How bad is this stock market? So bad that even those of us old enough to remember the Johnny Carson routine can't think of an appropriate zinger.

The week ended quietly on Wall Street, says A. G. Edwards market commentator Alfred E. Goldman, corporate vice president and chief market strategist at A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc.

US stocks climbed overnight, led by retailers as the US holiday shopping season kicked off in earnest, while oil prices rose slightly.

Senior Finance officials from the world's 20 major economies say they share responsibility for stabilizing rising commodity prices and are calling on countries with large foreign currency reserves to adopt more flexible exchange rates. The remarks came at the end of a two-day meeting in South Africa.

US investors have waded back into the share market, cheered by developments on a number of fronts. There has been a stronger-than-expected quarterly profit result from retail leader, Wal-Mart.

The price of oil briefly touched $98 a barrel Wednesday while the dollar continued its decline and the Dow Jones Industrials fell two percent. VOA's Barry Wood reports one expert sees a direct relationship between the dollar's decline and the price of oil.

The Attorney-General in New York has subpoenaed two government-funded investment banks to testify about the recent mortgage loans crisis in the US.

The Australian share market fell by its largest amount in two months amid renewed concerns about credit markets. A warning by equipment company Caterpillar that the housing slump in the US was starting to spread to other parts of the economy saw US shares fall at the end of the week.

US share prices surged to a record high overnight. On the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones industrial average closed 192-points ahead at 14,088, a gain of 1.4 per cent, while the high-tech Nasdaq composite index rose 39-points to 2,741.

The Australian share market has finished lower today following new concerns about the health of the United States economy. The All Ordinaries Index dropped 35 points to 6,357 and the ASX 200 slipped 29 points to 6,371.

Oil prices dropped Thursday as traders took profits after U.S. crude stocks fell and drove oil futures in the previous session above US$80 a barrel for the first time ever.

The U.S. stock market generally is soaring, unemployment is near record lows, and home ownership is at record highs. So, why do public opinion polls show Americans are worried about their economic standing?