7 Stocks you need to know for Friday

General Motors (GM | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating), Ford Motor Company (F | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating), and Chrysler appeared before Congress on Thursday in an effort to secure billions in bridge loans and other financial assistance.

Struggling to combat declining sales with job cuts and spending restraint, Merck & Company (MRK | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) warned that profits in 2009 may be less than expected.

Nokia (NOK | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) hopes to gain market share in the otherwise shrinking handset market.

AT&T (T | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) and Dupont (DD | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) were among the companies announcing plans to cut thousands of jobs. AT&T alone announced jobs cuts that will amount to 4% of its overall workforce.

Big Lots (BIG | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) reports quarterly earnings Friday morning before the market opens. Analysts are expecting EPS of 16 cents.