Economy, sears and the week, before market close

Sears Holdings Corp. and Office Depot Inc. sank more than 12 percent and Chevron Corp. slid 4.2 percent on government data showing sales at retailers declined 2.8 percent last month and filling-station purchases decreased 13 percent. Qualcomm Inc., the biggest maker of mobile-phone chips, and Motorola Inc. lost more than 5 percent after Nokia Oyj predicted global shipments will shrink next year. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index erased more than half of yesterday's 6.9 percent rally and extended its weekly tumble to more than 6 percent.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, speaking at a panel discussion hosted by the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, said policymakers ``stand ready'' to take additional actions to help the economy.