Shares of investment banks fell Friday morning as broader markets declined amid concern surrounding oil prices reaching a new record.

Goldman Sachs, the most active investment bank in energy markets, on Friday sharply raised its forecast for oil prices in the second half of this year, citing tight supply.

Shares of investment banks mostly rose Thursday as broader markets posted gains after oil prices retreated and new data showed the economy is struggling but not as badly as it was a couple months ago.

Stocks rallied for a second day Thursday as traders found cause for optimism and technology stocks blazed the trail.

An analyst cut earnings estimates Thursday on both Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley, saying the pair face continued challenges in the current credit environment.

Stocks bounced back from a weak open after a better-than-expected report on manufacturing.

General Electric planned sale of its 100-year-old appliance unit makes sense to some investors, but any deal would have only a limited effect on the conglomerate's battered share price.

With billions of dollars now moving into geothermal energy projects around the world, it is no longer a marginal business, meriting a second look by investors looking for a clean technology subsector with significant upside potential.

General Electric Co <GE.N> is looking to sell its appliance unit in an auction that could bring in $5 billion to $8 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported on its Web site on Wednesday.

BOSTON (Reuters) - General Electric Co <GE.N> is looking to sell its appliance unit in an auction that could bring in $5 billion to $8 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported on its Web site on Wednesday.

Stocks bounced back from a weak open after a better-than-expected report on manufacturing.

General Electric plans to auction off its appliances business for as much as $8 billion, ending the company's long association with so-called "white goods," the Wall Street Journal reported.

Some of Robert Morse's ideas are small: Paint a baseball so it's easier to read a curve. Make a four-colored deck of cards so his wife doesn't confuse the spades and clubs.

Morgan Stanley <MS.N> and a fund set up by General Electric <GE.N> and Credit Suisse <CSGN.VX> said on Monday they had collectively raised almost $10 billion for funds to invest in infrastructure.

By Aarthi Sivaraman and Mathieu Robbins