster its capital.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Food and drug retail stocks a better buy in 2008]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308143</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 31 Dec 2008 10:37:46 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Shares of grocery and drug retailers fell in 2008, but not as much as the broader market, as shoppers spent what little money they did have on staples like groceries and prescriptions.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Wall St flat on Fed move, new economic data]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308066</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 31 Dec 2008 09:37:06 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Stocks opened flat on Wednesday, as investors grappled with a round of weak economic data and a plan by the Federal Reserve to buy mortgage-backed securities.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Top Dell executives leave as PC maker restructures]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308067</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 31 Dec 2008 09:34:18 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Two top executives at Dell Inc are leaving the No. 2 PC maker as part of a reorganization designed to boost sales as it struggles to regain share from bigger rival Hewlett-Packard Co.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Mortgages: What You Need to Know in 2009]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308069</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 31 Dec 2008 08:08:41 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[With all the doom and gloom over housing, you might be surprised to know that this is a fantastic time to get a mortgage. Not if you have poor credit, to be sure. But you can get a great deal on a 30-year, fixed-rate, conforming loan these days if you have a solid FICO score, a manageable debt burden, and proof positive of a reliable income.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[London&#039;s FTSE 100 up 30.66 at 4,423.34]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308140</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 31 Dec 2008 08:02:56 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Share prices on the London Stock Exchange were higher Wednesday in a short session of pre-holiday trading.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Fed aims to buy $500 billion in MBS by mid-year]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307932</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 30 Dec 2008 18:56:05 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The U.S. Federal Reserve on Tuesday moved forward aggressively with an effort to drive down mortgage costs, setting a goal of buying $500 billion in mortgage-backed securities by mid-2009.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Fed to start buying mortgage-backed securities]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307934</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 30 Dec 2008 18:02:15 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The Federal Reserve said Tuesday that it will begin purchasing up to $500 billion in mortgage-backed securities early next month in an effort to bolster the long-suffering housing market.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Fed to ramp up purchases of mortgage securities in January]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307935</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:08:09 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The Federal Reserve said Tuesday it would begin buying mortgage-backed securities in early January under a previously announced plan to purchase up to 600 billion dollars of these assets.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[SEC&#039;s enforcement accountant to leave next month]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=308068</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 30 Dec 2008 15:59:15 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The top accountant in the Securities and Exchange Commission&#039;s enforcement branch is leaving for a private sector job next month, in what could herald a wave of departures from the embattled agency.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[GM, GMAC ease lending rules to entice car buyers]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307845</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 30 Dec 2008 14:01:58 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[General Motors Corp and its GMAC funding affiliate launched programs on Tuesday to lure U.S. car and truck buyers back into showrooms as the largest U.S. automaker tries to revive its sagging fortunes.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[European stocks rise as Tokyo ends shocking year]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307933</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 30 Dec 2008 07:01:26 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[European stock markets on Tuesday extended their pre-New Year rally, shrugging off overnight losses on Wall Street and news of Tokyo&#039;s worst 12-month performance since 1949.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Pakistan shares fall another four pct]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307846</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 30 Dec 2008 05:49:50 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Pakistan&#039;s main stock index continued its downward slide Tuesday, with shares shedding another four percent -- meaning the market has lost more than a third of its value in two weeks.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Stock index futures point to rebound ahead of data]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307774</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 30 Dec 2008 04:35:18 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Tuesday, reversing the previous session&#039;s dip, while investors braced for a reading of consumer confidence for insight on the extent of the damage from the economic downturn.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Apparel makers to ask retailers for concessions: report]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307775</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 30 Dec 2008 04:29:24 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Clothing manufacturers, irked by the deep holiday discounts offered by retailers, may force department stores to absorb a larger chunk of the markdowns, Bloomberg reported.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[London stocks open higher]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307776</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 30 Dec 2008 03:46:42 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[London&#039;s stock market was trading higher on Tuesday for the second day in a row led by mining stocks on higher commodities prices.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[U.S. puts up $6 billion to support auto lender GMAC]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307675</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 29 Dec 2008 23:24:31 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The Bush administration on Monday expanded its bailout of the U.S. auto industry, saying it was buying $5 billion in equity in auto and mortgage finance company GMAC and increasing a loan to General Motors  by $1 billion.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Dow scrambling to keep $15 billion Rohm takeover alive: report]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307676</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 29 Dec 2008 21:37:23 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Dow Chemical  is scrambling to keep its $15 billion takeover of rival Rohm &amp; Haas  alive after a surprise decision by the Kuwaiti government to scrap a joint venture with Dow, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Oil rises for third day above $40 on Middle East]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307677</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 29 Dec 2008 21:13:13 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Oil rose for a third day on Tuesday as traders kept scrutiny on Middle East crude supply amid the Israeli-Hamas conflict, but prices were still on track to end the year down 60 percent, the biggest annual loss on record.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Retailers who have filed for bankruptcy protection]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307679</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 29 Dec 2008 16:56:33 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Retailers have come under growing pressure as consumers cut their spending because of the drop in home values, worries about job security, eroding credit and higher food costs. Experts expect a spate of bankruptcies after holiday sales are tallied and weaker players become unable to survive.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Stocks fall as Dow Chemical weighs]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307564</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:28:45 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Stocks fell on Monday as the collapse of a joint venture between Kuwait and Dow Chemical  overshadowed energy shares that gained alongside oil prices as violence flared in the Middle East.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Oil pares gain after rise over $40 on Israel]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307566</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:19:43 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Oil pared gains on Monday after a rise above $40 a barrel, in response to a weak dollar and Israeli attacks on Hamas that served as a reminder of tensions that could threaten Middle East crude oil supplies.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Lehman bankruptcy filing wiped out billions: report]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307567</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 29 Dec 2008 09:35:27 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc&#039;s  emergency bankruptcy filing wiped out as much as $75 billion of potential value for creditors, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing an analysis by the bank&#039;s restructuring advisers.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Rohm and Dow shares fall on investor concern over deal]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307565</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 29 Dec 2008 09:08:59 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Shares of Rohm &amp; Haas  plunged more than 17 percent in Monday pre-market trade a day after Kuwait decided to scrap a $17.4 billion joint venture deal with Dow Chemical , potentially upsetting the company&#039;s plans to buy rival Rohm &amp; Haas.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[JC Flowers and others close to IndyMac deal: source]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307569</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 29 Dec 2008 08:06:39 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[A consortium of private equity and hedge fund firms, including J.C. Flowers &amp; Co, is close to a deal to buy the assets of failed mortgage lender IndyMac, a source familiar with the matter said on Sunday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[HK stock index advances 1 percent]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307678</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 29 Dec 2008 05:05:02 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Hong Kong&#039;s key stock index rose 1 percent in feather-light trade Monday to snap a four-day losing streak.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Japan stocks rise on insurance merger reports]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307568</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 29 Dec 2008 02:07:27 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Japanese stocks rose for a third straight session Monday, lifted by hopes for mergers in the insurance and semiconductor sectors.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Kuwait cancels $17 billion JV with Dow Chemical]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307415</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 28 Dec 2008 13:57:39 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Kuwait on Sunday scrapped a deal to form a $17.4 billion petrochemical joint venture with U.S. firm Dow Chemical , state news agency KUNA said.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Adams appears headed for form of bankruptcy]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307417</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 28 Dec 2008 12:47:52 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[British children&#039;s clothing retailer Adams has taken a step toward filing for bankruptcy protection.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Credit Suisse clients may have lost $925.9 mln on Madoff: paper]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307414</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 28 Dec 2008 11:57:07 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Credit Suisse  clients may have lost up to 1 billion Swiss francs ($925.9 million) on investments connected to accused swindler Bernard Madoff, newspaper Sonntag reported on Sunday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[US retail sales data deepens year-end gloom]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307262</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 26 Dec 2008 21:28:22 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Christmas retail sales have plunged in the United States, according to a poll, as Japan reported record cuts in production and more signs emerged that Spain has entered a recession.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Retail gasoline prices drift to 58-month low]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307122</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 26 Dec 2008 16:04:33 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Retail gasoline prices tumbled Friday to the lowest level in nearly four years. And while crude futures rose, analysts believed it was a temporary pause in an extended, downward arc as the recession spreads.