Today's Headlines

Bloomberg:
- The Fed lowered its benchmark interest rate by half a percentage point to 3%, the second cut in as many weeks.
- David Dreman Sees ‘Major Opportunity’ in Financials.
- Fed Cuts May Prevent Subprime Shock, Analysts Say.
- Mortgage applications in the US increased last week, led by a surge in refinancing as borrowing costs hovered near two-year lows.
- Qatar Energy Minister Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah says OPEC may consider an output cut.
- Yahoo! Inc.(YHOO) may be a takeover target following a 40% drop in its stock price.
- Ten-year Treasury notes fell a third day as a private report indicated US job growth accelerated this month, demonstrating strength in the job market.

Wall Street Journal:
- Big Investors Intrigued by Retail Stocks.
- US legislators may raise the amount of cash states can borrow to finance housing projects, as a way of helping homeowners who need refinancing.
- US Government Awards $114M To 4 Companies For Cellulosic Ethanol Projects.

NY Times:
- Rule Change to Help Smaller Companies Raise Funds.

Wired:
- One company looks particularly well-positioned to weather a potential economic downturn. Google’s(GOOG) focus on highly targeted, measurable advertising makes it more recession-proof than many other businesses in tech.

Barron’s:
- Investors Use Options to Hedge Before Fed Move.

USA Today:
- Nearly five years after the US-led invasion of Iraq, allied countries have paid 16% of what they pledged to help rebuild the war-torn country.

ZDNet:
- iPhone to Provide Access to Corporate Emails.

Washingtonpost.com:
- Sprint(S) Tries to Connect With Other Firms. Talks on National Network Includes Intel(INTC), Google(GOOG), Clearwire(CLWR).