AP - The Federal Reserve’s decision to slice a key interest rate last month to combat the housing slump and credit crunch was a “close call,” according to meeting minutes that the board made public Tuesday.

AFP - World stocks rebounded Tuesday with exchanges moving back well into the black as analysts said a recent global sell-off was overdone, despite lingering concerns about the US economy.

AFP - The dollar plunged to another historic low point against the euro Tuesday, as the greenback was plagued by concerns over the US economy amid a global credit squeeze, dealers said.

Reuters - Groundbreaking for U.S. housing rebounded in October but permits for future building hit a 14-year low, indicating the grim market for home construction will likely continue to worsen.

AFP - The European single currency hit a record high 1.4806 dollars in trading here on Tuesday.

AFP - The dollar held relatively steady against the euro and the pound Monday amid a lack of market-moving economic news, but traders said concerns about the US economy continued to weigh on the dollar.

FT.com - The dollar fell to a twelve-year low against the Swiss franc and lost ground against the yen on Monday as fears over the health of the US economy continued to undermine the currency.

Reuters - China has ordered banks to limit their lending until the end of the year as part of efforts to keep investment under control and prevent the world’s fourth-largest economy from overheating, sources said on Monday.

FT.com - Asian stock markets were largely lower on Monday, reversing early gains amid lingering worries about the state of the US economy and reports China’s regulators have told banks to slow their pace of lending to control booming domestic economic growth.

Reuters - Japan’s prime minister said on Sunday that he does not see the deepening U.S. housing slump and credit crisis triggering a global recession.