Amid uncertainty, small gains for stocks

Investors are grappling with the notion the economy may not recover fully by year’s end. The IMF expects the world economy to shrink 1.4% in 2009, slightly worse than it forecast earlier. But it sees growth in 2010 of 2.5%. Oil prices, meanwhile, have tumbled sharply from an eight-month high in just one week - contributing to stock sell-offs around the globe.