Stocks tumble for second day; Treasurys surge (AP)

AP - Stocks plunged for a second straight day Thursday, falling to a range not seen in more than five years as financial and energy stocks tumbled while demand for the safety of government debt spiked to historic levels.

• Wall Street plunges again as panic spreads (AFP) AFP - Wall Street shares plunged Thursday as panicked investors made a frenzied rush out of stocks and into bonds in the face of more weak data and a breakdown in efforts for a bailout for automakers.



---

• Wall Street sinks, S&P falls to lowest level since 1997 (Reuters) Reuters - Stocks plunged yet again on Thursday, as a frantic flight from risk prompted by investors' deepening economic fears drove the benchmark Standard & Poor's 500 index to its lowest level since 1997 -- completing the erasure of more than a decade of stock market gains.



---

• GM, Ford shares soar on bailout optimism (Reuters) Reuters - Shares of General Motors and Ford Motor Co soared on Thursday after a Senate Democratic aide said senators had reached agreement on a bipartisan auto aid deal.



---

• World stocks dive as recession fears soar (AFP) AFP - Global stock markets plunged Thursday as a jump in US jobless figures and fresh rounds of job cuts worldwide deepened fears of recession and sent investors fleeing for cover.



---

• U.S. stocks slide as auto bailout this year in doubt (Reuters) Reuters - Fears of a deep, long global recession intensified on Thursday as stock markets hit new lows on reports of more U.S. job losses and oil prices below $50 a barrel, as prospects dimmed for a bailout of U.S. automakers.



---