Sour Earnings Sink Stocks

Investors worried about Europe again

(NEWSER) - President Obama might be getting good reviews for his plan to shore up the US economy, but investors are far more worried about Europe, reports MarketWatch . The Dow was down more than 300 points at midday to below 11,000, and both Nasdaq and the S&P 500 were each down more than 2.6%. A Bloomberg report that Germany is preparing a contingency plan to protect its banks from a Greece default is contributing to the malaise. More»

S&P 500, Nasdaq follow suit

(NEWSER) - No major relief for the markets today, at least not so far: The Dow was down about 100 points at open, resting below 10,900, according to MarketWatch . The S&P 500 and Nasdaq were also down, 7 points and 5 points, respectively. And the news from abroad isn't any cheerier ... More»

S&P, Nasdaq follow suit

(NEWSER) - The Dow plunged more than 300 points at the open today, and dropped almost 500 before retreating, as investors worried about Europe and the global economy. It's currently hovering just below 11,000, according to Marketwatch . The S&P 500 also dropped 48 points to 1,146, while the Nasdaq fell 115 points to 2,397. The Wall Street Journal notes that, in particular, Bank of America and HP shares tumbled. More»

S&P 500, Nasdaq also rise

(NEWSER) - Markets are up, at least for now: The Dow was up more than 100 points at open, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq following suit, up about 11 and 13 points, respectively, MarketWatch reports. An upbeat report on retail sales no doubt prodded stocks upward: July sales rose a seasonally adjusted 0.5%, their biggest gain in four months. Currently the Dow is hovering in the 11,200 range. More»

Investors starting to panic that nobody has answers

(NEWSER) - What's behind the market meltdown? Some on-the-fly observations:

• Ezra Klein, Washington Post : The market is "diving because of forces Washington can’t control, and in many cases, doesn’t understand very well. How many members of Congress do you think could give a coherent account of what has happened to oil or steel prices over the last three years? Or what’s happening in the Eurozone? Or to the yuan?" Nobody knows where the recovery will come from, and the markets are reflecting that panic.