futures movers | Track futures contracts
Crude oil sinks 8% on week
Oil keeps pulling back, ending session at
fresh five-month low of $106.23 a barrel.
• Commodities Corner: Tricky time for OPEC

telecom Nokia's pain rings across sector

election 2008 Races add to market volatility The volatility now roiling stocks is to be expected during the summer of an election year, and the weeks ahead are likely to get rockier. • Mark Hulbert: How partisan is the stock market? 'Executive experience' isn't leadership Judging the pundits' criteria, Sarah Palin has more "experience" than McCain, Obama and Biden combined, writes Darrell Delamaide. • McCain draws 38.9 million viewers, surpassing Obama's ratings • Republican candidate vows to shake up Washington • As convention confetti clears, the real showdown begins • Dispatch from convention center: McCain's grand finale   • McCain puts focus on service, country, character (First Take) | Text

EMPLOYMENT
Jobs report ends recession doubts for some
As unemployment rate jumps to 6.1% in August, some economists
see data as confirmation that U.S. is sliding into recession.
• Jobless rate jumps to 6.1% as U.S. payrolls shed 84,000
• Seven steps to a healthier U.S. economy (Minyanville)

Tech 
SanDisk fired up
Shares stoked 25% as Samsung confirms it's mulling a takeover bid.
• Dell to dispose of factories, overhauling its business model

second opinion Chrome's a mystery Google's new Web browser is a product that appears for no good reason, says John Dvorak.

FINANCIALS | Subprime Today
Merrill cut to sell
Shares of Merrill Lynch take a hit after Goldman rap on prospects.
• Anglo Irish Bank to sell Austrian bank | Banks pace Europe's retreat
• Lehman bad-debt spinoff plan | Columbia shuts mortgage unit

FUNDS
El-Erian gets Pimco's nod
Pimco alumnus, having recently returned from stint managing Harvard University's endowment, is tapped to take reins at bond-fund giant.
• Why's Bill Gross worried? (Minyanville) | One-Man March (Minyanville)
• Why independent-thinking fund managers are owed a premium

EMERGING MARKETS
Ruble and the Russian rout
Shares of Russian companies tumbling amid worries over currency.
• Trading suspended in Ukraine after benchmark falls 7%
• Thai prime minister vows referendum on his rule
• Apparently the path to the future runs through Seoul (First Take)
• 10 international stocks that will set you up for the long haul\

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