UPDATE

U.S. film and television writers went on strike on Monday, after last-minute talks aimed at averting the Writers Guild of America's first strike in almost two decades collapsed.

Oil prices fell over a dollar on Monday, dragged down by fears of an escalating fallout in top energy consumer the United States from the subprime crisis and by easing tensions in the Middle East.

The dollar fell to one-week lows versus the yen on Monday, weighed down by fears of major losses at financial firms from credit market turmoil, while the Japanese currency benefited from hawkish policymaker comments.

Oil climbed more than $1 on Friday, holding near $94 a barrel as concerns about tight supplies in the run up to winter prevented a major sell-off.

The dollar dropped to a record low against the euro and a major currency basket on Friday, on persistent worries about credit and unreported losses at financial firms, which overshadowed a strong U.S. payrolls report.

Stocks fell on Friday as gains from an unexpectedly strong jobs report were quickly overwhelmed by fears of more fallout from the credit crisis.

Oil fell more than $1 on Thursday as investors cashed in on a new peak of $96 a barrel struck following a sharp decline in U.S. crude stocks and the U.S. Federal Reserve's interest rate cut the previous day.

Oil rallied to $93 after U.S. weekly data showed that crude inventories fell by 3.9 million barrels, countering expectations for an increase.

Stocks rose on Wednesday, fueled by investors' expectations the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates later on Wednesday and a stronger-than-expected performance by the economy in the third quarter.

The dollar rebounded from record lows against the euro and a major currency basket on Wednesday after advanced government estimates showed the U.S. economy in the third quarter grew at its fastest pace since the beginning of last year.

Federal Reserve policy-makers are widely expected to cut interest rates on Wednesday, but if they make no move, investors will wonder what the Fed knows that they don't and question its commitment to transparency.

Federal Reserve policy-makers began meeting on Tuesday against the backdrop of a still-plummeting U.S. housing market that is sapping consumer optimism and may require more interest-rate tonic.

Gold retreated on Tuesday as investors took profits after the precious metal rose to its highest level in 28 years the previous day, lifted by record-high oil and a weak dollar, while silver hit an 8-month high.

Stocks fell on Tuesday after disappointing quarterly results from Procter & Gamble and U.S. Steel hurt confidence in the earnings outlook, while a Wall Street Journal article raised doubt the Federal Reserve would lower interest rates this week.

Expectations of a U.S. interest rate cut this week boosted world stocks for a third straight session on Monday and sent the dollar to record lows, while surging energy and gold prices buoyed emerging markets.

The dollar recovered from lifetime lows against the euro and a major currency basket on Monday, helped by speculation the Federal Reserve will cut U.S. interest rates by only a quarter of a percentage point this week, rather than by half a point.

Stocks rose on Monday but the gains looked shaky as investors weighed whether equities still have room to move higher if the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates this week.

Oil leapt to a record high for a third day on Monday, surpassing $93 as Mexico briefly halted one-fifth of its production and the U.S. dollar struck new lows. Oil prices have soared by more than a third since mid-August as a stand-off between Turkey and Kurdish rebels, dollar weakness, easing interest rates and winter supply fears attracted a fresh wave of investment capital.

The dollar fell to fresh lifetime lows versus the euro and a basket of currencies on Friday as investors fretted an anticipated Federal Reserve interest rate cut next week would not be the last.

Stocks were little changed on Thursday as a batch of weak economic data offset positive earnings from tech companies, including Motorola Inc. Data showed orders for durable goods declined unexpectedly in September. Another report showed a fall in initial jobless claims was smaller than expected. Finally, sales of new homes in September were below expectations.

Oil fell more than $1 on Tuesday, retreating further from record highs set last week in response to concerns about the health of the U.S. economy and further indications OPEC has already substantially raised oil output.