Oil prices drop, but is it enough to improve the mood on Wall Street?

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This morning, some are wondering whether Wall Street can keep up its climb this week. The nation's third largest investment bank and two marquee technology stocks reported poor results after trading ended on Thursday.

On Wall Street this morning, will oil prices continue their slide?

Oil's down $15 a barrel in three days.

Analysts credit the slow economy.

Americans are spending less and driving down demand.

Alternatives, meantime, barrel forward. In Texas, hub of America's oil industry, utility officials okayed billions to transmit wind power. It's the biggest investment in renewable energy in U.S. history.

In Washington, former Vice President Al Gore called for more like it

Al Gore says "I challenge our nation to commit to producing 100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within ten years."

Gore acknowledged a switchover could cost $3 trillion over 30 years.

With NBC's Ann Thompson, who asked "how do you convince an American public to spend trillions of dollars on clean energy," Gore responded "because that's the way to get a reduction in energy cost. because the fuel that we use now, oil and coal, is very expensive and getting more expensive. The fuel that we use for renewable energy is free."

Change is happening on a smaller scale. Sales of residential wind turbines have grown at 25% a year. In windy areas it can cut utility bills by 80%.

Today, investors will be watching oil prices as well as the effect of disappointing earning results from Merrill Lynch, Google, and Microsoft.

Democrats here now call for a second economic stimulus package. They'll unveil it next Tuesday. Republicans call it election year pandering. One said the best stimulus would be a commitment to boost U.S. oil supply.

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