The CEO of Airbus said Monday the plane maker has run all four engines on a long-delayed prototype of its first military transport plane and expects the airlifter to fly "before Christmas."

EADS, the parent company of plane maker Airbus, on Monday said it lost euro87 million ($130 million) in the third quarter, due partly to the weak dollar, and warned that troubled aircraft programs could further weigh on earnings in the fourth quarter.

Middle East tension is driving demand for military hardware at the Dubai Air Show which opened on Sunday, but recession means fewer orders for civilian jets.

Boeing Co. said Monday it has finished fixing structural problems in two more of its 787 jetliners. The flaws had forced the airplane maker to further delay delivery of the highly anticipated plane earlier this year.

Airbus said Wednesday it agreed to sell six jetliners to newly created Senegal Airlines, giving the European plane maker bragging rights to more than $5 billion worth of orders at a subdued Dubai Airshow.

The Air Force will soon release its final request for proposed bids in the long saga of replacing it's mid-air refueling tankers. Boeing and Northrop Grumman/EADS are facing off again for a massive deal that will start at $35 billion, but could end up over $100 billion.

There was concern at the White House about that wayward Northwest Airlines jet that flew past its scheduled destination in Minneapolis.

Stocks finished lower after well-known banking analyst Dick Bove downgraded his rating on Wells Fargo.

Stocks advanced Wednesday as investors were encouraged by a few earnings reports, including Morgan Stanley, Yahoo and SanDisk. The VIX, widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, dropped to just above 20.

Stocks opened lower Wednesday as a raft of companies beating earning estimates but failed to impress investors.

Boeing says it lost $1.6 billion in its third quarter because of problems with two new aircraft models. That prompted the airplane maker to slash its profit forecast for 2009.

Earnings season continues in earnest Wednesday, as we roll on with a week that will ultimately see 25 percent of the S&P 500 report their quarterly numbers. 

There are signs the nation's factories are stirring from one of the worst recessions in decades.  If nothing else, hints of a rebound at big industrial firms will boost the stock market and lift people's 401ks.

Fourteen companies that have tried to reduce their carbon emissions.

Stocks ended lower Friday as a dismal jobs report capped a string of disappointing economic reports this week, which cast doubt on the recovery. It was the market's second straight down week in which stocks have lost more than 3 percent.