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U.S. stock futures were mostly lower Thursday morning ahead of today's jobless claims report. Yesterday, ADP released abysmal figures for the private sector jobs and tomorrow the government will release its employment report, putting the employment situation in focus on Wall Street these days. Daily earning warnings and announcement of job cuts from different companies don't help instill confidence in the economy. Meanwhile, retailers have started reporting December sales, which are expected to be quite dismal.

Overseas, major Asian markets fell. European markets followed suit as global investors again are concerned about a global recession, putting an end to the new year's rally spurred by hopes stimulus plans would help most countries' economies to rebound later this year. Meanwhile, the Bank of England lowered its key interest rate by a half point to 1.5%, the lowest rate since the bank's founding in 1694. However, Warnings from President-elect Obama about the economy as he calls for immediate action from congress also put the economic situation in the spotlight at home and overseas.

Oil prices rose slightly Thursday to just above $43 a barrel after a 12% plunge following an unexpectedly high increase in U.S. inventories. Fears that the Mideast conflict would spill over as rockets hit Israel from Lebanon didn't put an upward pressure on oil prices. What might do that is the tension between Russia and Ukraine and Europe after Russia stopped gas supply to several European countries. The heads of the Russian and Ukrainian gas companies held an unexpected meeting in Moscow without any breakthrough.

On the economic front, weekly initial jobless claims will be reported at 8:30 am. Watch out for the reaction to these numbers.

Alcoa, Inc. (NYSE: AA), the aluminum maker giant and a Dow component, said late Tuesday it will cut 13,500 jobs, or 13% of its global workforce, as well as reduce aluminum production by an additional 135,000 metric tons per year, lowering output by 18% annually. Alcoa has been hit by the auto industry slowdown among other things and this is designed as cost-saving move to offset the declining demand. AA shares traded over 5% in premarket action at 7:30 am. AA shares traded 8% lower about an hour after open.

Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) sold part of its stake in China Construction Bank Ltd., China's second-biggest commercial lender, for $2.8 billion. BAC reduced its stake form 19.1% to 16.6%. Despite the $15 billion bailout money it received from the government, it seems BAC needs more money to cope with the worst financial crisis for banks since the 1930s. BAC shares were over 1% lower in premarket tade at 7:38 am. BAC shares were 2.5% lower around 10:20 am.

Satyam Computer Sciences (NYSE: SAY) shares crashed 84.5% in premarket trading at 7:45 am after the software firm announced it had falsified accounts and assets for years and inflated cash and bank balances by more than $1 billion, leading the group's founder and chairman to quit. Credit Suisse said it was suspending its coverage of Satyam.

U.S. stock market futures were lower Wednesday morning following metals giant Alcoa (NYSE: AA) announcement from late Tuesday it would be cutting production and jobs. Meanwhile, after warning that the nation could face trillion-dollar deficits for years to come, Obama vowed long-term fiscal discipline along with his massive $775 billion stimulus plan.

Overseas, Asian markets were mixed, but European stock markets fell Wednesday as the hopes of recovery in 2009 is still that, a hope. Meanwhile, Russia has shut off all its gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine and has reduced or halted fuel deliveries to a dozen countries during a winter cold snap. Oil prices dipped to near $48 a barrel Wednesday as the continued geopolitical tensions affecting oil prices were weighed against likely slower demand.

On the economic front, ADP is set to release its December private sector payroll estimate, two days ahead of the government jobs report. Around 10:30 am, weekly energy inventories data is due as well.

Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) said it is suspending production at all 12 of its Japan plants for 11 days over February and March. The once believed to be superior auto manufacturer and company has not been immune to the global economic slowdown that has caused such a deterioration in demand for cars, especially int he U.S. The stoppage is said to be of unprecedented scale for Toyota, which hasn't halted production at all its Japan plants was since August 1993.

Cigna (NYSE: CI) joined the slew of companies that have been announcing layoffs and workforce recuution in the past few month. The health benefits company said Monday that is was cutting 1,100 jobs, or 4% of its total workforce, to save up to $40 million.

Logitech (NASDAQ: LOGI) also said Monday that it was cutting 15% of its salaried work force, or 5% of its global workforce. The maker of computer products also withdrew its corporate guidance and didn't provide new earnings targets. LOGI's CEO urged caution for 2009.

U.S. stock futures were higher Tuesday morning with the President-elect 's stimulus plan still in focus with its proposed tax cuts, and as Wall Street awaited data on housing, services and manufacturing.

Overseas, investors put their hopes in Obama's stimulus plan. Asian stocks closed mostly higher despite Toyota's announcement it would suspend production. A weaker yen, however, helped boost Japanese exporters, mostly tech companies.

European stock markets also rose modestly Tuesday as some relatively positive corporate news helped offset concerns about the global economy. Retailers and pharmaceutical firms leading advancers. Meanwhile, Russia cut gas supply to six European countries just as winter begins. Crude oil prices rose to just below $50 a barrel.

Several economic readings await the Street today. While investors expect the data to show further deterioration, many hope to see the declines moderate.

