Jittery Market Stays Put; Oil Slides Below $70

Bad news from Texas Instruments, high crude prices quash optimism

(NEWSER) - Stocks fell today, with investors shying away from tech after Texas Instruments slashed its sales forecast. NYSE losers outpaced winners 9 to 7, the Dow dropped 16.74 to 13,291.65, the Nasdaq fell 5.40 to 2,592.07, and the S&P held steady. “We had a pretty explosive rally yesterday,” said one strategist, “and the day after we tend to gather our thoughts.” More»

Bear Stearns downgrade stirs more trouble as Dow loses 2%

(NEWSER) - After two straight days of gains and a steady morning the Dow plummeted in a selloff late this afternoon, losing 2% of its value to close at 13179.71, down 283.62. Bear Stearns lost big after Standard and Poors downgraded the subprime-laden i-bank from "stable" to "negative," stirring more worries over the deeply troubled credit market. Financial stocks followed expeditiously: Lehman brothers lost almost 8%. 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»