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[GMAC may have asked for $6 billion in aid: CreditSights]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307119</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 26 Dec 2008 13:46:01 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[GMAC LLC may have applied for up to $6 billion in funds from the government&#039;s financial bailout program, and could potentially sell $17.5 billion in government-backed debt to shore up its capital position, CreditSights said.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Some retail stocks defy dismal holiday data]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307041</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 26 Dec 2008 12:53:33 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Retail shares traded lower on Friday following data showing the first decline in holiday sales in at least 40 years, though some stores defied the trend as investors bet the worst news was priced into the sector.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[GMAC decision and energy stocks lift Wall Street]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307040</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 26 Dec 2008 12:50:57 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Stocks rose on Friday as General Motors  shares rallied on news its GMAC affiliate qualified to be a bank holding company while energy stocks got a boost from a rise in oil prices.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[GM shares and GMAC bonds jump on bank holding status]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307042</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 26 Dec 2008 10:56:33 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Shares of General Motors Corp  and bonds of GMAC LLC jumped on Friday after the auto finance company won U.S. approval to become a bank holding company.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Asian markets mixed in quiet holiday trade]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307416</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 26 Dec 2008 06:57:05 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Asian markets were mixed in quiet holiday trade Friday amid new evidence that companies and consumers alike were struggling as the global economy slumps.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Toyota founding family scion dodges succession issue]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=306930</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 25 Dec 2008 05:22:46 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) Executive Vice President Akio Toyoda declined on Thursday to discuss the possibility of his taking over as president after media reports he could fill the post as early as April.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Japan stocks post modest Christmas gains]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307333</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 25 Dec 2008 03:26:45 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Japanese stocks made a modest comeback Thursday after falling sharply the previous session, buoyed by bargain hunters and Wall Street&#039;s rise overnight.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[NYSE, Nasdaq short interest fall]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=307120</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 24 Dec 2008 17:06:34 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Short interest fell on the Nasdaq and on the New York Stock Exchange in mid-December, reflecting a decrease in bearish sentiment and a desire by short-sellers to lock in profits.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Tiny yields challenge money funds, investors]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=306932</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 24 Dec 2008 16:49:53 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Three months after the government stepped in to prop up reeling money-market funds, the $3.8 trillion industry is largely healthy again, with money flowing back to the safe-harbor investments at a steady clip.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Mortgage rates fall to new record low]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=306933</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:24:45 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages fell to a record low for the second straight week, causing refinancing applications to surge to the highest level in more than five years, a month after the Federal Reserve pledged to channel billions to prop up the sinking U.S. housing market.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Russia, China warn of dire economic straits in 2009]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=306931</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 24 Dec 2008 12:08:02 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Russia and China issued stark warnings on Wednesday about the impact of the crisis on their recently booming economies in 2009, as stocks and oil prices took a hit from economic gloom over Christmas.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Desperate Christmas for UK retailers]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=306387</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 24 Dec 2008 11:40:37 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[British stores deepened discounts on Wednesday, hoping to lure in last-minute shoppers on Christmas Eve as a third major retailer collapsed into bankruptcy protection in 24 hours.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Oil weak after U.S. data, still falling below $38]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=306382</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 24 Dec 2008 11:08:49 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Oil stayed negative on Wednesday after U.S. inventory data showed an unexpected fall in crude inventories, while refined products stocks rose and demand weakened.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Home prices may rise on mortgage refinancing boom]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=306384</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 24 Dec 2008 11:05:24 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Veteran banking analyst Richard Bove said he expects housing prices in the United States to stabilize and/or rise after a likely boom in mortgage refinance, as mortgage rates fall and loan applications increase.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Mortgage applications highest since mid-2003]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=306386</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 24 Dec 2008 10:55:42 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Mortgage applications spiked last week to their highest level in more than five years, as borrowers took advantage of rates that fell to near-record lows after the government pledged to funnel money into the mortgage market.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Regulators near deal for IndyMac]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=306381</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 24 Dec 2008 10:27:40 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[U.S. regulators are expected to announce a deal for the assets of failed mortgage lender IndyMac before the end of the year, a spokesman for the bank said on Wednesday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Stocks edge up after economic data]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=306380</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 24 Dec 2008 09:38:14 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Stocks edged up on Wednesday during an abbreviated holiday session as investors digested a mixed bag of data to gauge the extent of deterioration in the economy.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Consumers close wallets as job market darkens]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=306379</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 24 Dec 2008 09:29:46 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Consumers cut their spending for a fifth straight month in November as a year-old recession tightened its grip, but with prices dropping, they got more for each dollar, a report showed on Wednesday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[SEC to charge execs at failed money market fund]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=306383</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 24 Dec 2008 06:48:02 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Reserve Management Co., which is facing a slew of investor lawsuits after its money market fund fell below a key safety benchmark, said late Tuesday the Securities and Exchange Commission plans to charge the company and its management with violations of securities laws.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Stock futures little changed after GDP]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=306005</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 23 Dec 2008 08:50:48 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[S&amp;P futures were little changed at 1 on Tuesday after a report showed the economy shrank at an 0.5 percent annual pace in the third quarter, as expected.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[UK mortgage approvals fell to record low in Nov.]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=306007</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 23 Dec 2008 06:15:01 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[British mortgage approvals fell to their lowest level since at least 1997 in November as buyers were deterred by falling house prices and fears that the economic slowdown will hit their budgets, the British Bankers&#039; Association (BBA) said Tuesday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[China&#039;s Shanghai stock index falls 4.6 pct]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=306006</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 23 Dec 2008 03:00:51 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Chinese stocks fell Tuesday as investors disappointed over a meager interest rate cut, and worried over its potential impact on banks&#039; balance sheets, dumped financial shares and other heavyweights.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Investigators examine role of Madoff staffer: report]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=305848</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2008 22:04:05 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Investigators examining the alleged fraud of Wall Street investment manager Bernard Madoff are looking into the role of an official who handled client accounts, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing a person familiar with the matter.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Oil deepens losses below $40, eyes on economy]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=305847</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:28:49 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Oil prices extended their sharp fall to drop further below $40 a barrel on Tuesday, weakened anew by growing signs of deteriorating world oil demand.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Bankruptcy judge approves Circuit City financing]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=305850</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:27:10 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Circuit City Stores Inc., the nation&#039;s second-biggest electronics retailer, received final approval Monday for $1.1 billion in financing in order to keep operating while it&#039;s in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Circuit City gets final approval for financing]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=305849</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:55:35 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Electronics retailer Circuit City Stores  got final approval for $1.1 billion in financing to provide liquidity as it reorganizes and said its same-store sales had dropped even more steeply than predicted.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Cencosud says it is ready to compete with Wal-Mart]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=305739</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:05:01 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The owner of Chile-based Cencosud, a leading regional retailer, said on Monday his company was ready to compete with Wal-Mart, the world&#039;s largest retailer as it prepares to enter the Chilean market.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Judge OKs Lehman settlement]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=305738</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:40:35 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[A U.S. bankruptcy judge approved a settlement calling for $1.27 billion in cash plus securities with a face value of $5.7 billion to be transferred to Barclays Plc  in connection with its purchase of the core U.S. brokerage business of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Bankruptcy judge approves Circuit City financing]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=305742</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:28:06 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Circuit City Stores Inc. on Monday received final approval for $1.1 billion in financing to keep operating while the nation&#039;s second-biggest electronics retailer is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[UK house prices seen falling 10 pct in 2009]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=305741</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2008 12:10:08 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[House prices in Britain will fall 10 percent next year as banks rein in mortgage lending and buyers are deterred by the economic slowdown, a leading property researcher forecast Monday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[London&#039;s FTSE 100 down 37.77 points at 4,249.16]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=305740</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2008 12:06:02 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Share prices on the London Stock Exchange closed down Monday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Walgreen profit misses and slows growth plans]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=305104</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2008 08:21:11 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Walgreen Co  posted a smaller-than-expected quarterly profit and cut its store opening plans on Monday, hurt by the weak economy.