Business

Oil Price Falls Below $50 as Consumption Remains Weak

Oil dropped briefly below $50 a barrel for the first time in 22 months, shedding close to $100 in four months in an ailing global economy.

Jobless Claims Reach a 16-Year High

The weekly report provided more evidence of a rapidly weakening job market that is expected to get even worse next year.

Nordic Countries Add $2.5 Billion to Iceland’s Bailout

Iceland finally received international backing for its bailout plan on Thursday, as Nordic countries followed up a loan by the International Monetary Fund.

• Swiss Central Bank Cuts Its Key Rate in Half

After Losses, Pensions Ask For a Change

Some of the nation’s biggest companies want Congress to roll back rules requiring them to put more money into pension funds.

Emerging Powers Seen Taking Lead in Recovery

It will take the efforts of China and other emerging nations to lead the global economy out of what is likely to be a long and painful recession, according to a gathering of economic experts.

Auto Chiefs Fail to Get Bailout Aid

The Big Three automakers left Washington empty-handed after two days of pleading for a financial lifeline.

• Economix: Big Three Bankruptcy — For and Against
• Economix: Why a ‘Big Three’ Failure Wouldn’t Kill U.S. Auto Making
• CNBC Video: G.M.’s Wagoner | Ford’s Mulally | Chrysler’s Nardelli

GMAC Seeks Bank Status So It’s Eligible for Bailout

The financing arm of General Motors said that it had applied to become a bank holding company, which would allow it to become eligible for bailout aid.

Web Sites Wage Holiday Price Wars

As deserted malls and department stores struggle to court consumers with steep discounts, an even more ferocious price war is being waged online.

For Studio, Vampire Movie Is a Cinderella Story

Tiny Summit Entertainment finds itself sitting atop one of the biggest pop-culture phenomena of recent years.

PC Magazine, a Flagship for Ziff Davis, Will Cease Printing a Paper Version

It is the latest of several magazine publishers to drop a print edition, as advertising plummets and the cost of printing a paper version rises.

Health Insurers Offer to Accept All Applicants, on Condition

The health insurance industry said it would support a plan requiring insurers to accept all customers, but asked that Congress require all Americans to have coverage in return.

An Ad Network in Times Square

As Walgreens formally opens at 1 Times Square on Thursday, executives are describing plans for the giant signs that will festoon the building on three sides.

INTERACTIVE FEATURE: 10 Weeks of Financial Turmoil

A look at recent events that have shaken the world’s financial system.

INTERACTIVE FEATURE: On the Trading Floor

Vikas Bajaj, who covers finance for The Times, offers an interactive tour of the New York Stock Exchange.

VIDEO: Echoes of a Dismal Past

How does this financial crisis compare to the Great Depression?

SLIDE SHOW: In Old Ads, Doctors and Babies Say ‘Smoke’

Madison Avenue employed athletes, doctors, entertainers and children in ads that sold America on cigarettes.

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INTERACTIVE GRAPHIC: Can a President Tame the Business Cycle?

Can voters reasonably expect economic indicators to change after a new president takes office in January?

INTERACTIVE FEATURE: The Debt Trap

A series about the surge in consumer debt and the lenders who made it possible.

• Related Article: Banks Mine Data and Woo Troubled Borrowers

SLIDE SHOW: Where Housing Crashed Hardest

In Merced, Calif., thousands of foreclosed homes are on the market, and three out of four sales are foreclosures.

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