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NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — If you needed any more proof that the economy is slowing down, look no further than how well McDonald’s stock is doing.

Shares of Mickey D’s are up 18% this year, putting the company neck and neck with DuPont (DD, Fortune 500) as the best-performing company in the Dow Jones industrial average. The stock is near a 52-week high, having gained nearly 6% just this month.

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McDonald’s (MCD, Fortune 500) is your classic consumer staples company that typically holds up better than sexier growth stocks during times of economic weakness.

Full Story at money.cnn.com

LOS ANGELES (CNNMoney.com ) — In a construction van winding through Los Angeles’ crowded streets one hot spring morning, 25-year old Tim Morris laid bare his contribution to changing America’s dirty, fossil fuel-based economy.

“I’d like to see America and the world become sustainable,” said Morris, a transplant from Flint, Mich., who’s been in L.A. just a little over four months. “Solar is the biggest difference I can make with what’s on the

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Michigan’s depressed economy nearly toppled Grand Rapids-based awning maker Prestige Products. Then in April, the company’s fortunes changed dramatically when executive Brian Rickel got a phone call from an old contact at BP. It was 10 days after BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig had exploded, and BP needed help containing the gush of oil. Six weeks later, Prestige has rented a factory, filled it with millions of dollars of new equipment, and hired 74 workers (it employed only six as of April). Using material similar to the vinyl in awnings, Prestige is churning out 12,000 feet a day of booms, the floating barriers that help contain oil slicks. Prestige hopes to double its output — if it can hire 50 additional workers.

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WASHINGTON (CNNMoney.com) — With one week down and one week to go on negotiations melding the two Wall Street reform bills, lawmakers have a lot of tough decisions ahead.

House and Senate negotiators had set a goal to finish work on reconciling the bills – aimed at preventing the next financial crisis – before President Obama heads to Canada on Friday for two major summits of world leaders.

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New Orleans restaurant owner Ralph Brennan had only recently started to see business pick up following Hurricane Katrina and the recession when he was hit with another blow: the Gulf oil disaster.

Since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and began spewing oil off the coast of Louisiana, Brennan says the price he pays for shrimp has gone up around 25 percent, and oyster prices have almost doubled.

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NEW YORK – The stock market had another late-day slide, this time because of fears that the Gulf oil spill will threaten BP’s dividend and perhaps land the company in bankruptcy court.

The Dow Jones industrials, up about 125 points late Wednesday morning, closed down 41. Most selling came in the last hour, the third time in four days that stocks had a late-day drop.

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NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — With any luck, Wall Street can still escape two of the harshest elements of Washington’s reform efforts.

The two measures, included in the Senate bill passed last week, take direct aim at some of the more risky — and profitable — parts of banks’ business.

One proposal would require financial firms to spin off their trading desks that deal in derivatives.

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WASHINGTON (CNNMoney.com) — The Senate on Thursday passed the most sweeping regulatory overhaul of the financial system since the New Deal.

The bill, which passed 59-39, imposes more oversight and stronger capital cushions for the largest banks and Wall Street firms, while aiming to stop bailouts, shine a light on complex financial products and strengthen consumer protection.

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Gold posted its last record high on another volatile trading day, Dec. 3, 2009, when it settled at $1,218.30 an ounce.

What’s moving the market: Gold rallied 2% when the Dow plunged nearly 1,000 points on Thursday, with the precious metal closing that day at $1,197.30.

 

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BOSTON – A financial tremor in one corner of the globe can leave cracks in an investment portfolio. It’s a painful lesson just as many U.S. investors are regaining their confidence.

The stock market remained volatile on Wednesday. After falling 112 points earlier in the day, the Dow Jones industrial average closed down 60. It posted a two-day loss of 285 points.

The trigger is Greece, whose debt troubles threaten the pace of a global economic recovery. It’s a growing concern even though the country’s population is less than one-third of California’s.

Full Story at money.cnn.com

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — One year ago, the U.S. auto industry faced the worst crisis in its history.

Chrysler Group filed for bankruptcy on April 30, the same week that GM announced a plan that put it on the path toward its own bankruptcy a month later. Ford Motor (F, Fortune 500) had just reported huge losses.

Full Story at msnbc.com

Real estate agents are working seven days a week, builders are staying open late and homebuyers are scrambling to get their offers in as they rush to take advantage of tax credits that expire at midnight Friday.

To qualify, buyers must have a signed contract in hand by the deadline and must complete the deal by June 30.