Bonds Confidence Boosts Stocks

Modest September rally continues after Monday slump

(NEWSER) - Stocks today saw more of the small but steady gains that have marked an unusually strong September, the Wall Street Journal reports. After yesterday's pullback, financials, and particularly insurers, saw gains: MBIA rose 22.3%, and rival AMBAC Financial gained 15.2%. Oil pushed up $1.84 to $71.55 a barrel. The Dow gained 51 points to settle at 9,830. The Nasdaq added 8 points, closing at 2,146, and the S&P 500 rose 7 points to close at 1,072. More»

Indices all post solid gains for the week

(NEWSER) - Stocks posted gains today, closing out a strong week as consumer stocks saw advances, the Wall Street Journal reports. Procter & Gamble gained 3.21% after Citigroup upgraded the firm’s shares to “buy.” Optimism about a recovery in consumer spending drove Starbucks up 3.64%, with PepsiCo and Philip Morris also gaining about 1%. The Dow added 36.28 points to close at 9,820.20. The Nasdaq rose 6.11, settling at 2,132.86, and the S&P 500 gained 2.81to close at 1,068.30. More»

(NEWSER) - Stocks headed lower at the open, with the Dow off 42 points, the S&P down 4.75, and the Nasdaq behind 17.58. Intel was a big loser, dropping 4% after reporting a better-than-expected 55% decline in profits, and projecting flat sales. “The ‘beat and raise’ scenario that investors had hoped for did not pan out,” said one analyst. Starbucks, meanwhile, sunk 6.1% after a Deutsche Bank downgrade. More»

GDP report ends month of layoffs, losses

(NEWSER) - Stocks extended losses today off the news of a 3.8% decline in US GDP for the fourth quarter, ending a turbulent month, MarketWatch reports. The report capped a week of widespread layoffs and poor earnings at major US firms. Amazon.com was a rare exception, up 18% on strong fourth-quarter earnings. The Dow fell 148.15 to close at 8,000.86. The Nasdaq closed down 31.42 at 1,476.42, and the S&P 500 lost 19.26 to settle at 825.88. More»

Nasdaq below 1,500 for first time in 5 years

(NEWSER) - Stocks plunged again today as another wave of poor earning reports soured investor sentiment, the Wall Street Journal reports. Henry Paulson's announcement of yet another new direction for the federal bailout failed to inspire confidence as the Dow closed down 411.30 points at 8,283. The Nasdaq lost 81.69 points to close at 1,499, while the S&P 500 lost 46.65 points to settle at 852. More»