Citigroup Inc. shares dropped to a four-year low Thursday as investors'simmering worries about overly leveraged debt, defaulting mortgages and the overall health of the consumer boiled up again.

  New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Thursday a major real estate appraisal company colluded with the largest savings and loan companies to inflate the values of homes in the United States, contributing to the subprime mortgage crisis.

  Commodities retreated Thursday as weaker readings on the U.S. economy raised concerns that demand for raw materials could slow in the coming months. Oil, metals and agricultural futures fell.

  Wall Street plunged Thursday, pulling the Dow Jones industrial average down more than 360 points as investors found themselves confronted by two uncomfortable prospects: an end to interest rate cuts and a slowing economy.

  Gold for current delivery closed at $790.70 per troy ounce Thursday on the New York Mercantile Exchange, down from $792.00 late Wednesday.

  Seeking to restore its relevance and legitimacy, France's Dominique Strauss-Kahn took over Thursday as the head of the International Monetary Fund.

  Petter Nylander, chief executive of online gaming company Unibet Group PLC, was released on bail after being taken into custody on allegations of violating French betting laws, his company said.

  Insurer Resolution PLC said Thursday that it is continuing discussions with rival takeover suitors Pearl Group Ltd. and Standard Life PLC and urged shareholders to take no action.

  European stocks fell sharply Thursday as renewed credit market jitters and concerns over the quality of corporate earnings weighed on the financial sector.

  Brazil's foreign trade surplus edged down to US$3.44 billion (?2.38 billion) in October from US$3.47 billion (?2.4 billion) a month earlier, as the local currency continues to appreciate against the dollar, the Trade and Development Ministry said Thursday.

  Ford's U.S. sales fell 9.3 percent in October, leaving it slightly behind rival Toyota, which reported a 4.5 percent sales increase for last month.

  British pharmaceutical company Shire PLC, the maker of the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder drug Adderall, said Thursday that third-quarter net income more than halved as expenses rose.

  The Federal Reserve pumped $41 billion into the U.S. financial system Thursday, one of its largest cash infusions to help companies get through a credit crunch that took a turn for the worse in August.

  The Federal Reserve pumped $41 billion into the U.S. financial system Thursday, one of its largest cash infusions to help companies get through a credit crunch that took a turn for the worse in August.