AP - JOB WEAKNESS: A surprise spike in first-time jobless claims disappointed investors and sent stocks moderately lower. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 5 points.

AP - RARE OPPORTUNITY: Homeowners can now lock in a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage at a rate of less than 4 percent, the lowest in decades.

AP - SPENDING SHY: Shoppers in the 16 countries that use the euro remain reluctant to spend. The EU%27s statistics office says eurozone retail sales were flat in June from May and up only 0.4 percent from the previous year. Sales in Germany and France have fallen sharply.

AP - TURNAROUND: NYSE Euronext earned $184 million, or 70 cents per share, during the second quarter after losing $182 million, or 70 cents per share, a year ago.

AP - IN THE BLACK: Ally Financial Inc., the consumer lender 56 percent owned by the federal government, posted net income of $565 million in the second quarter, thanks to improvements in its home mortgage business and demand for auto loans.

AP - PROFIT BOOM: HSBC Holdings PLC, Europe%27s largest bank in terms of deposits, says its net income more than doubled in the first half to $6.76 billion as it set aside sharply less money to cover bad debt.

AP - TAXPAYER AID: Mortgage buyer Fannie Mae is asking for less money from the government, requesting $1.5 billion in assistance in a sign the taxpayer bill for bailing out the company could be billions lower than once thought.

AP - CRUMMY JOBS NUMBER: Stocks were sharply lower for much of the day after the Labor Department reported disappointing job numbers for July. Private employers added only 71,000 jobs, far below the level needed to reduce unemployment.