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Stock futures little changed in thin trade]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=305103</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2008 08:18:50 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Stock futures were little changed on Monday in what is expected to be a light trading week ahead of Thursday&#039;s Christmas holiday as investors look ahead to corporate earnings and retail sales announcements.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Last holiday shopping weekend keeps retailers edgy]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=305108</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2008 06:19:46 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The deals were there and, by most accounts, so were the shoppers. But at the close of the final holiday shopping weekend, consumers confessed they were still nervous about buying.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[China shares fall on bleak outlook]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=305106</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2008 03:50:17 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Chinese stocks snapped a six-day winning streak on Monday as investors unloaded shares to cash in on recent gains amid mounting worries over earnings prospects.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Australia General Motors unit to build small car]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=305105</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2008 03:08:15 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The Australian arm of General Motors  said on Monday it would build the first fuel-efficient small car in decades after securing government funding and as GM moves onto taxpayer-backed life-support in the United States.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Fed updates $200B consumer loan program]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=305107</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:13:43 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The Federal Reserve on Friday said a new program aimed at bolstering the availability of consumer loans will require companies to put up collateral to participate, but will offer longer terms on loans that are approved.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[General Growth to sell retail centers in 3 cities]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=304614</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:16:50 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Chicago-based General Growth Properties says it is putting retail centers in three major cities up for sale.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[RIM shares rise on rosy fourth-quarter outlook]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=304611</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2008 09:58:13 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Research In Motion   shares jumped more than 6 percent in opening trade on Friday, lifted by a better-than-expected growth forecast for its BlackBerry smartphones.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Central banks to offer dollar liquidity but see demand waning]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=304612</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2008 09:08:49 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Central banks around the world announced their latest effort to pump cash into the financial system on Friday but noted overall demand for U.S. dollars has declined, in a sign the global credit crunch may be easing.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Stock futures point to dip]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=304395</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2008 04:58:47 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Friday, retreating for the third consecutive session as sinking oil prices continue to weigh on energy stocks, while investors eagerly await news of a potential bailout for stricken automakers.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[JP Morgan CEO and Citi&#039;s Rubin won&#039;t seek bonuses: report]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=304396</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2008 03:49:46 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co  Chief Executive Jamie Dimon and Citigroup Inc  board member and adviser Robert Rubin will not request bonuses this year, the New York Times said, citing people familiar with their plans.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[GMAC bank bid may fail: report]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=304397</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2008 03:01:45 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Bond fund Pacific Investment Management (Pimco) has turned down a debt-exchange offer from GMAC LLC, threatening the auto and mortgage finance company&#039;s bid to qualify for U.S. government funds, the Wall Street Journal reported.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[USA]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=304613</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2008 03:00:00 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Mary Schapiro, President-elect Obama&#039;s new pick to head the Securities and Exchange Commission as its effectiveness is being questioned, would become the first permanent chairwoman of the agency if confirmed. She served six years as an SEC commissioner and now is the CEO of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the securities and brokerage industry&#039;s self-policing organization.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Oracle sales drop, but investors still firm on stock]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=304211</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:57:03 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Business software maker Oracle Corp  posted a drop in new sales and said they could fall up to 10 percent in the current quarter, but relieved investors who feared even worse sent the shares up 3.4 percent in extended trade on Thursday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Treasury, mortgage rates keep tumbling]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=304214</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:38:30 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Investors poured more money into Treasurys on Thursday, sending yields to record lows again even as the Treasury Department said it would sell record amounts of notes next week.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[RIM posts rosy holiday outlook despite slow economy]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=304212</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:56:34 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Research In Motion delivered a quarterly profit in line with forecasts and a rosier-than-expected outlook on Thursday that reflects strong holiday sales of its BlackBerry smartphones even as the global economy slows.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Meltdown 101: Is it time to refinance a mortgage?]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=304215</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:36:47 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[With mortgage rates sinking to the lowest level since the early 1960s, homeowners around the country are giving themselves an early holiday present: a refinanced mortgage with lower monthly payments.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Walking away from a mortgage no longer unthinkable]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=304001</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:13:14 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Diane Shackle found it gut-wrenching to walk away from a mortgage she took out in times that were better for both her and the U.S. economy.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Oil drops 9 percent as demand outlook overshadows OPEC]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=304000</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:55:25 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[U.S. crude prices dropped more than 9 percent to $36 a barrel on Thursday as slumping demand and swelling U.S. inventories offset OPEC&#039;s record supply cut agreement.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Walkaways highest in &#039;non-recourse&#039; states]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=304002</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:44:07 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Mortgage law experts say the incentive to walk away from a home loan is highest in states that have anti-deficiency statutes, which prohibit lenders from suing borrowers for additional funds after foreclosure.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[S&amp;P says chance GE could lose &quot;AAA&quot; in 2 years]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=303999</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:42:29 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Standard &amp; Poor&#039;s on Thursday changed its outlook on General Electric Corp  and its finance arm to negative, and said there is at least a one-in-three chance it will cut GE&#039;s credit rating from the top &quot;AAA&quot; in the next two years.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[FedEx profit up, but cuts costs as economy worsens]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=303700</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2008 11:34:02 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Package delivery giant FedEx Corp  reported a higher profit for its fiscal second quarter, meeting expectations, but announced a 20 percent pay cut for CEO Fred Smith and said it was suspending pension contributions as the U.S. economy&#039;s outlook looks bleak.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Schapiro, Obama SEC Chief, May Clear Way for Overhaul]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=304213</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2008 11:29:27 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Dec. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Mary Schapiro, a top brokerage
regulator tapped to head the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission, is likely to promote an overhaul of the nation&acirc;??s
financial-market regulations, including a possible merger of the
SEC with the agency that oversees commodities trading.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Bush won&#039;t allow disorderly collapse of autos: White House]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=303701</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2008 11:25:09 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[President George W. Bush will not allow a &quot;disorderly collapse&quot; of the struggling U.S. automakers and is nearing a conclusion on if and how to provide them with financial aid, the White House said on Thursday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Pier 1 3Q loss widens amid spending free fall]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=303704</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2008 11:13:57 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Struggling home accessories retailer Pier 1 Imports Inc. said Thursday its fiscal third-quarter loss widened amid the free fall in consumer spending.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Mortgage rates at 37-year low]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=303703</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2008 10:56:48 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Rates on 30-year-fixed mortgages dropped this week to their lowest levels in at least 37 years, as the Federal Reserve pledged to pour money into the mortgage market in an effort to spur the moribund U.S. housing market.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Schapiro picked as SEC chair]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=303702</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2008 10:52:30 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[President-elect Barack Obama has chosen veteran securities industry regulator Mary Schapiro to head the Securities and Exchange Commission.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Wall Street futures mixed]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=303337</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2008 05:49:45 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Stock futures for the Dow Jones industrial average are up 0.6 percent and for the S&amp;P 500 up 0.3 percent; Nasdaq 100 futures indicated down 1 percent.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Fed fallout weighs on dollar]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=303338</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2008 04:41:38 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The dollar hit a 2-1/2 month low against the euro and held close to a 13-year low versus the yen on Thursday, pressured by the Federal Reserve&#039;s aggressive rate cut this week, while European stocks ticked higher.