• At 10:00 am, November factory orders will be released as well as the Institute for Supply Management's December index of non-manufacturing, or services, activity.
• At the same time, November pending home sales from the National Association of Realtors are also due.
• At 2 pm, minutes from the Federal Reserve's December meeting will be released.

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F), Chrysler and other automakers will report throughout the day December car and truck sales. Overall, sales are expected to decline by 40% with GM sales down 39% and Ford sales down 34% according to Edmunds.com. Chrysler may post a 46% decline in December sales. Also, Nissan Motors (NASDAQ: NSANY) is expected to post a 42% slump, while Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) and Honda Motor Co. (NYSE: HMC) are expected to post a 38% decline each. Ford and TM were last traded down 2% in premarket. GM is the only automaker whose stock was trading higher -- over 3% -- by 11:10 am.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is expected to unveil new products at Macworld in San Francisco today. While no major breakthroughs or new products are expected to be unveiled -- especially not when compared to the iPhone's unvailing -- there might still be some product improvements and new versions of existing products. The focus though is probably still be the fact that Apple CEO Steve Jobs will not be giving the keynote speech and why that is. [Update: Steve Jobs has sent a letter to the Apple community, explaining he suffers from a hormone imbalance that caused his weight loss. The remedy is simple he says and commits to telling Apple's board if he ever feels he cann't function as CEO.] Following Jobs' announcement AAPL shares gained and were up over 4% by 11:10 am.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) CEO Jeff Kindler said in an interview with the Financial Times that the company is willing to buy a large rival. This may trigger a fresh round of mergers within pharmas and put the sector in focus today.

U.S. stock market futures were lower Monday morning as Wall Street comes back to the first full week of 2009 and investors coming back from the Christmas and New Year holidays. It seems that last week's strong gains may not continue today as the Street awaits car sales data and reacts to the Obama stimulus plan to be discussed on Capitol Hill today. Also, comments from central bank figures around the world put deflationary pressure in focus.

Overseas, Asian markets gained as they had some catching up to do with Wall Street and Europe. Despite that, in Europe, markets were mixed Monday as traders took profits on gains built up over the Christmas and New Year's holidays. And as the reaction to Obama's stimulus plan was mostly positive, the dollar rose against the euro and the yen. Oil prices rose above $47 a barrel.

Economic data today includes December car and truck sales to be reported by the nation's automakers. The numbers are expected to show considerable declines with a 40% drop in overall sales. Also, at 10:00 am, November construction spending will be released.

The first trading session of the 2009 may have brought some optimism with it as markets rallied, but it's difficult to imagine all our troubles over after a year that set one bad and worse record after another. Stocks mirrored the global economic slowdown brought on by the housing market and the financial markets crises.

Still, there are many who still seek to invest in hope that one day they could get nice returns on their investments. While the recent volatility in the stock market benefited some shrewd day traders, most investors know to stick to a long-term, stable investment plan.

To help achieve some of these long-term return, BloggingStocks contributors continued to suggest some companies to invest in, as well as some to avoid:

Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI) -- despite having his confidence in the stock shaken somewhat lately as sales may have been softer than expected, Steven Mallas is still bullish on the stock and feels it is attractive at these levels. Take-Two Interactive (NASDAQ: TTWO), however, "seems a little scary to be buying in now," he says.

Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C)'s CEO Vikram Pandit, chairman Win Bischoff, and board member Robert Rubin will forgo 2008 bonuses. This comes, of course, after the bank lost three-quarters of its market value and got a $45 billion U.S. bailout. Citi shares traded nearly 2% in premarket.

Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) and Viacom (NYSE: VIA.b) have agreed to settle a dispute over carriage fees. This comes after Viacom threatened TWC with a blackout of its 19 ceable channels, including MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central. With a deal in the works, TWC customers will suffer no blackout. TWC is expected to agree to pay a modest increase in fees to Viacom in the new deal.

Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) has been the subject of much news, talk and rumors the past few days. First, on Wednesday, many of its Zune digital music player froze due to the leap year. Then, China sentenced 11 for software piracy. The allegedly sold at least $2 billion worth of bogus Microsoft software. And to top all that, the blogosphere was abuzz as rumors swirled that Microsoft was going to lay off 15,000 or 17% of its staff on January 15, 2009. With the current slowdown in the economy, it's not a stretch to accept Microsoft would initiate some jobs cuts; the question is at what magnitude. MSFT shares were flattish in recent premarket trade despite all the news.

U.S. stock market futures were higher Friday morning, the first trading session of 2009 as bulls aim to continue Wednesday's rally and follow global markets. Investors continue to focus on oil prices, which fell again, and await economic data on manufacturing activity.
[Update: By 8:25 am, most stock futures were lower, and if the trend continues, we could see a lower start today.]

Overseas, world stock markets opened 2009 on a high note, with Asian markets closing the day with gains, and European markets also opened higher even as news that manufacturing activity contracted for the seventh month running in December in the euro-zone economies. But some markets were still closed for the holidays and trading light.

Oil prices fell some 8% to below $42 a barrel Friday after Russia and Ukraine said a dispute over natural gas payments wouldn't affect shipments to Western Europe even as Russia continues to withhold gas to Ukraine. Again, it seems that concerns over global demand for oil due to recession overshadows disputes there and in the Middle East.

