Mark Brooks

National Security adviser Tom Donilon's comments Monday reflect growing concern in Washington over the security risk posed by cyber intrusions and the economic costs for America.

Portugal is enacting broad debt-reduction measures, including tax hikes and pay and pension cuts, in return for a €78 billion international financial lifeline it received in May 2011.

"This is about who we are as people," Sandberg says. "Who we can be as individuals and as a society."

Weak Chinese industrial production and retail sales figures added to concerns that the country's recovery may have slowed.

The country, which is dependent on bailout loans to survive, is in its sixth year of recession, which has been exacerbated by harsh austerity measures demanded by creditors to curb runaway budget deficits.

Many traders believe the large supply of oil in the U.S. will keep a lid on the price.

Benchmark oil for April delivery was up 39 cents to finish at $91.95 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

1,341 rigs were actively exploring for oil and 407 for gas. Four were listed as miscellaneous.

The euro fell to $1.2981 in afternoon trading from $1.3104 late Thursday.

In a regulatory filing this week, BP said businesses' claims have been paid at much higher average amounts than it had anticipated.

Fitch on Friday said the failure to come up with a clear winner made "it unlikely that a stable new government can be formed in the next few weeks," thereby harming prospects of further reforms.

The department's civil division released the figures Friday at a meeting of more than two dozen state and federal agencies focused on combatting fraud against consumers.

Government agencies vary widely in how they are dealing with $85 billion in across-the-board budget cuts that went into effect last week, according to labor unions that represent federal workers.

The jobless rate dropped to 7.7 percent last month, the lowest level since President Barack Obama has been in office.

Benchmark oil for April delivery gained $1.13 to finish at $91.56 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The Securities and Exchange Commission voted 4-0 to seek comment on rules that would require routine testing of trading systems.

While no real breakthroughs were expected from Obama's gatherings with Republicans, the mere fact that they were happening was significant given the lack of direct engagement between Obama and rank-and-file Republicans over the past two years.

The euro rose to $1.3100 in afternoon trading from $1.2994.

Surging stock prices and steady home-price increases have finally allowed Americans to regain the $16 trillion in wealth they lost to the Great Recession.

The House legislation, approved Wednesday on a bipartisan vote, is the first step toward averting a possible fiscal showdown this month.