S&P

Most U.S. retailers posted weaker-than-expected July sales on Thursday, hurt by a delayed back-to-school shopping season and high gas prices that cut consumers' trips to the mall.

Getting back on the bull will be no easy task next week, particularly after the meltdown stock investors endured over the past two days.

Stocks plummeted on Thursday, with the Dow industrials tumbling more than 300 points, on signs of further weakness in the housing market and deteriorating conditions for corporate buyouts. The S&P shed about $300 billion in market value in the worst single session since the February 27 global market sell-off.

The benchmark Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) 30-share sensitivity index, the Sensex, continued its dream run on Tuesday, rising 137 points from the previous close to a fresh all-time high of 15,869 before ending 63 points higher at a record 15,795.

U.S. stocks tumbled on Friday, battered by disappointing results from such bellwethers as Caterpillar and Google, and more signals that fallout from the risky subprime mortgage market may spread.

Stocks slid on Tuesday as the subprime mortgage crisis escalated, undermining banking shares, while Home Depot Inc. and other housing-related companies lowered their outlooks.

Investors seeking to sort out the mutual funds landscape will eventually come across the debate over funds managed actively by professional managers and those funds which passively mirror market indexes.

The market for limited medical care could provide a significant growth opportunity for public pharmacies, stated Standard & Poor's Equity Research.

U.S. stocks slid on Friday after another warning from a Federal Reserve official about inflation, giving investors more reason to think the Fed will keep raising interest rates.

Corporate earnings news will likely determine the course of the stock market next week as investors scan profit outlooks for enough strength to propel the Dow industrials the few hundred more points the index needs for a record high.