Oracle posts strong gains, alleviating investor concern

Date: Wed, 19 Dec 2007
22:01:09 (GMT)

Oracle posts strong gains, alleviating investor concern

Business software maker Oracle Corp. on Wednesday posted a 35% gain in
second-quarter profit, topping Wall Street's expectations and
alleviating the concerns of investors looking at the company as a gauge
of the broader tech market's health.

U.S. stocks end mixed amid varying signals on credit front

U.S. stocks on Wednesday ended mixed after a volatile day that featured
mixed signals on the credit crisis, with a potential downgrade of bond
insurers dulling a mostly positive auction of funds to banks by the
Federal Reserve.

Capitol Report: Fed's failure to communicate adds risk to outlook

WASHINGTON
As the clouds of economic worry have moved over the nation since August,
the Federal Reserve under Ben Bernanke has fumbled badly in realizing
its objective to communicate clearly with the financial markets.

S&P warns it may cut AAA ratings of Ambac, MBIA and rivals

SAN FRANCISCO
Standard & Poor's may downgrade the AAA ratings of leading bond
insurers, including Ambac Financial and MBIA Inc., because of rising
delinquencies and foreclosures on subprime mortgages, the ratings agency
said Wednesday.

Morgan Stanley sets $5.7 bln in added write-downs; China buys in

BOSTON
Morgan Stanley said Wednesday it's writing down an additional $5.7
billion of mortgage-related assets, taking the total fourth-quarter loss
to nearly $10 billion in the latest sign that the credit crunch is
worsening.