Markets Ignore Upbeat News, Head Down

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»

(NEWSER) - Stocks were essentially flat at today's open on the heels of yesterday’s huge rally. The Dow inched down 15 points, while the Nasdaq and S&P fell 0.5% and 0.3%, respectively. Commodity prices were backing off, though oil still hovered around $68 a barrel. Financials were mixed, with Barclays down 12% in US trading after Abu Dhabi’s International Petroleum Investment Co, announced it would sell more than a billion shares. More»

(NEWSER) - Stocks shot higher at the open this morning, as rising oil prices and strong manufacturing data from China outweighed news of GM's bankruptcy. The Dow rose 102 points; as of next Monday, the index will no longer include GM and Citigroup. The Nasdaq and S&P were each up 1.3%. Oil rose more than $2 to $68, driven in part by China’s announcement that industrial activity would increase for the third straight month. More»

Dow up 140

(NEWSER) - Stocks surged at the opening bell this morning, as traders registered approval of the central banks’ move to inject $360 billion into global money markets. The Dow jumped 118 points, while the S&P and Nasdaq rose 1.6% and 2% respectively. “These joint interventions are welcomed by the market, showing the Fed is trying to solve the logjam,” said one economist. More»

Dow returns to 11K-plus territory

(NEWSER) - As AIG's future became somewhat clearer, the wildly fluctuating markets settled into positive territory at the end of today's session. Rumors that the Fed will bail out the mega-insurer helped nearly erase a 74% decline, Bloomberg reports. The Dow closed up 141.51 at 11,059.02, the Nasdaq gained 22.45 to 2,202.36, and the S&P 500 rose 20.86 to 1,213.56. More»