Stocks Mixed; Dow Up 15

Mining giants Bucyrus, Terex to merge

(NEWSER) - Stocks saw broad gains today as analysts upgraded blue chips Alcoa and Intel and big mergers were announced in the mining and health-care sectors, the Wall Street Journal reports.

• The Dow rose 85.25 points to close at 10,414.14.
• The Nasdaq added 25.97, ending the session at 2,237.66.
• The S&P 500 gained 11.58 to settle at 1,114.05.

September strength in service sector gives stocks a boost

(NEWSER) - Stocks surged to gains late in the session today, as traders placed bets ahead of the third-quarter earnings season. Alcoa, which is expected to report a strong quarter, gained 4.6%. The ISM reported an upturn in the service sector in September—its index rose to 50.9, with a reading over 50 signaling growth. The Dow rose 112.08 points to close at 9,599.75. The Nasdaq was up 20.04, settling at 2,068.15, and the S&P 500 gained 15.25 to close at 1,040.46, the Wall Street Journal reports. More»

(NEWSER) - The tech sector drove a substantial market rally today led by rosy projections from chipmaker Intel, the Wall Street Journal reports. Other technology stocks followed Intel—up 7.5%—as investors predicted a resurgence of the consumer electronics market. Good news from the Fed and the credit industry also helped fuel the surge. The Dow was up 257.62, or 3.1%, to 8,616.21. The S&P gained 26.83, to 932.67. And NASDAQ tacked on 63.17 to end at 1,862.90. More»

(NEWSER) - Tech stocks soared at the open today, taking major indexes with them, after a strong quarter and upbeat outlook from Intel, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow rose 100 points, while the Nasdaq added 30 points and the S&P 11.45 points. Intel was up 7.5% pre-market. “Clearly, Intel is seeing a firming up in demand," said one analyst. “It's encouraging news for the industry.” More»

(NEWSER) - Good news from the housing sector outweighed bank troubles today for Wall Street, the Journal reports. Manufacturer Alcoa tacked on 6%, and a housing-industry group said sales in April made the biggest jump in 8 years. Financials fell after more banks announced plans to pay back TARP loans through stock offerings. The Dow was up 19.43 to 8.740.87. The S&P gained 1.91, ending at 944.78. And the Nasdaq rose 8.12 to 1,836.80. More»