Hello traders!

In the US tonight, the Dow was down 35.99 points at 12,576.44, while the S&P500
slipped 7 points to 1,365.54 and the Nasdaq Composite was 16.07 points lower at
2,348.76.

See you in the morning with the latest....

G.

Morning all. Market reports:

Telegraph
The Times
The Times (Need to know)
The Independent
The Guardian
This is Money

A private equity fund and a consortium of other investors pumped in $7bn to save Washington Mut-ual, the largest savings and loan company in the US, which had threatened to become the next big victim of the credit crisis.
Private equity rescues largest US savings and loan company

Citigroup was last night close to securing a deal that will see Americas biggest bank dispose a quarter of its leveraged debt to three private equity firms at a 10 per cent discount.
Citigroup set to sell debt to private equity firms

Losses from the credit crisis by financial institutions worldwide are expected to balloon to almost $1 trillion (507 billion), threatening to trigger severe economic fallout, the International Monetary Fund said yesterday.
IMF fears credit crisis losses could soar towards $1 trillion

"We all have to be a little humble about this." You can say that again. Jaime Caruana's conclusion when presenting the International Monetary Fund's Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR) in Washington yesterday summed up how dramatically the economic mood music has changed during the past year.
IMF bites the bullet as crisis deepens

Alistair Darling will today suffer humiliation as the world's leading economic institution slashes its UK growth forecasts and warns that Britain faces the weakest two years of growth since the last recession a decade and a half ago.
UK growth forecast cut by IMF

The Bank of England has announced a 5bn increase in the supply of three-month loans it will offer to the banking system this month and promised further action to deal with the credit crunch.
Bank of England pumps 5bn more into money markets

The sharpest fall in the UK housing market since the recession of the early 1990s sent shockwaves through the City, wiping millions of pounds off the value of housebuilders and sending the pound tumbling more than two cents on expectations the Bank of England will cut interest rates tomorrow.
Shock house price fall hits homebuilders

The Bank of England is under intense pressure to cut interest rates again tomorrow after house prices fell by the biggest margin since the early 1990s crash and ministers tried to prevent a spate of repossessions.
Rate cut demanded as property prices slide

Ministers are to hold talks with banks and building societies in an attempt to avoid a wave of house repossessions as buyers fall behind with their mortgage payments.
Brown calls on mortgage lenders not to repossess

Eastern Europe faces the growing risk of a ''hard landing" as the world's financial crisis spreads wider, with serious spill-over dangers for Scandinavian, Italian and Austria banks that have lent heavily to the region, the IMF has warned.
Eastern Europe 'in danger of a hard landing'

The International Monetary Fund is to sell an eighth of its vast gold reserves in a deal with the big powers to plug its budget deficit and reform its bloated structure, ending years of high living.
Fund to sell gold reserves to plug budget deficit

If the taxman decides to investigate you, get ready for a nightmare. Here are some handy hints.
Ten of the taxmans sneakiest tactics

NIKKEI 225	AUSTRALIA ASX200	SHANGHAI	HANG SENG

OUTLOOK ENRC full-year EBITDA jumps in maiden resultsThomson Financial Europe AM at a glance share guide: Stocks weak, oil mixed

TFN economic and business calendar

Good morning traders!

In Asia today, the Hang Seng ended the morning session down 209.87 points at
24,101.82, while the Nikkei was recently 240.2 points lower at 13,010.23.

New York's main oil contract, light sweet crude for May delivery, gained 29 cents
to $108.79 a barrel from $108.50 at the close of floor trading on the New York
Mercantile Exchange, when the contract flirted with record highs.

Happy trading!

G.

TFN UK calendar and forecasts for today

London shares outlook - Weaker after overnight falls in New York, Asia

BROKERWATCH HBOS cut to 'underperform' vs 'neutral' at Credit SuisseBROKERWATCH Severn Trent upped to 'neutral' from 'underweight' by HSBCBROKERWATCH SABMiller cut to 'hold' vs 'buy' at Citigroup, target to 1,245 penceThomson Financial UK at a glance share guide

BROKERWATCH DSG International cut to 'sell' from 'hold' at Dresdner Kleinwort

Tokyo shares close lower on profit-taking

STOCKWATCH GlaxoSmithKline seen under pressure after FDA warning overnight

Australian shares close lower on earnings concerns

UK smallcap opening - York Pharma rises; sees H1 sales ahead of expectations

Tokyo shares close lower on profit-taking - UPDATE

BROKERWATCH BHP Billiton, Anglo American, Rio Tinto, Xstrata start 'buy' at ING

UK smallcap opening - Gippland climbs as indicated resources at Abu Dabbab rise

UK smallcap opening - Gooch & Housego up on stronger H2, optimistic outlook

CORRECTION UK smallcap opening - Gooch & Housego up on strong H2 outlook

UK smallcap opening - Straight rises on bullish outlook