european and u.s. stocks traded in a narrow range thursday as investors awaited crucial u.s. jobs data following unsurprising policy statements from the european central bank and the bank of england .

Short summary: world markets drift as focus turns to us jobs data


sweden and the czech republic were the latest countries to offer troops for the multinational force for afghanistan which is expected to be deployed over the coming weeks .

Short summary: more countries offer troops for afghan force


signs of strength in tuesday 's economic reports heightened fears of inflation among investors and caused a sharp selloff of treasury securities , even as some analysts wondered whether the fears were justified .

Short summary: economic reports spark treasury selloff


mayor michael r. bloomberg said friday that investors who sank their paychecks into companies with no earnings and no prospects for ever having them were just as culpable for the mess in the markets as those companies that government officials say defrauded investors .

Short summary:
mayor says careless investors share blame for stock losses