Stocks Tread Water

(NEWSER) - Good earnings reports and stellar performance by General Electric had markets at 2009 highs for a time today, the Wall Street Journal reports. “We have gotten so close to the S&P 1,000 level, you just sort of sense that unless there’s a horrible GDP number tomorrow, we’re going to have to go up and challenge this thing,” a strategist says. The Dow was up 83.74 to 9,154.46. The S&P gained 11.60 to end at 986.75. And the Nasdaq rose 16.54 to 1,984.30. 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»

It's Dow's best finish since 2008

(NEWSER) - Today's rosy jobs report did wonders for the markets. The tech-heavy Nasdaq, in fact, closed at an 11-year high, reports MarketWatch , while the Dow finished at its highest level since May 2008, notes the Wall Street Journal . The numbers:

• Dow: Up 157, 1.2%, to 12,862
• Nasdaq: Up 46, 1.6%, to 2,906
• S&P 500: Up 19, 1.5%, to 1,345

Market has its best day this month

(AP) - Encouraging signs out of Europe and a surprisingly strong report on the US housing market drove the Dow Jones industrial average up more than 330 points today. It was the best day for stocks this month. The Spanish government pulled off a successful debt auction, and gauges of business and consumer confidence in Germany rose unexpectedly. The Commerce Department, meanwhile, said builders broke ground on 685,000 new homes last month, a 9.3% jump from October. That's the highest level since April 2010. More»

Dow drops triple digits

(NEWSER) - Stocks plunged at the opening bell today, thanks to the super committee's failure to reach a deal and the ongoing debt crisis in Europe. As of 9:37am, the Dow was down 158 points, while the Nasdaq and S&P were down 40 and 19 points, respectively, as investors bet that the US would suffer yet another credit rating downgrade. More»