GM is back looking for government help, and the automaker says it can't afford to wait this time -- it needs $10 million to merge with Chrysler. Together, the argument is, the two companies can survive. Mitchell Hartman has more.

Foreclosures, gas prices, Wall Street wipeouts -- the daily barrage of bad news has taken a toll on the American consumer, whose confidence in the economy has dropped to almost 50%. Steve Henn reports.

The unpredictability and wild up and down surges of the markets stem in part from the low volume of trading. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports on how volume affects market volatility.

Last year's securities industry shindig took place in Boca Raton and had big name entertainment. Oh, what a difference a year makes. New York City Bureau Chief Amy Scott reports on the pared-down version planned this year.

The Marketplace mailbox gave us a lot to think about this week. Kai Ryssdal picked comments on his interview with Rep. Henry Waxman and on Robert Reich's column on the idea of "too big to fail."

Tinker Bell is back, and this time there's no more wearing herself ragged sprinkling fairy dust for that ham Peter Pan. A new Disney series of DVDs feature Tink and her fairy friends. Rachel Dornhelm has more.

Barack Obama's young fans have enjoyed supporting and working for him so much, they are already jockeying for jobs in the new administration. Providing, of course, he is elected. Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.