Suddenly, Blue Chips Are Penny Stocks

Overhauls drive firms off Industrial Average, says editor

(NEWSER) - General Motors and Citigroup are losing their spots on the Dow Jones Industrial Average after GM filed for bankruptcy, MarketWatch reports. Replacing them are Cisco Systems and The Travelers Companies. “A bankruptcy filing immediately disqualifies a stock regardless of a company's history or its role as a cultural icon,” said Dow Jones’ editor-in-chief. 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»

(NEWSER) - Better-than-expected earnings from GE and Citigroup barely produced a ripple in the broader market this morning, the Wall Street Journal reports. Stocks were mixed, with the Dow inching up 33 points, the Nasdaq slipping 6.42 points, and the S&P flat. Citi got a 9.5% boost off its surprise profit, while GE was up 2.4%. GM was up 5.2% after releasing more details on its restructuring. More»

(NEWSER) - More bankruptcy rumblings from General Motors sent stocks down early today, but the blow was cushioned by good news from the financial sector, the Wall Street Journal reports. Citi and Bank of America had double-digit gains ahead of what are expected to be solid earnings reports. The Dow finished down 25.57 at 8,057.81; the Nasdaq rose 0.77, to 1,653.31; and the S&P 500 gained 2.17 to 858.73. More»

Nationalization talk spurs financial sell-off

(NEWSER) - Stocks lost value again today as talk of nationalizing top US banks spurred investors to sell financials, MarketWatch reports. The Obama administration tried to tamp down the nationalization chatter, but without success. Meanwhile, General Electric and General Motors fell 6% and 16%, respectively. The Dow lost 100.28 to close at 7,365.67. The Nasdaq closed down 1.59 at 1,441.23, and the S&P 500 lost 8.89 to settle at 770.05. More»