AFP Video - Business

Play

Stock markets, which had largely failed to rally after the US government announced a 700-billion-dollar bank bailout plan last month, rose strongly after European governments launched a multi-pronged attack on the finance crisis.

Play

The heads of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund on Sunday assured developing countris that their needs would not be forgotten in efforts to tackle the financial crisis. But many fear funding for development will be drastically cut.

Play

Hong Kong share prices jumped 10.3 percent on Monday, rebounding from their worst weekly decline in a decade after worldwide measures to ease the global financial crisis.

Play

Global stock markets went into freefall Friday as pressure mounted for decisive action from world leaders to contain the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Stock exchanges from Tokyo to London suffered more staggering losses -- adding to the turmoil for finance ministers from the Group of Seven richest nations to discuss in Washington.

Play

India's thriving domestic market has so far managed to buffer the economy from the global financial crisis, but analysts warn the good times may not last.

Play

European share prices wilted Thursday as a mid-day rally on stepped up government support for banks ran out of steam just before the close of trade.

Play

An emergency package of interest rate cuts has brought some stability to panic-stricken markets but the consensus is that more financial institutions risk going under.

Play

About a third of the new models presented at the Paris motor show are "clean cars" that function, at least partially, with electricity. Images of the motor show.

Play

Western markets aren't the only ones to feel the crunch of the global financial crisis -- Middle Eastern stock exchanges have been hit hard, starting with Egypt and Saudi Arabia. While countries like Kuwait or Lebanon are relatively spared, investors in the region are starting to lose confidence.

Play

The global financial turmoil continues to rock markets. Governments are scrambling to find a solution to the chaos, but so far nothing seems to stick. A round-up of what's being done to try to tackle the world's worst financial crisis in decades.

Play

Hong Kong investors demand the repayment of investmetns linked to failed US bank Lehman Brothers. Many of them are retired, and have lost their life savings.

Play

The European Union battled Tuesday to protect people's savings by more than doubling deposit guarantees to at least 50,000 euros, taking joint action against the global financial firestorm for the first time.

Play

A second round of bailouts for Fortis and Hypo Real Estate bank highlights the fragility of Europe's financial institutions in the face of a US-bred international financial crisis.

Play

Shares on the Hong Kong stock market are sliding in value along with markets worldwide as worries about the global economy and anxieties over the Wall Street bailout package take hold.

Play

The leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Italy vowed at an emergency summit Saturday to help European banks and financial institutions in trouble but also to sanction the heads of failed banks, President Nicolas Sarkozy said. He was speaking at a news conference after the mini-summit in Paris.

Play

The city of lights celebrates its 7th ¿Nuit Blanche¿, or all night cultural festival, where French and international artists put on performances and exhibitions throughout the night in Paris streets and monuments. The festival has been widely copied around the world.

Play

The French presidency has called for a mini summit in Paris on Saturday between the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Italy to agree on a European response to the global financial crisis. The meeting is likely to be difficult, as differences between the powers are emerging.

Play

A 700-billion-dollar US rescue plan is a short term solution that cannot guarantee a stabilisation of the markets, according to a leading economist.

Play

European leaders are preparing new measures to contain the US-born financial crisis now blasting Europe, although a vast US-style rescue plan has been ruled out. With the financial storm now also whipping across Europe, pressure is mounting on European governments to draft a US-style bailout plan for the sector, despite assurances that such drastic action is unneeded.

Play

France will host a meeting of senior European officials to prepare a global summit on "a new international financial system", President Nicolas Sarkozy said Monday.

Play

With 40 days to go until election day, the fast-moving global financial crisis has transformed the White House race into a daring duel of political brinkmanship for John McCain and Barack Obama -- and President George W. Bush. An interview with a specialist on American politics.

Play

Americans' confidence in the banking system is growing shaky and credit is tighter than ever. Meanwhile, some people are looking to their neighbors to get loans: anybody can be a lender or a borrower thanks to peer-to-peer lending website.

Play

The United States is potentially facing the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, but not everyone is suffering. The luxury auto show at The World Financial Center in New York offered up the chance to take a peek at the most fancy cars in on the planet.

Play

In the midst of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, the price of gold made its largest one-day jump in history. One small mine in Colorado is taking advantage of historically high prices.

Play

World central banks took unprecedented action Thursday to flood desperately tight money markets with dollars as investors worried who the next victim of the global financial turmoil could be.

Play

Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has said Russia can withstand the current financial turmoil but, according to market experts, it's not going to be an easy ride.

Play

After letting Lehman Brothers go bankrupt, the US authorities have decided to save insurance giant AIG. But this doesn't mean an end to the financial crisis.

Play

In a move aimed at averting a new global economic shock, the US Federal Reserve agreed Tuesday to an unprecedented 85-billion-dollar rescue loan for American International Group. The deal sealed in an agreement with AIG on the brink of collapse gives the US government a stake of 79.9 percent in the insurance behemoth in exchange for the loan.

Play

World stock markets tumbled for a second straight day on Tuesday, with investors unnerved by the risk of a full-blown global financial crisis despite huge cash injections from central banks.

Play

Sam Stovall and David Wyss from the credit rating agency Standard & Poor¿s comment on the financial crisis that hit Wall Street on Monday.