GMAC files for bank holding statusGMAC Financial Services has applied to become a bank holding company, which would allow General Motors' financing arm to be eligible for aid under the government's $700 billion bank rescue plan.
U.S. stocks fall to lowest in five-plus yearsU.S. stocks plunged to their lowest in 5A1 2 years on Wednesday as investors girded for a lengthy economic downturn and automotive executives predicted a far-reaching calamity without a government lifeline.
GM says board doesn't see bankruptcy as option General Motors Corp.'s board of directors does not consider bankruptcy protection a viable option to solve the company's financial troubles, but it has discussed Chapter 11 because it has a legal duty to do so, a spokesman said Saturday.
Century-old GM, an icon of American manufacturing, has been battered by a plunge in car sales as American consumers tighten their belts and shift away from the big moneymaking pickup trucks and SUVS that have long the staples of GM's lineup.
GM, which has slashed jobs and closed plants since early in the decade, has warned that it could run low on cash by the end of the year unless it gets a taxpayer-funded rescue from the government.
Obama says long haul aheadPresident-elect Barack Obama said on Saturday he was crafting a two-year plan to fight an economic crisis of "historic proportions" and Chinese leader Hu Jintao said his country was ready to play a big role in ...
Stocks point lower on economic worries U.S. stocks looked to extend their losses at the open Thursday as investors found little relief from worries about the fate of Detroit's three automakers and broader fears about the struggling economy.
Stock futures contracts fell more than 1 percent following a late-day sell-off Wednesday that sent stocks to their lowest levels since 2003. The major indexes fell more than 5 percent, while the Dow Jones industrial average tumbled below 8,000, a psychological benchmark for the market.
Investors who have been groping for a bottom to the yearlong market rout are now worried that Washington's disagreement over whether to bail out the auto industry could lead to bankruptcy of major automakers like General Motors Corp. and could send ripple effects through the economy _ including a further blow to consumer confidence.
