NEW YORK (AP) -- Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, the Citigroup shareholder that came to the bank's rescue during the credit crisis of the early 1990s, might do so again now, the Wall Street Journal reported on its Web site Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The billionaire from Saudi Arabia, along with China Development Bank, is expected to invest about $2 billion in Citigroup Inc., one person said, according to the Journal. The Journal also said, however, there is a chance the deal could fall apart.

The cash-strapped Citigroup, hurt by the mortgage crisis that boiled up last year, has already gotten $7.5 billion from the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. On Nov. 26, the ADIA bought a 4.9 percent stake in Citi, becoming its largest shareholder.

Alwaleed may take back that title if he makes another investment in Citi, though the report said his total stake is likely to remain below 5 percent to avoid regulatory scrutiny.

Citigroup spokesman Michael Hanretta declined to comment to the Associated Press about the report.

China Development Bank, which was established in 1994 and is now preparing to become a commercial

NEW YORK (AP) -- Gold futures briefly rose above $900 an ounce -- an all-time high -- before pulling back Friday as growing worries of a U.S. recession prompted uneasy investors to keep buying the precious metal.

An ounce of gold for February delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange jumped $6.50 to $900.10 in morning trading, an all-time high and a psychologically important milestone. The precious metal later fell on profit-taking but still ended $4.10 higher to settle at $897.70 an ounce, a new closing record.

Gold also hit an all-time high of $897.30 on Thursday.

"It's a reflection of market sentiment: Gold is a hedge against uncertainty and right now it's the best bet," said Carlos Sanchez, a precious metals analyst at CPM Group in New York. "None of the other investment options look that great and gold does."

Still, when adjusted for inflation, gold remains well below its all-time high. An ounce of gold at $875 in 1980 would be worth $2,115 to $2,200 today.

Gold has had a meteoric rise the past year -- rising nearly 32 percent in 2007 -- boosted by a falling dollar, rising prices for oil and other commodities and increased Middle East instability. Those trends have lifted the metal's appeal as a haven; gold is seen as a safe investment in times of political and economic

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Bank of America said Friday it will buy Countrywide Financial for $4.1 billion in stock, a deal that rescues the country's biggest mortgage lender and expands the financial services empire of the nation's largest consumer bank.

The acquisition will make Charlotte-based Bank of America Corp. the nation's biggest mortgage lender and loan servicer.

Bank of America said it initially plans to operate Countrywide separately under the Countrywide brand, with integration occurring no sooner than 2009.

The transaction represented a 7.5 percent discount to where Countrywide shares ended Thursday after they soared on news that a rescue plan was in the works. It also effectively leaves Bank of America with a big loss on its $2 billion August investment in Countrywide Financial Corp. during the height of the summer's global credit crisis.

An aggressive dealmaker who has already snapped up behemoths FleetBoston Financial and MBNA, Bank of America chief executive Ken Lewis this time isn't buying a financial winner. Delinquencies and loans in pending foreclosure are rising in Countrywide's loan portfolio, and Lewis said Friday "there are near-term challenges" in the nation's housing market.

But Countrywide's troubles have allowed Lewis to sweep in and add a major business line to his