Jobs Rally Fizzles; Stocks Mixed

Nasdaq, S&P also post huge gains

(AP) - Another crazy day for the markets, but this time they ended way up in positive territory. The Dow rose 430 points to close at 11,239, up nearly 4%. The Nasdaq rose 125 to 2,483 (5.29%) and the S&P 500 jumped 53 to 1,173 (4.74%). The Dow had been up triple digits most of the day until the Fed came out with a statement after 2pm saying that because the economy is weaker than thought, it would leave interest rates unchanged for another two years. More»

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»

All major indexes are in negative territory for the year

(NEWSER) - The only good thing to say about today's stock market is that it's finally over. The Dow fell a staggering 513 points, or 4.3%, to close at 11,384. It's the worst point drop since December 2008 and the worst percentage drop since February 2009, reports MarketWatch . The S&P 500 plunged 60, or nearly 5%, and NASDAQ dropped 137, about 5%. All three major indexes are now in the red for the year. More»

Markets recover after last week's bloodbath

(NEWSER) - Stocks posted gains today as some investors bought up bargains in the wake of last week's big losses—but volume was light as most remained cautious ahead of the State of the Union address, a hearing on AIG's bailout, and a Fed interest-rate decision, the Wall Street Journal reports.

• The Dow rose 23.88 points to close at 10,196.86.
• The Nasdaq added 5.51, settling at 2,210.80.
• The S&P 500 gained 5.02, closing at 1,096.78.

Dow closes at highest level since October 2008

(NEWSER) - Stocks rallied today off an upswing in manufacturing activity for December and Fed comments that reaffirmed the central bank's continued commitment to low interest rates, the Wall Street Journal reports.

• The Dow jumped 155.91 points to close at 10,583.96.
• The Nasdaq added 39.27, closing at 2,308.42.
• The S&P 500 gained 17.89, settling at 1,132.99.