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The NASDAQ was developed in 1971 as the first electronic stock exchange in the world. It was created as a means to increase the trading of Over-the-Counter stocks, those that were unable to meet listing requirements for larger exchanges. 2,500 OTC stocks were traded on the NASDAQ's first trading day, February 8, 1971.

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General Motors approached Ford Motor Co. in recent months about a possible merger, but Ford called off the talks after concluding it could survive independently, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The newspaper said earlier that Ford (F:Ford Motor Company
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4:00pm 10/10/2008

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Despite lowered estimates and massive sell-off, bad news still possible

With the Nasdaq down nearly 25% so far this month to a six-year low, investors are wondering if there could yet be even more bad news next week when technology sector earnings get underway.

Analysts, sometimes slow to respond to changing market dynamics, have been on the move in the past week, cutting estimates across the sector for the third quarter.

With food inflation up more than 8% for the year and gas close to $4 a gallon, some consumers are going to extreme measures to stay within their budgets.

Though some ideas might sound crazy -- car-engine fried eggs, anyone? -- others contain clever solutions to the everyday challenges of stretching a dollar. Here are eight of the best extreme-saving techniques, culled from some of the top minds on the Web:

1. Turn your car off -- while it's moving
Savings: You can shave a few dollars off your gas bill each month.

2. Reuse plastic sandwich bags

Wall Street's crisis is about to become Main Street's crisis, as bank credit freezes and loans dry up. The government's fix: $700 billion to buy up the bad loans choking the system.

It's a monster plan, but there's little choice, according White House and Federal Reserve officials. Though much of the money may return to the nation's coffers over time as the Treasury sells off the mortgage-backed assets it will purchase, the bailout will severely limit what the government can afford to spend on health care, energy, infrastructure and education in the years ahead.

1. Infrastructure.

"I know of nobody who is arguing over the amount of money or even that the secretary ought to have the authority to purchase these toxic instruments, these bad debts," said Sen. Christopher Dodd (D., Conn.), chairman of the Senate Banking Committee.

Well, Senator, had you or Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson truly bothered to ask around, you'd surely have found more than a few honest, taxpaying citizens who are, like me, completely outraged over the size, scope and nature of the unprecedented plan to push this country further toward total socialist rule.

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly soared last week to their highest level since just after the Sept. 11 ist attacks seven years ago as a mix of economic weakness and recent hurricanes in Louisiana and Texas pushed claims near the half-million mark.

Even accounting for the roughly 50,000 claims that the government said were related to Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, the trend remains very weak for labor markets at a time when the crisis on Wall Street threatens to pull the economy into a deeper downturn.

Falling home prices are the main culprit behind the big fat mess the American economy finds itself in now. The colossal $700 billion bailout plan Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke are trying to push through this week is supposed to provide relief for the real estate market -- and ultimately stabilize prices.

Welcome to Investing Basics! If you've found your way here, chances are you've either got some money socked away or you're planning to do so. But first things first. Why is investing a smart idea?