Reuters - Stocks rose on Wednesday as financial shares climbed on hopes lawmakers will approve the rescue plan for mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the price of oil fell.

AFP - US economic activity appears to have slowed to a crawl in the past weeks even as price pressures intensified, the Federal Reserve said in its Beige Book report Wednesday.

AP - With the cost of everything from air conditioning to whipped cream rising, many restaurants have been raising prices. LongHorn Steakhouse is passing on part of the tab to its servers.

AP - General Motors Corp., pummeled by falling U.S. sales and high gas prices, lost the global sales lead to Toyota Motor Corp. in the first half of this year, but the churning market makes it difficult to predict which automaker will end the year on top.

Reuters - The pace of U.S. economic activity slowed somewhat through mid-July and price pressures were elevated or increasing across the country, the U.S. Federal Reserve said on Wednesday in a report showing evidence of inflation warning signs across the country.

AP - The country slogged through slower economic growth and rising prices during the summer, packing a double whammy to people and businesses alike.

Reuters - The Dow ticked lower and the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq cut gains after the Federal Reserve said in its Beige Book on Wednesday that the pace of economic activity slowed somewhat through mid-July.

Reuters - Stocks were little changed on Wednesday after a rally in financial stocks ran out of steam while technology shares pared early gains.

AP - Oil prices headed back lower Wednesday, failing to sustain a brief push into positive territory, after the government reported gasoline supplies rose far more than expected.

Reuters - The Dow turned negative on Wednesday, while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq pared early gains, as oil prices sharply trimmed their decline and shares of financial services companies reversed an initial rise.