China announced its largest interest rate cut in more than a decade, while the European Union outlined a $258 billion plan to spur growth on the Continent.

OPEC is increasingly torn between its moderate members that can afford a period of lower oil prices and those countries that have become much more dependent on high prices.

Wall Street held onto gains for a fourth day after weathering a series of discouraging economic reports.

Wall Street held onto gains for a fourth day after weathering a series of discouraging economic reports.

Wall Street held onto gains for a fourth day after weathering a series of discouraging economic reports.

Investors in New York took in a series of discouraging economic reports on Wednesday, as shares opened lower only to recover as the morning went on.

Investors in New York took in a series of discouraging economic reports on Wednesday, as shares opened down the day before Thanksgiving.

Stocks fell in Europe after a mixed session in Asia amid worsening expectations for the global economy.

The global downturn is reaching deep into the heart of the country’s once-rapid industrial transformation.

Many advanced economies are in or nearing downturns of a magnitude not experienced since the early 1980s, the O.E.C.D. said in its twice-yearly economic outlook.