U.S. stocks end modestly ahead as crude declines further

Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:04:40 -0400
U.S. stocks end modestly ahead as crude declines further

NEW YORK
U.S. stocks on Wednesday ended modestly higher for a second consecutive
day of gains as crude deepened its decline and as lawmakers drew closer
to approving a plan to help troubled mortgage companies Fannie Mae and
Freddie Mac.

The Ratings Game: Have Wachovia shares seen a bottom? Two analysts think
so

Two well-known banking analysts say Wachovia's stock has seen the worst,
raising their respective price targets in the belief that the company
can shore up its performance after having lost nearly $9 billion during
the second quarter.

Economic Report: Prices rising even as economy slows, Beige Book finds

The central bank's latest report on the U.S. economy finds that price
pressures are intensifying even as growth has slowed over the past
month.