Retail Gains Drive Dow Up 83

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»

Shifts start at 11pm on Thanksgiving, to employees' dismay

(NEWSER) - If you rolled your eyes at the news that some stores are opening at midnight on Black Friday, imagine how the employees of those stores feel. Target parking attendant Anthony Hardwick says that for his Black Friday shift—which starts at 11pm on Thursday—he’ll “have to go to bed in the early afternoon on Thanksgiving to go in and work 10 hours." So he started a Change.org petition asking Target to “save Thanksgiving” by opening at 5am instead. More»

Target, Macy's kicking off holiday shopping season earlier than ever

(NEWSER) - This year's Black Friday probably won't be the most lucrative for big American retailers—but for some, it will be the longest. For the first time, Macy's and Target are planning to open their doors and kick off the holiday shopping season at midnight on Thanksgiving night, where local laws allow. Macy's usually opens its door at 4am on Black Friday and other retailers are expected to nudge their hours up in response. More»