At 10:00 am this morning, half an hour after the opening bell, the Institute for Supply Management will report its manufacturing data for December. Economists expect the numbers to show further contraction.

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) is shaking up top management and may soon announce that Michael Cannon, president of global operations, and Mark Jarvis, Dell's chief marketing officer, will leave their roles, The Wall Street Journal reported. More changes are expected as part of Michael Dell's turnaround plan.

Fannie Mae (NYSE: FNM), Freddie Mac (NYSE: FRE), Ginnie Mae -- The Federal Reserve is increasing its efforts to breathe some life into the ailing housing market and said Tuesday that it will begin purchasing up to $500 billion in mortgage-backed securities early next month From Fannie, Freddie and Ginnie. In doing so, the government hopes to lower the rates being charged for consumer loans. FNM and FRE shares traded 12.9% and 10% higher in premarket.

LyondellBasell Industries, the world's third-largest private chemical company, may file for bankruptcy protection. The Netherlands-based company has large U.S. operations. It found itself in the midst of a cash crunch as sales plunged, according to The Wall Street Journal. It told lenders it is trying to line up as much as $2 billion in bankruptcy financing. This could put chemical stocks in focus and under pressure.

Stock market futures were higher Wednesday morning, the last trading day of 2008, as investors awaited jobless claims report and summarized a terrible year for global markets. Trading is expected to be light.

Overseas trading was light. Asian markets -- the ones open today -- ended mixed, while European markets opened higher following the late session rally on Wall Street. Regardless, all markets would record sharply lower returns for 2008.

Oil, another big story in 2008, resumed its downtrend as economic jitters overshadowed and offset concerns about Middle East turmoil that could, if it spreads, disrupt oil supply. Oil prices declined $38 a barrel Wednesday, about a 60% drop for 2008, and some $110 cheaper than its peak price of $147 a barrel back in July.

Investors will also focus on weekly jobless claims set to be released at 8:30 am, ahead of the opening bell. Claims are expected to decline from the high set the week before.

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM) shares traded 11% higher in premarket action (7:23 am) after the government said Monday it will provide GMAC Financial Services LLC, GM's ailing financing arm, $5 billion from the $700 billion TARP fund. The Treasury also said it will lend up to $1 billion to GM so it can help GMAC raise more capital.

Dow Chemical Co. (NYSE: DOW) over the weekend got news that Kuwait will no longer pursue a $17.4 billion joint venture with the company. Following the news, Moody's Investors Service and Standard & Poor's downgraded their credit ratings on DOW. Still, after tanking over 17% Monday, DOW shares traded 3.3% higher in premarket (7:38 am).

Rohm & Haas Co. (NYSE: ROH), which was purchased by DOW and has $13 billion of debt on its books, may also be downgraded following the DOW news. The venture money was going to help pay the debt once DOW took over ROH early next year. DOW could be scrambling to keep the takeover of ROH alive. ROH shares gave back over 16% Monday, and traded 3% higher in early premarket action.

U.S. stock market futures were higher Tuesday morning, the second to last trading day of the year. Futures gained after the government said Monday it will provide GMAC Financial Services LLC, the ailing financing arm of General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), $5 billion from the $700 billion TARP fund. Investors will continue to follow the events in the Middle East and await consumer confidence reading. Trading is expected to be light.

Overseas, markets closed modestly higher in Asia and gained in Europe in light holiday trading led by oil majors as Middle East tensions boosted energy stocks. Oil prices neared $40 a barrel Tuesday on concerns Middle East tension could rise as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues.

The Conference Board is set to release its December index of consumer confidence at 10 am and economists expect it to actually rise slightly. Slightly before that number is released, a survey of purchasing managers in the Chicago area -- Chicago PMI -- will be reported. This one will likely show further declines in manufacturing activity.

Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) slashed its earnings forecast again Monday, the second time in a few months. The Japanese carmaker is now projecting that it would report its first ever operating loss of 150 billion yen ($1.66 billion) for the fiscal year as global demand has declined, especially in the U.S., while the yen has surged. TM shares declined over 3% in premarket trade. TM traded 5% lower by midday trading.

American International Group, Inc. (NYSE: AIG) said Monday it sold its Hartford Steam Boiler (HSB) unit to Germany's Munich Re for $742 million, well below the $1.2 billion AIG paid to acquire HSB in 2000. HSB was one of AIG's most prized businesses. Munich Re will assume $76 million of outstanding capital securities. AIG shares jumped over 5.5% on the news in premarket trade. AIG shares were 4.3% higher by midday.

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM) and Chrysler were approved $13.4 billion in bailout funds on Friday from the Bush Administration and another $3.29 billion from the Canadian and Ontario governments for their Canadian subsidiaries. Now, a hard part would be talks with the United Auto Workers union, which are supposed to start in January. Now doubt, they will ask for some tough concessions so that they could present cost cuts and qualify for a second round of loans in February. GM shares declined over 7% in premarket trade. GM shares tanked nearly 17% by midday trading.