Dow Plummets 513

S&P 500 and Nasdaq decline

(NEWSER) - This would fall under the category of "volatile" trading day: The Dow rose 61 points to close at 11,445 after a series of wild fluctuations. This morning's better-than-expected jobs report led to an early surge—the Dow rose 170 points shortly after the opening bell, but the rally proved brief. Around noon, the Dow was down more than 200 points. And an hour later, it was up 115, thanks to news that Italy and the EU had agreed on economic reforms, reports MarketWatch . More»

Jobless numbers, metals sector spark wide rally

(NEWSER) - The major stock exchanges hit highs for the year today as traders reacted positively to news that new jobless claims grew less than projected. Health care was the only sector showing broad losses, a reaction to the Senate's passage of the health care bill, the Wall Street Journal reports.

• The Dow climbed 53.66 points to end the abbreviated session at 10,520.10.
• The Nasdaq picked up 16.05, closing at 2,285.6.
• The S&P 500 gained 5.89 to wrap up at 1,126.48.

(NEWSER) - Stocks inched higher this morning as investors chewed on retailer and jobs data. The Dow added 17 points while the Nasdaq and S&P rose 9.03 and 3.17 points respectively. Jobless claims took a rare step in the right direction last week, with ongoing claims dropping for the first time since January. Retailers also released some disappointing same-store sales numbers: Both Limited Brands and Costco reported 7% dips. More»

(NEWSER) - Stocks headed north early, with the Dow up 93 points, despite bleak economic data and a $9.6 billion loss from GM. Jobless claims unexpectedly leaped last week, with total claims topping 5 million for the first time, while durable goods orders sunk 5.2% in January. But JPMorgan rose 5% ahead of its shareholder meeting, and Bank of America climbed 8% on reports that it was shopping First Republic Bank. More»

Jobless claims reach 7-year high

(NEWSER) - Jobless claims rose to a 7-year high last week, but that didn’t appear to move the needle for stocks, which barely budged at today's open. The Dow crept up 66 points, while the S&P and Nasdaq rose 0.9% and 0.4% respectively. A staggering 32,000 filed new jobless claims last week, to a seasonally adjusted 516,000, a much bleaker number than analysts anticipated. More»