Stocks News

Executives and employees at the major credit ratings agencies were often aware of problems in the AAA grades awarded to thousands of mortgage-related securities whose downgrades helped plunge the nation into a financial meltdown.

At the same time, according to documents from the big credit ratings agencies presented at a House hearing Wednesday, pressure from bond and securities issuers translated into inflated ratings that put investors at risk. The companies _ Standard & Poor, Moody's and Fitch, Inc. _ made enormous profits as they evaluated a ballooning number of mortgage-backed bonds, many of which were given top marks as long as housing prices went up.

With the market seesawing daily, you may have seen your retirement savings _ that money you've been counting on, and expecting to grow _ shrink to disturbing levels in recent months.

Retirement funding has been tied very closely to the stock and bond markets in an effort to provide the potential for significant growth, but now a lot of Americans are learning the realities of the downside of investing.

Here are some questions and answers about how the stock market affects your retirement savings.

In this undated file photo originally provided by Spamalot, singer and actor Clay Aiken appears on stage in his role as Sir Robin in Monty Python's "Spamalot" at the Shubert Theatre in New York.

Oil prices tumbled below $67 a barrel to 16-month lows Wednesday after the government reported big increases in U.S. fuel supplies -- more evidence that the economic downturn is drying up energy demand.

Analysis and Discussion with Rich Parower of J&W Seligman; Apple 3Q Profit Rises 26%, Forecast Trails Estimates; Yahoo! 3Q Profit Drops 64%, Plans to Cut 10% of Jobs

World stock markets sagged again Wednesday as a barrage of weak corporate earnings stoked fears that the government's financial intervention won't keep global economies out of recession.

Wall Street tumbled again Wednesday as investors again shifted their focus away from improving credit markets and fixated on worrisome corporate earnings that are raising fears of a deep and painful recession.

Stock markets around the world fell sharply again on Wednesday after concerns about economic recession and falling commodity prices were fueled by a fresh spate of gloomy corporate earnings.

At All That Glitters Jewelry and Loans, aesthetic and sentimental values get checked at the door.

Asian stocks slumped to their lowest since December 2004 on Wednesday as poor U.S. corporate results and falling commodity prices fanned worries of a protracted global economic slowdown.