Street Rallies on Retail, Jobs

(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 crept slightly higher today, with the Dow up 22 points and the Nasdaq and S&P up 10.42 and 2.48 respectively. Wal-Mart gained 1% on an earnings report precisely in line with expectations, and Kohl’s better-than-expected number sent it up 2%. But any optimism was offset by a 32,000 jump in jobless claims. A record 6.56 million are now drawing unemployment benefits. More»

(NEWSER) - Stocks slid at the open today, following yet more negative numbers from retailers and the Labor Department, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow dropped 52 points, while the S&P fell 1%. The Nasdaq dropped 1.2%, weighed down by sub-par earnings from Cisco. New jobless claims ripped past the 600,000 mark last week, marking their highest level since 1982, while every retailer save Wal-Mart reported weak same-store sales. More»

Bank of America continues fall as government fix remains unclear

(NEWSER) - The stock market saw losses today as ugly earnings reports and continued uncertainty over the banking sector soured investor confidence, the Wall Street Journal reports. Bank of America, off 10.6%, was that sector’s big casualty; a grim forecast pushed Costco down 6.8%. The Dow fell 121.70 to 7,956.66. The Nasdaq lost 1.25, to 1,515.05, and the S&P 500 dropped 6.28 to close at 832.23. 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»