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Report: Lotte to invest $5 bln in Vietnam retail]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=303340</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2008 03:58:19 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[South Korean conglomerate Lotte Group will invest $5 billion in the next 15 years to develop 30 supermarkets in Vietnam to tap the Southeast Asian country&#039;s fast-growing retail market, state media reported Thursday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Debts increase as consumers fall further behind]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=303339</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2008 18:32:34 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The numbers continue to be troubling. Reports released by credit reporting agency TransUnion for the third quarter suggest the personal financial situation for many consumers is deteriorating as they fall further behind on credit cards, auto loans, and mortgage payments:]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Honda slashes forecast again, shares hit]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=302912</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2008 13:16:43 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Japan&#039;s Honda Motor Co (7267.T) issued its third profit warning this year, slashing its operating forecast by two-thirds as the global recession batters car sales and sends the yen soaring.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Woolworths stores to shut by early January]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=302916</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2008 12:32:02 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Administrators for Woolworths announced plans Wednesday to close all the retailer&#039;s stores by the early new year, signaling the end of the road for the venerable British company and the loss of almost 30,000 jobs.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Mortgage market rebounds as trade gap narrows]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=302914</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2008 10:58:57 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The moribund U.S. mortgage market showed signs of life last week even before the Fed announced unconventional steps to revive the economy, while a key trade measure improved in the third quarter.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Home loan rate flat after Fed cut and headed lower]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=302915</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2008 10:31:08 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[An aggressive rate cut by the Federal Reserve on Tuesday did little to lower U.S. home loan costs, but the Fed&#039;s promise to expand a massive mortgage debt purchase program if needed should push rates down.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Dollar falls after Fed slashes rates]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=302913</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2008 08:04:44 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The dollar hit a 2-1/2 month low versus the euro and fell toward a recent 13-year low against the yen on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve slashed interest rates to near zero and pledged more action.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Stock futures fall as Fed enthusiasm wanes]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=302571</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2008 07:52:23 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wednesday as initial enthusiasm over the Federal Reserve&#039;s interest rate cut faded and investors focused on the dismal economic outlook.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Refinancing drives mortgage applications up: MBA]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=302573</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2008 07:20:35 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Mortgage applications climbed last week, a trade group said on Wednesday, driven by demand for loans to refinance as government interventions helped drive down borrowing costs.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Retail tracker raises holiday view on Wal-Mart]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=302574</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2008 06:22:56 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[A leading consumer research firm raised its holiday retail sales outlook on Wednesday, due to what it called Wal-Mart&#039;s  &quot;domination&quot; of the retail industry with its bargain-basement deals.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[HK index up 2.2 percent on Fed&#039;s rate cut]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=302572</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2008 06:11:01 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Hong Kong&#039;s main stock index gained more than 2 percent Wednesday, leading Asia&#039;s advance after the Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate to a record low.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Jobs won&#039;t deliver Macworld keynote]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=302310</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 16 Dec 2008 20:42:52 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Apple Inc said on Tuesday that Chief Executive Steve Jobs will not deliver the keynote address at the Macworld trade show next month, reviving some investors&#039; concerns about the state of his health and sending the company&#039;s shares down 3 percent.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Meltdown 101: Pros and cons of employee buyouts]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=302313</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:03:22 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[When Best Buy Co. Inc. announced Tuesday it would offer buyout packages to about 4,000 employees, the retailer joined a long parade of companies trying to trim their work forces without resorting to outright layoffs.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[U.S.-backed banks could be mortgage aid tool: sources]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=302312</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 16 Dec 2008 14:11:56 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[A network of government-backed lenders could become conduits for fresh mortgage financing under a plan being mulled by U.S. policy-makers, sources familiar with the plan said on Tuesday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[World markets up ahead of Fed rate decision]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=302311</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 16 Dec 2008 12:25:24 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[European and U.S. stock markets rose Tuesday ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve&#039;s interest rate decision, which could see borrowing costs in the world&#039;s largest economy fall to their lowest level ever.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Best Buy 3Q profit sinks, offers staff buyouts]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=301762</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:17:30 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Best Buy Co. Inc. , the nation&#039;s biggest consumer electronics retailer, said Tuesday that its third-quarter profit sank 77 percent as it faced dramatic changes in consumer spending.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Goldman Sachs posts loss, but not as bad as feared]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=301757</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:03:39 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Goldman Sachs Group Inc  reported its first quarterly loss since going public nine years ago as plunging values of stocks, debt and real estate caught up with a Wall Street leader that until recently had sidestepped the worst of the crisis.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Best Buy beats expectations and eyes buyouts]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=301759</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:55:34 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Best Buy Co  reported better-than-expected quarterly results on Tuesday and plans to offer buyouts and trim back store openings as consumers cut spending, sending shares up nearly 16 percent.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Consumer prices and housing starts slump]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=301758</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:38:36 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Consumer prices plummeted again during November and construction starts on new homes slumped to a record low as the recession-hit economy lost momentum, government reports on Tuesday showed.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[November housing starts and permits at record low]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=301761</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:21:34 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[New housing starts and permits plunged to record lows in November, as long-standing problems in the housing market continued to weigh on the U.S. economy, a Commerce Department report showed on Tuesday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Stock futures mixed ahead of Goldman and Fed]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=301555</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 16 Dec 2008 04:20:17 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Stock index futures pointed to a mixed open on Wall Street on Tuesday, as investors awaited quarterly results from embattled Goldman Sachs  and an interest rate decision by the Federal Reserve.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Global stocks fall ahead of Fed]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=301557</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 16 Dec 2008 04:14:06 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Investors sent stocks lower and sold the dollar on Tuesday ahead of a Federal Reserve meeting that is expected to cut interest rates again as well as hint at future unorthodox monetary policies to refloat the U.S. economy.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[EDF close to buying half of Constellation: report]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=301556</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 16 Dec 2008 03:57:12 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Electricite de France SA  is close to an agreement to buy half the nuclear power business of Constellation Energy Group Inc  for $4.5 billion, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the situation.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Apple U.S. Mac sales flat in November]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=301558</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 16 Dec 2008 03:48:04 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Apple Inc  witnessed flat year-over-year overall sales in the United States for its Macs in November, while sales of rival Microsoft Corp&#039;s  Windows PCs were up 7 percent, according to research firm NPD Group Inc, which tracks retail sales.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Alleged Madoff fraud has worldwide exposure]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=301760</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2008 21:48:30 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[In a Connecticut town, local officials scrambled to get a handle on damage to pension funds held for its police officers and firefighters. A Massachusetts charity announced it was shutting down. In New York, a distinguished economist feared he had lost his $2.2 million nest egg.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[AIG sells $39.3 billion in assets to NY Fed&#039;s fund]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=301443</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:01:33 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[American International Group , the insurer bailed out by the U.S. government in September, said on Monday it sold $39.3 billion of assets to a fund established by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Bank of America cuts senior exec jobs: report]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=301442</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:33:19 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Bank of America Corp , which is set to complete its acquisition of Merrill Lynch &amp; Co Inc  this year, has dismissed about 20 senior executives, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[GM may need $30 billion government loan to survive: BofA]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=301273</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2008 14:04:45 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The U.S. government may need to lend General Motors Corp  around $30 billion to help the automaker operate through a bankruptcy, or risk a systemic chain of failures in the auto industry, Bank of America said.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[European, US stocks fall amid alleged Madoff fraud]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=301444</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2008 12:16:13 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[European and U.S. stock markets fell modestly on Monday despite earlier Asian gains, as sentiment was dented by an alleged $50 billion fraudulent investment scheme in the U.S.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Fannie to help renters stay in foreclosed homes]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=301007</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:38:55 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Fannie Mae said Monday it&#039;s finalizing a plan to help renters stay in their homes even if their landlord enters foreclosure.