Reuters - Shares of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac slid at the open on Thursday, on mounting fears that the two mortgage finance companies may need a government bailout, which would wipe out shareholder value.

Reuters - Wall Street research analysts are projecting yet another tough quarter for U.S. investment banks marked by additional writedowns across a series of fixed-income assets amid an already weak operating environment.

Reuters - The outlook for Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc darkened further on Thursday as a newspaper reported that an intended asset sale had collapsed and a Citigroup analyst forecast big losses for the group.

Reuters - The Nasdaq extended losses on Thursday, falling more than 1 percent as resurgent crude oil prices pushed above $120 per barrel, heightening fears about the durability of business and consumer spending.

Reuters - World stocks edged higher on Wednesday after the previous day's tumble to their lowest level in almost two years attracted some buyers, while rebounding commodity prices helped resource shares.

NewsFactor - In a move that could help it avoid an iPhone 3G-like software drama, Google wants bug hunters to test its Android mobile platform. On Monday, the Android Security Team posted a message to introduce itself to the security research and vulnerability communities.

NewsFactor - The Apple rumor mill is churning, but this week it's about software fixes instead of new products. News reports are raising expectations of yet another iPhone software fix in September.

Reuters - Palm Inc unveiled a Treo smartphone Wednesday based on Microsoft Corp software to compete for business users against rivals such as Research In Motion's BlackBerry.