October set a slew of trading records, mostly bad

Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:01:43 -0400
October set a slew of trading records, mostly bad
U.S. STOCKS FINISH WITH SOLID WEEKLY GAINS, BUT SLIDE ON MONTH

U.S. stocks advance for a second day to tally solid weekly gains but
post the worst month in decades, as investors bypass generally bleak
economic data to focus on improvement in the troubled credit markets.

NUMBERS IN OBAMA'S FAVOR GOING INTO FINAL WEEKEND

Going into the final weekend of 2008's long, arduous campaign, it
appears that Democrat Sen. Barack Obama will beat his Republican
opponent Sen. John McCain by as much as a 2-to-1 margin in electoral
votes.

THE FED: BERNANKE TURNS OVER 'ALTERNATIVE FORMS' FOR FANNIE, FREDDIE

The Federal Reserve chairman launches public debate over what the
government should do with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac once the
financial-market crisis is over
.
ECONOMIC REPORT: BIGGEST DROP IN CONSUMER SPENDING IN 4 YEARS IN SEPT.

Reluctance on the part of consumers to shop for big-ticket items like
cars led U.S. consumer spending in September to its biggest drop in
over four years.