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Wall Street falls as techs and banks weigh]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=300999</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:32:43 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Stocks fell on Monday as tech companies were hurt by concern over waning consumer spending and financials stumbled ahead of results from Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Siemens to pay $800 million to settle U.S. probes]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=301004</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2008 10:54:39 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[German engineering conglomerate Siemens AG (SIEGn.DE) and three of its subsidiaries agreed on Monday to pay $800 million to settle U.S. bribery probes.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Oil briefly rises above $50 ahead of OPEC]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=301002</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2008 10:43:04 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Oil briefly topped $50 a barrel on Monday, boosted partly by expectations OPEC will agree on a deep supply cut this week to try to prop up prices.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Should You Refinance Your Mortgage Now?]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=301009</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2008 08:08:43 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Applications for mortgage refinancing tripled in early December on news that the U.S. Federal Reserve will buy up to $600 billion of mortgage debt. BusinessWeek  personal finance editor Lauren Young spoke with mortgage guru Keith Gumbinger, of HSH Associates, a financial publisher, about the refinancing climate.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[HK stocks rise after China moves to boost spending]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=301006</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2008 05:55:24 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Hong Kong&#039;s key stock index recovered 2 percent Monday after China announced plans to boost consumer spending and the U.S. renewed hopes of rescuing its troubled auto industry.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[H&amp;M November same-store sales fall 4 percent]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=301011</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2008 02:17:04 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Fashion retailer Hennes &amp; Mauritz (HMb.ST) on Monday posted a 4 percent year-on-year fall in sales at established stores in November.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Fannie Mae to stop evictions in foreclosures: report]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=300600</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 14 Dec 2008 22:41:38 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Fannie Mae will allow tenants to remain in their homes and avoid eviction even if the building&#039;s landlord goes into foreclosure, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Holiday shopping kick-off still weak: report]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=300598</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 14 Dec 2008 18:34:22 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Steep declines in sales of major specialty retail categories including apparel, electronics and furniture extended into December, according to data released on Sunday by SpendingPulse.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Fed to press rates toward zero]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=300599</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 14 Dec 2008 12:19:40 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The U.S. Federal Reserve is expected to drop interest rates close to zero on Tuesday, but anticipated remarks on unconventional methods to dispel a year-old recession are what will really matter.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Geneva banks lost more than $4 billion to Madoff: report]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=300597</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 14 Dec 2008 08:13:54 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Geneva-based banks and investment funds have lost more than 5 billion Swiss francs ($4.22 billion) in the alleged $50 billion fraud by former Nasdaq chairman Bernard Madoff, Swiss newspaper Le Temps reported on Saturday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Global car crisis far from over: executives]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=300438</link>
			<pubDate>Sat, 13 Dec 2008 05:40:28 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Top European car makers warned of a bleak 2009 as signs grew that the deep crisis facing the auto sector went far beyond the U.S. industry&#039;s life-or-death struggle.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Retail sales and prices fall again]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=300439</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 22:51:38 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Signs that the recession will be long and severe mounted Friday with a fresh round of bad economic news, including plunging sales from manufacturers to stores and falling prices that raise fears of dangerous deflation.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Stocks may brake for GM, Fed, Goldman]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=300437</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 21:36:11 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Wall Street&#039;s recovery push from 11-year lows could hit major speed bumps next week as investors fret about the U.S. automakers&#039; fate and the Federal Reserve holds its last scheduled policy meeting of 2008.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[GM slashes production in North America]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=300090</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:35:20 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[General Motors Corp is slashing its first-quarter North American production by 60 percent compared with the same period this year, in response to a collapse in U.S. vehicle demand.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[In crisis, mutual funds fail to speak up]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=300092</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:30:19 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Lawmakers are angry and individual investors are livid. But if mutual funds are mad, they sure aren&#039;t showing it.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[As GM bailout falters, GMAC races its own deadline]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=300093</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:20:12 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The auto and mortgage finance company GMAC LLC raced on Friday to meet a self-imposed deadline to complete a debt swap that would qualify it for federal aid, and avoid what analysts called a potential bankruptcy.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Consumers&#039; mood improves on massive price drops]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=300089</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 10:08:29 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Consumer sentiment improved this month helped by falling gasoline prices, retail discounts and &quot;tumbling&quot; inflation expectations, but pessimism over the future tempered their enthusiasm, a survey showed on Friday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Retail sales, wholesale prices fall again in Nov.]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=299806</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 08:57:40 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Consumers reduced their spending at retail stores again in November while the costs of goods before they reach store shelves also continued to drop, more bad signs in a recession that appears to be deepening.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Retail sales drop again]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=299802</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 08:55:09 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Sales at U.S. retailers dropped for the fifth straight month in November as gasoline sales took a record tumble, according to government data on Friday that showed consumers still doing some shopping despite the fact the economy is in recession.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[FTSE 100 down 175.50 at 4,213.19]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=300091</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 08:29:50 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Share prices on the London Stock Exchange were lower at midday Friday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[A Standoff Over How to Rescue the Housing Market]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=299804</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 08:08:45 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[What&#039;s the best way to stabilize plunging home prices? Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson and his staff are considering plans to push mortgage rates down to 4.5% in hopes of bringing buyers back into the moribund market. But many Democrats -- in Congress and on President-elect Barack Obama&#039;s team -- seem more set on pressing lenders to renegotiate troubled mortgages. That tack, championed by Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. head Sheila Bair, is aimed at trimming foreclosures and ending fire sales.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Should You Refinance Your Mortgage Now?]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=299805</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 08:08:45 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Applications for mortgage refinancing tripled in early December on news that the U.S. Federal Reserve will buy up to $600 billion of mortgage debt. BusinessWeek  personal finance editor Lauren Young spoke with mortgage guru Keith Gumbinger, of HSH Associates, a financial publisher, about the refinancing climate.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Stock futures slide on fears about automakers&#039; fate]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=299801</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 07:58:55 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Stock index futures plummeted on Friday as the collapse of a proposal to provide urgent funding for the beleaguered U.S. auto industry left major automakers, including General Motors , scrambling for survival.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Chinese shares fall, joining regional rout]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=299803</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 03:52:51 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Chinese stocks fell in late trading Friday as investors dumped shares amid mounting pessimism over the government&#039;s ability to stave off an economic slump.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[GM board has concluded bankruptcy not an option]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=299616</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:59:35 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[General Motors Corp  said on Thursday that its board has considered bankruptcy and concluded it is not a &quot;viable option&quot;.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Bernard Madoff arrested and charged with fraud]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=299615</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:45:11 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Bernard Madoff, a Wall Street trader who founded Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, was arrested and charged on Thursday with allegedly running a multi-billion dollar Ponzi scheme, U.S. authorities said.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[AIG slashing prices, but may burn taxpayers]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=299385</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:41:42 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[American International Group Inc  is slashing prices to win new business, industry insiders say, raising concerns that taxpayers could again be left to pick up the tab.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Retailer KB Toys files for bankruptcy protection]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=299388</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:05:07 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[In another sign of the grim holiday season, KB Toys filed for bankruptcy protection for the second time in four years on Thursday, joining fellow retailers Linens &#039;n Things and Steve &amp; Barry&#039;s in seeking Chapter 11 protection amid the recession.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Oil surges above $48]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=299383</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:04:19 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Oil surged above $48 a barrel on Thursday, up more than 10 percent, after the OPEC president called for more &quot;severe&quot; production cuts and the dollar fell to a seven-week low versus the euro.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Jobless claims soar, exports tumble]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=299382</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:37:31 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits surged to a 26-year high last week as employers tightened their belts to help weather what many fear will be a deep, long recession.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[FTSE 100 propped up by energy, mining stocks]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=299617</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:16:39 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The energy and mining sector helped propel the leading share index into positive territory after a volatile trading session on Thursday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Former Kentucky player accused of mortgage fraud]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=299387</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:00:19 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Former Kentucky basketball player Dirk Minniefield has been charged in an alleged $10 million mortgage scheme in the Houston area.