http://www.dailyfinancenews.com Last 20 items on Daily Finance And Business News Daily Finance And Business News http://www.dailyfinancenews.com/Fed-Auction-Aims-to-Ease-Credit-Crisis_s835.html In a statement on Friday, the Fed announced that it would continue holding the auctions, which began in December, every other week "for as long as necessary to address elevated pressures in short-term funding markets." http://www.dailyfinancenews.com/Mortgage-applications-continue-to-slide_s833.html The drop in applications piled on to reports from the country's builders and the government this week suggesting any sustained housing rebound could be next year's business. http://www.dailyfinancenews.com/Microsoft-to-change-Vista_s832.html The point of contention is the computer search function that puts Google Inc. and other potential rivals at a disadvantage, the Justice Department and Microsoft said on Tuesday. http://www.dailyfinancenews.com/Martha-Stewart-Company-Nets-$2.1-Million-In-2006_s831.html Still, Martha Stewart Omnimedia awarded Ms. Stewart $2.1 million in compensation last year, citing her continuing efforts to turn around the company's fortunes, according to a proxy statement released Monday. http://www.dailyfinancenews.com/Why-Not-Use-Your-401K-To-Pay-For-College_s830.html I'm figuring I'll have to tap my 401(k) at work, but am unsure how much I can take out and how best to do it. Any advice? - Rick, Naperville, Illinois http://www.dailyfinancenews.com/Do-Not-Panic---AOL-Is-Doing-Fine_s829.html People on Wall Street love to keep speculating about AOL's future within the Time Warner organization. http://www.dailyfinancenews.com/DaimlerChrysler-Confirms-Potential-Buyers-Interest_s828.html But he would not give details of discussions and said all options for the No. 4 U.S. automaker are still on the table. http://www.dailyfinancenews.com/View-The-Most-Desired-Homes-By-The-Zip_s826.html Such as this modern, highly crafted cottage has a contemporary look. Outside, it uses the woods of the Pacific Northwest to elegantly achieve a rustic simplicity blended with an elegant design. http://www.dailyfinancenews.com/Toyota-Pirus-Boosted-By-Incentives_s827.html The "ECO-nomic savings bonus" on the 2007 Prius involves discounts on specific option packages. Discounts range from $600 to $2,000. http://www.dailyfinancenews.com/Top-US-Car-Brands-Sales-Slump_s824.html General Motors, the nation's No. 1 automaker, reported that it's U.S. sales slipped 4 percent to 345,418, a bit worse than the forecast of a 1.3 percent decline by sales tracker Edmunds.com. http://www.dailyfinancenews.com/Existing-US-Home-Sales-Show-Surprise-Rise_s825.html The National Association of Realtors said its Pending Home Sales Index, based on contracts signed in February, rose 0.7 percent to 109.3 from a downwardly revised level of 108.5 in January. http://www.dailyfinancenews.com/Mortgage-Fears-As-New-Century-Files-For-Chapter-11_s822.html Rising defaults on variable-rate mortgages have pinched lenders who made loans to borrowers with spotty credit histories, leaving many in financial trouble. http://www.dailyfinancenews.com/EMI-To-Sell-DRM-Protection-Free-Music_s823.html But Beatles fans have to keep waiting for songs from the Fab Four to be available online. EMI, which owns the Beatles catalog, said that music from the Beatles is not part of the deal with Apple. http://www.dailyfinancenews.com/Who-Is-To-Blame-For-The-High-Oil-and-Gas-Prices_s820.html But the steadily heightening tensions - British Prime minister Tony Blair now intends to take the matter to the UN Security Council - has camouflaged another factor likely to make this another long hot summer for American drivers even if the crisis is resolved and the sailors are eventually released. http://www.dailyfinancenews.com/China-Set-For-Big-Spending-Splash_s821.html While no one expects the agency to pursue such a target, the reported $200 to $300 billion in funds to be available give a sense of the investment vehicle's size. http://www.dailyfinancenews.com/The-High-Returns-Secret-For-Your-Stocks_s817.html But even in the best of times, trying to predict the market's direction is a terrible idea, says Craig Hodges, who manages the Hodges fund in Dallas with his dad, Don Hodges; he'd rather focus on the strengths and weaknesses of individual companies. http://www.dailyfinancenews.com/Homebuilders-Get-Ready-For-More-Rocky-Rides_s818.html Many of the big homebuilders saw their stocks rise fivefold or more in the five years up until summer 2005, when the housing market peaked. Since then four of the biggest five homebuilders have skidded 40 percent or more, with the exception of No. 1 Lennar, which has fallen "only" 34 percent. http://www.dailyfinancenews.com/Economic-Woes-As-Stock-Falls_s813.html Stocks slipped Tuesday after a weak profit report from Lennar revived worries about the housing sectors and a big drop in consumer confidence fed concerns about the broader economy. http://www.dailyfinancenews.com/Factory-Orders-Missing-Main-Forecasts_s814.html Orders for non-defense capital goods other than aircraft, watched by economists as a barometer of business spending, fell 1.2 percent, after a revised 7.4 percent drop in January that now stands as the fifth biggest decline in record. The original reading for January was a 6 percent drop. http://www.dailyfinancenews.com/Tax-Freedom-Day-Nears_s815.html