UNITED STATES

U.S. stocks fell on Friday after disappointing results from General Electric Co and Bank of America Corp demonstrated the road to economic recovery will be bumpy.

U.S. stocks fell on Friday after disappointing results from General Electric Co and Bank of America Corp demonstrated the road to economic recovery will be bumpy.

The dollar recovered some of the week's losses on Friday, as news of a large quarterly loss at Bank of America and flagging consumer confidence dulled investor demand for higher-yielding, higher-risk currencies.

Crude oil rose to a one-year high above $78 a barrel on Friday after data showed U.S. industrial production expanded in September, boosting optimism for an economic recovery.

U.S. securities and futures regulators asked Congress on Friday for more authority to police their markets, including legislation to help rein in insider trading in the commodity futures markets.

Galleon hedge fund partner Raj Rajaratnam and five others were charged with crimes including securities fraud and conspiracy involving insider trading that generated more than $20 million in profits, U.S. prosecutors and the FBI said on Friday.

All financial firms have benefited from U.S. taxpayer support and must yield to efforts to tighten regulation to prevent a future crisis, White House economic adviser Lawrence Summers said on Friday.

U.S. stocks fell on Friday after disappointing results from General Electric Co and Bank of America Corp illustrated the road to economic recovery is still bumpy.

Galleon Group founder Raj Rajaratnam and five others were charged with engaging in the largest ever hedge fund insider-trading scheme, generating profits of more than $20 million over several years, U.S. prosecutors, the FBI and the SEC said Friday.

Galleon hedge fund partner Raj Rajaratnam and five others were charged with crimes including securities fraud and conspiracy involving insider trading that generated more than $20 million in profits, U.S. prosecutors and the FBI said on Friday.

The slowest U.S. grain harvest in 30 years is increasing the cost to feed cattle, hogs and chickens, adding to the pain from the recession that has cut demand for meat.

Crude oil prices fell from a one-year high above $78 a barrel on Friday, as investors questioned whether an $8-a-barrel rally since last week was warranted with global oil stocks still high.

A Dutch court gave DSB Bank a weekend reprieve on Friday, saying it had until Monday to come to terms with a mysterious potential buyer from the United States, Dutch television reported.

Shining Merrill; Consumer Turbulence; GE's Trip

News Corp plans to examine Comcast Corp's possible deal to take over NBC Universal to see if opportunities present themselves, but it is not involved in any talks, its top executive said.

Euro zone exports fell sharply in August from the previous month and imports eased too, data showed on Friday, signalling weakness in global and internal demand and raising concern about the bloc's recovery prospects.

General Electric Co helped to pull the plug on Wall Street's recovery rally on Friday, reporting sales that missed expectations and cautioning that recovery from the brutal recession would be gradual.

Most U.S. coal miners are looking at sharply lower third-quarter earnings, but those who produce coal for steelmaking and export should enjoy higher prices in the longer run than those whose coal is sold for power generation, analysts say.

There is something about coming to this sun-baked corner of California that feels like inspecting the scene of a crime.

The number of rigs drilling for natural gas in the United States fell by five this week to 721, according to a report on Friday by oil services firm Baker Hughes in Houston.

U.S. stocks dropped sharply on Friday after quarterly results from General Electric Co and Bank of America Corp showed that an economic recovery may be slow and bumpy, denting a four-day rally fueled by earnings optimism.