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[FTSE-100 stock index up 13.51 points at 4,380.79]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=299386</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2008 07:44:25 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Share prices on the London Stock Exchange were higher at midday Thursday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Costco quarterly profit up slightly]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=298921</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2008 06:54:58 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Costco Wholesale Corp&#039;s  quarterly profit rose slightly as strong results from its gasoline stations helped to offset weak consumer demand for all but the most essential household items.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Futures point to weaker opening on Wall Street]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=298920</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2008 05:13:39 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Stock futures pointed to a weaker opening on Wall Street on Thursday. Futures for the Dow Jones, S&amp;P and Nasdaq are between 0.3 and 0.8 percent lower at 4:55 a.m. EST.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[HMV posts 1H loss, says markets keep weakening]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=298926</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2008 05:10:19 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[HMV Group PLC, the British retailer of music, DVDs, games and books, reported Thursday a net loss for the first half of its financial year as swelling costs offset higher sales. The company also warned markets had weakened further since the end of the period.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Government must exit private enterprise in time: SEC head]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=298922</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2008 04:10:00 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The U.S. Government must create strategies to eventually dilute its involvement with private enterprise, Chairman of the Securities Exchange Commission Christopher Cox said in the Wall Street Journal.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Siemens close to deal with US officials on scandal charges: report]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=298923</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2008 02:51:41 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[German industrial giant Siemens is close to reaching agreement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on a fine in connection with a corruption scandal, a press report said on Thursday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Regulator: mortgage rates could drop to 4 percent]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=298924</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2008 18:03:47 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Government efforts to provide easier credit to consumers and jump-start flagging home sales could push mortgage rates &quot;well below 4 percent,&quot; a federal regulator said Wednesday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Lawmakers rap Treasury on bailout plan]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=298509</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:06:50 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday threatened to withhold the remaining half of the $700 billion of financial bailout cash unless Treasury Department officials do more to help homeowners avoid foreclosure and push banks to extend more credit to consumers.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Administrator: no buyer for Woolworths]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=298515</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:58:51 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Prospects for rescuing ailing British retailer Woolworths receded as the company&#039;s administrator said Wednesday it had not yet found a buyer and was launching a closing-down sale.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[GMAC bond exchange flop threatens bank bid]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=298510</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:28:32 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Auto and mortgage lender GMAC said on Wednesday that only a fraction of its bondholders agreed to swap their debt, raising doubts over the company&#039;s bid to become a bank holding company and stay solvent.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[American Reserve Life buys Albanian insurance firm]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=298513</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:18:25 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[American Reserve Life Insurance Company has agreed to buy Albania&#039;s state-owned insurance company Insig for euro41 million ($52.8 million), the country&#039;s Finance Ministry said Wednesday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Kodak 2008 results to fall short on weak economy]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=298511</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2008 10:07:00 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Photography company Eastman Kodak Co  said its 2008 revenue and earnings will fall short of expectations, because of a dramatic slowdown in consumer spending, sending shares down as much as 9 percent.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Stocks seen headed for higher open on auto aid plan]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=298171</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2008 09:13:33 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[U.S. stocks headed for a higher open on Wednesday as news the White House and congressional Democrats reached an agreement in principle to aid U.S. automakers. including General Motors , calmed investors&#039; worries.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Office Depot closing stores, distribution centers]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=298173</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2008 09:09:53 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Office Depot Inc  said on Wednesday it plans to close 126 stores and has further cut its store opening plans for 2009 as the economic downturn stymies demand from small businesses and retail customers for office supplies.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[AIG owes $10 billion for soured trades: report]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=298169</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:31:44 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[American International Group , once the world&#039;s largest insurer, owes around $10 billion to other financial services firms for trades that have gone sour, the Wall Street Journal reported in its online edition on Tuesday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Regulators unveil new aid plan for credit unions]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=297857</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:52:02 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Federal regulators said Tuesday they are making more than $40 billion available to support several credit unions that suffered losses from mortgage securities, and will provide another $2 billion to help struggling homeowners.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Panel to criticize U.S. financial rescue: report]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=297855</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:16:54 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[A congressionally appointed panel that oversees the Treasury Department&#039;s $700 billion financial rescue fund is expected to release a report on Wednesday highly critical of how it has been handled, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Former GSE chiefs scolded for careless lending]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=297515</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:34:34 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Four men who led failed mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and  Freddie Mac  were called before a U.S. House of Representatives panel on Tuesday and chided for making risky loans that fueled a housing crisis and helped push the economy into recession.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[NFL cuts jobs as economy woes touch down]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=297513</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:29:55 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The National Football League said on Tuesday it will lay off almost 14 percent of the league&#039;s staff as part of a cost-cutting plan in response to the recession.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[NY Times braces for tough 2009]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=297512</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:27:02 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The New York Times Co and McClatchy Co said on Tuesday they will work to reduce debt levels in 2009, which is shaping up to be one of the toughest years for the U.S. newspaper industry.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Stocks up on predicted US auto plan]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=298175</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:07:47 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The FTSE 100 index of shares rallied on Tuesday on the back of a predicted auto rescue plan for the big three US automakers and a surprise rise in German investor confidence.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[FTSE 100 up 47.56 at 4,347.62]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=297514</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2008 09:02:26 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Share prices on the London Stock Exchange were up at midday Tuesday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Merck moves into emerging markets and generic biotech]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=296844</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2008 08:59:47 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Merck &amp; Co  said on Tuesday it plans to break into biologics, including generic biotech medicines, and push into emerging markets as it confronts near and long-term challenges to key medicines.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Report: Tesco to be world no. 2 retailer by 2012]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=296847</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2008 08:54:19 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Britain&#039;s Tesco PLC will overtake France&#039;s Carrefour SA to become the world&#039;s second-largest retailer by turnover behind U.S.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. by 2012, according to an industry report released on Tuesday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Former Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac execs to testify]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=296647</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2008 07:52:07 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Lawmakers are poised to trade barbs Tuesday about who deserves most of the blame for the collapse and government takeover of mortgage finance titans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[AutoZone posts lower fiscal 1st-quarter profit]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=296648</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2008 07:40:55 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[AutoZone says its fiscal first-quarter profit declined amid higher expenses and weak domestic same-store sales for the auto parts retailer in a tough economy.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Oil steadies around $44]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=296645</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2008 07:03:40 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Oil steadied below $44 on Tuesday as the market awaited a report from the U.S. Energy Department for clues on the state of demand in the world&#039;s biggest consumer and looked ahead to next week&#039;s OPEC meeting.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Stock futures seen adding to Monday&#039;s strong gains]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=296643</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2008 06:00:51 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Stock index futures pointed to a higher opening on Tuesday, following the previous session&#039;s strong rally, but gains could be limited by negative news in the tech sector and bleak economic data from Japan.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Japan stocks gain on hopes for commodities demand]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=296846</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2008 02:44:50 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Japanese stocks rose Tuesday as investors brushed off the latest round of grim economic data and instead pinned their hopes on global stimulus measures likely to fuel new demand for raw materials.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Asian stocks track Wall Street higher]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=296646</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2008 23:48:16 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Asian stock markets were mostly higher in early deals Tuesday after strong gains overnight on Wall Street where hopes mounted that economic stimulus measures will ease the US recession.