Indexes give ground, Bear Stearns plan questioned, jobless claims due

NEW YORK (AP) The key averages gave ground in the latest session. The Dow starts from 12,606 after a loss of 48 points. The S&P dropped 2 and the Nasdaq fell 1 point.

CAPITOL HILL (AP) Members of a Senate panel today will question key players in the rescue of Wall Street investment bank Bear Stearns. Witnesses scheduled to appear include Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and the chief executives of both Bear Stearns and JPMorgan Chase.

Washington (AP) The Labor Department is to release fresh number today on the new claims for unemployment benefits. Analysts look for a surge of 4,000 in the claims to 370,000.

SINGAPORE (AP) oil prices were steady today after jumping more than $3 a barrel in the previous session after the U.S. government reported a larger than expected decline in gasoline stockpiles.

Light, sweet crude for May delivery fell 18 cents to $104.65 a barrel in Asian electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange by midday in Singapore.

BOSTON (AP) Retail parent TJX could pay as much as 24 million dollars in a settlement with MasterCard over a massive breach that exposed tens of millions of payment card numbers to hackers. The pact came as a group that tracks U.S. data breaches reports the number of cases in the first three months of this year was more than double the total in last year's first quarter.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 04-03-08 0530CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list