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Wyndham Worldwide to cut about 4,000 jobs: CEO]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=296336</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:36:29 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Wyndham Worldwide Corp  will cut about 4,000 jobs as it shrinks its timeshare business to help eliminate its reliance on the asset-backed securities market, the company&#039;s chief executive told Reuters on Monday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[H&amp;R Block loss narrows after quitting mortgages]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=296338</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:02:00 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[H&amp;R Block Inc , the largest U.S. tax preparer, on Monday posted a smaller second quarter loss, after shedding its money-losing mortgage operations to focus on its tax business.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Texas Instruments updates fourth quarter outlook]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=295844</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:45:39 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Texas Instruments Inc  updated its fourth-quarter 2008 business outlook on Monday, saying it sees Q4 2008 revenue of $2.3 billion to $2.5 billion.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Tribune files for bankruptcy protection]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=295845</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2008 15:30:38 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Tribune Co has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after struggling under a heavy debt load, according to a court document filed with the U.S. bankruptcy court in Delaware on Monday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Homeowners redefaulting after getting aid]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=295849</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2008 14:33:46 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[More than half of mortgages modified in a bid to avoid foreclosure fell delinquent within six months, a top U.S. banking regulator said on Monday, casting doubt on a proposal to rewrite home loans en masse.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[London FTSE posts huge gains]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=296337</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2008 12:57:58 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The London FTSE index of leading shares posted a massive 6.19 percent gain at close of trade Monday on prospects for fresh government action against the financial crisis.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Wall Street braced for grim views from industrials]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=295846</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2008 12:52:00 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[With some of the United States&#039; largest and most diversified companies ready to spell out their 2009 financial forecasts over the next two weeks, Wall Street is braced for bad news.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[European markets post huge gains at close]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=295847</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2008 12:26:53 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[European stock markets posted huge gains at close of trade Monday, with London up 6.19 percent, on prospects for fresh government action against the financial crisis.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[McDonald&#039;s Nov same-store sales up 7.7 percent]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=294888</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2008 08:17:32 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[McDonald&#039;s Corp  said on Monday global sales at its restaurants open at least 13 months rose 7.7 percent in November, fueled by overseas growth and in the United States, where cash-strapped consumers are choosing to eat at lower-priced fast-food chains.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Futures rise on Obama stimulus plan, auto hopes]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=294891</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2008 08:01:50 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[U.S. stock index futures rose on Monday on hopes that President-elect Barack Obama&#039;s plan for a major infrastructure investment push would help avert a much deeper slump in the economy.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[3M cutting nearly 1,800 positions]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=294889</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2008 07:51:03 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[3M said on Monday the company will reduced nearly 1,800 positions across the company in Q4.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[HSBC to increase UK mortgage lending by 20 pct]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=294894</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2008 05:59:12 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[HSBC Holdings PLC, Britain&#039;s largest bank, said Monday it planned to increase the amount of money it lends to Britons for mortgages by 20 percent next year.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Banks need to broaden view of risk: Fed&#039;s Kroszner]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=294895</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2008 05:33:12 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Banks need to take a much broader view of investment risk as they dig their way out of the current financial crisis, and mortgage-backed securities need to become simpler and much more transparent, a senior U.S. Federal Reserve official said on Monday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[London shares soar over 6% at open]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=294892</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2008 04:42:12 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The London stock market rocketed more than six percent at the start of trading on Monday, mirroring sharp rebounds for equity prices across the globe.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Home loan troubles break records again]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=294449</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:04:08 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[A record one in 10 American homeowners with a mortgage were either at least a month behind on their payments or in foreclosure at the end of September as the source of housing market pressure shifted from risky loans to the crumbling U.S. economy.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[American Apparel, former worker file dueling suits]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=294451</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:03:05 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[American Apparel and an employee who had worked for the retailer from its inception filed dueling lawsuits this week, the latest legal trouble for the cotton clothier.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Chrysler hires law firm as bankruptcy counsel: report]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=294447</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2008 13:13:04 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Chrysler has hired Jones Day law firm as its bankruptcy counsel, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Late mortgage payments and foreclosures hit record]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=294446</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2008 12:57:31 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Late mortgage payments and the rate of home loans in foreclosure rose to record highs in the third quarter, threatening to escalate as the recession erases jobs and further strains homeowners, the Mortgage Bankers Association said on Friday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Ask AP: Bottom-up bailouts, gas pump tampering]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=294450</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2008 11:32:55 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[If troubled automakers and banks need government bailouts, why not give their customers federally financed vouchers to help cover car and mortgage payments ? so both consumers and companies could benefit from the money?]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Bleak jobs data pushes stocks lower]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=293928</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2008 09:42:53 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Stocks tumbled at Friday&#039;s open after government data showed the economy lost the most jobs in 34 years, raising fears of a worsening economic crisis.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[GM to scale back production at three US plan]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=293929</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2008 09:33:07 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[General Motors Corp  said on Friday it will eliminate third production shift at three plants.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Merrill shareholders OK Bank of America takeover]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=293932</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2008 09:31:09 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Shareholders of Merrill Lynch &amp; Co  on Friday voted to approve the company&#039;s acquisition by Bank of America Corp , Merrill said.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Woolworths ramps up retail discounting war]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=293935</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2008 08:47:31 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Woolworths PLC began a massive sale on Friday ? raising the stakes for its peers by slashing prices by up to 50 percent ? after talks between the troubled retailer&#039;s financial administrator and a potential buyer failed.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Honda quits Formula One]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=293931</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2008 08:09:06 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Global sales at BMW, the world&#039;s top premium carmaker, plunged by a quarter in November, and Honda backed out of Formula One racing on Friday as the economic downturn exacted a mounting toll on automakers.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[China shares rise on hopes of more stimulus]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=294448</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:39:48 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Chinese shares rose Friday on hopes of more government measures to stimulate economic growth, led by real estate and agriculture stocks.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Mexican Senate passes stricter credit rules]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=293746</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:21:50 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Mexico&#039;s Senate has approved stricter consumer credit rules, banning lending practices considered predatory.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Mortgage plan shows increased gov&#039;t role]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=293747</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:56:50 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[If you&#039;re looking for a mortgage, Uncle Sam may be the only game in town.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Fed officials say not running out of policy tools]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=293745</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:18:06 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The year-long U.S. recession has taken a turn for the worse recently, two top Federal Reserve policy-makers said on Thursday, raising expectations for aggressive policy action by the central bank as soon as next week.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Kashkari: Treasury considering mortgage rate plan]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=293476</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:47:09 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The head of the government&#039;s financial system rescue effort said Thursday the Treasury Department is considering a program to encourage banks to make mortgage loans at low rates to help revive the battered housing market.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Falling mortgage rates can&#039;t thaw other credit]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=293477</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:28:05 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Rates may be falling for residential mortgages and the securities backed by them, but there hasn&#039;t been a similar loosening in other strained areas of the credit markets.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Dreary November sales results in focus]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=293478</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:22:32 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[People&#039;s shopping binges ? fueled by deep discounts ? on the day after Thanksgiving didn&#039;t prevent retailers from having a terrible November, which turned out to be the worst month since at least 1969. The biggest exception was Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which reported a solid sales gain.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[U.S. must ensure market aid is temporary: SEC&#039;s Cox]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=293934</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:17:26 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The federal government must plan an exit strategy for several programs it has put in place to help rescue the financial system, the chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said on Thursday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[GM, Chrysler say could reconsider merger]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=293474</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:31:24 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[General Motors Corp  and Chrysler LLC said on Thursday they would be open to a merger if the U.S. government mandated it as a condition for providing the emergency financing they say is needed to allow them to survive into 2009.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Bernanke urges action to halt foreclosures]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=293204</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:16:54 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Thursday urged more aggressive steps to halt home foreclosures and said government-funded programs could help strapped homeowners.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Retailers post sales drop but Wal-Mart surprises]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=293205</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 13:35:10 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Many retailers posted sharply lower November sales at stores open at least a year, prompting some investors to pour into the sector on hopes the dismal results signaled a bottom for share values.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[London stocks end flat on rate cut]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=293475</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 13:24:01 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The FTSE 100 index of shares closed flat on Thursday as investors took stock after the Bank of England&#039;s decision to sharply cut interest rates to their lowest level in 57 years.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[FDIC&#039;s Bair warns investors fighting loan changes]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=293207</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:55:26 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Investors in mortgage securities who are challenging home loan modification programs aimed at avoiding foreclosures could provoke a &quot;backlash&quot; from Congress, the head of the FDIC said Thursday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Mortgage rates drop to lowest level since January]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=293208</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 11:56:41 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Rates on 30-year mortgages plunged this week to the lowest level since January after the government launched a sweeping new effort to aid the U.S. housing market.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Seabreeze&#039;s Kass favors U.S. stocks over Treasuries]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=293206</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:57:25 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Hedge-fund manager Doug Kass, who successfully shorted U.S. equities this year including shares of Fannie Mae  and Freddie Mac , is now buying U.S. stocks on the belief that they have hit bottom.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Merck outlook misses view as dollar strengthens]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=292346</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:10:54 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Merck &amp; Co  forecast 2009 earnings and revenue below Wall Street forecasts on Thursday, citing a harsh impact from the stronger dollar and continuing sluggish sales of several big medicines.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Jobless claims unexpectedly fell last week]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=292343</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:01:08 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The number of workers filing new claims for jobless benefits unexpectedly fell by 21,000 last week, Labor Department data showed on Thursday, but stayed at levels in line with a shrinking labor market and economy.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Williams-Sonoma posts loss, ends share buyback]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=292350</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 08:56:08 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Home-goods retailer Williams-Sonoma Inc  swung to a third-quarter loss as consumers spent less amid the global financial crisis.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[AT&amp;T to cut 12,000 jobs and slash spending]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=292341</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 08:52:20 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Top U.S. phone company AT&amp;T Inc.  said on Thursday it would eliminate 12,000 jobs, about 4 percent of its workforce, as it joins a raft of corporations trying to slash costs in the face of the economic downturn.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[DuPont warning sinks stock futures further]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=292344</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 08:36:20 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Stock futures extended losses on Thursday as a forecast of a quarterly loss from chemical maker DuPont  and disappointing sales from retailer Target  heightened worries about the deepening economic slump.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[UK house prices fall at fastest rate in 16 years]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=292347</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 05:13:38 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[House prices in Britain fell at their fastest rate in 16 years during November, the country&#039;s biggest mortgage lender said Thursday, reinforcing market expectations that the Bank of England will later cut interest rates by at least another percentage point.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[U.S. working on affordable mortgage plan: sources]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=292348</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:01:49 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The Treasury Department is developing a plan to try to reduce mortgage rates on home loans to 4.5 percent on typical mortgages by expanding its purchases of mortgage backed securities, sources familiar with the plan said on Wednesday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[SEC adopts new rules for credit-rating agencies]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=291754</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:26:34 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Federal regulators on Wednesday adopted new rules designed to stem conflicts of interest and provide more transparency for Wall Street&#039;s credit-rating industry, widely faulted for its role in the subprime mortgage debacle and ensuing credit crisis.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[&quot;Bottom&#039;s been made&quot; in stocks: Legg Mason&#039;s Miller]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=291755</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:16:08 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Legg Mason&#039;s  Bill Miller, a celebrated investor whose stock picking is far off the mark this year, said on Wednesday the &quot;bottom has been made&quot; in U.S. equities.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Cyber Monday spending rises 15 percent: comScore]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=291752</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:14:46 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Online retail spending rose 15 percent on the all-important Monday after Thanksgiving from a year earlier, sounding a positive note in an otherwise bleak holiday season.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Online retailers see surge on &#039;Cyber Monday&#039;]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=290901</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:02:47 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Like their counterparts at the malls, online merchants finally got some relief with the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season, spurred by a bevy of deals and free shipping offers. But the stronger-than-expected bump in online sales Monday couldn&#039;t cancel out a lackluster November.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Stocks pare losses, defensive shares rally]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=290891</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:53:35 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Stocks pared losses and the Nasdaq turned positive on Wednesday, driven by a rally in defensive stocks and biotech shares.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[EDF offers $6.5 billion for Constellation assets]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=290893</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:48:18 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[French power company EDF  unveiled a $6.5 billion bid for 50 percent of Constellation Energy Group&#039;s  nuclear business and other assets in an attempt to torpedo a rival offer from investor Warren Buffett.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[RIM slashes outlook amid U.S. economic woes]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=290896</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:37:46 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[BlackBerry maker Research In Motion has conceded the weak U.S. economy has taken its toll on its fortunes, and has slashed its profit outlook because of slowing sales, narrower margins, and a stronger U.S. dollar.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Mortgage application, refinance volume surge]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=290898</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:30:19 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Mortgage application volume more than doubled during the shortened Thanksgiving week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association&#039;s weekly application survey.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Service sector index hits record low in November: ISM]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=290894</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:13:10 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[A measure of the service sector slumped further than expected to a record low in November, according to a report released on Wednesday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[FTSE-100 down 12.79 points at 4,110.07]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=291753</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:40:37 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Share prices on the London Stock Exchange were lower at midday Wednesday.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Northern Rock extends repossessions grace period]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=290900</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:29:31 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Northern Rock, the nationalized mortgage lender, said Wednesday it would wait at least six months before moving to repossess homes when payments fall behind.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Job cuts, sick car sales, weak demand point to European rate cuts]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=290897</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:13:40 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[A new round of job cuts in Italy and Spain, plunging German auto sales and a eurozone report described as &quot;horrible&quot; pointed on Wednesday to further interest rate cuts in Europe, analysts said.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[GM asks for $18 billion in government aid to survive]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=290133</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:08:43 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[General Motors Corp  on Tuesday asked the U.S. government to save it from failure by extending $12 billion in loans and another $6 billion in credit as part of an unprecedented federal intervention into the struggling auto industry.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Hoyer hopes for auto action next week by Congress]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=290137</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:55:54 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[House of Representatives Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer said on Tuesday he hoped Congress will be able to take action next week on struggling U.S. auto manufacturers&#039; requests for federal financial aid.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Auto sales plunge, slowdown spreads]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=290135</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:33:18 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The auto industry reeled from further sales declines in the United States as a slowdown that began there showed signs of spreading to Europe, Asia and Africa, forcing automakers to slash production.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Mortgage fraud incidents up 45 pct in 2Q]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=290139</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:30:36 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Reported incidents of mortgage fraud grew by 45 percent in the second quarter compared to the year-ago period, as borrowers misstated their financial information to maneuver around tighter lending standards, industry data released Tuesday showed.]]></description>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[TransUnion: 3Q mortgage delinquencies shoot higher]]></title>
			<link>http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=290140</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:43:06 EST</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[The percentage of people who are two months behind on their mortgages