Dow Climbs 64 as Investors Await Jobs Report

Investors predict payroll gains for March

(NEWSER) - Gains in financial stocks kept the markets afloat today. Both AIG and Citigroup closed up, in part because of a successful offering of $2 billion in trust preferred securities, the Wall Street Journal reports.

• The Dow gained 2.95 points to close at 10,567.33.
• The Nasdaq added 18.27 to settle at 2,358.95.
• The S&P 500 rose 5.17, closing at 1,145.61.

Housing sales decline; Buffet boosts Goldman

(NEWSER) - Stocks swung between gains and losses today as the proposed financial bailout continued to dominate conversation but remained unsettled. The technology-rich Nasdaq was more insulated from the swings, and closed up 2.35 at 2,155.68. The Dow lost 29.00 to close at 10,825.17, while the S&P 500 shed 2.35, settling at 1,185.87, the Wall Street Journal reports. More»

Bailout plan reassures investors

(NEWSER) - Stocks continued to rally today, gaining enough on news of the government’s plan to form a debt relief agency for financial firms that the week's last two sessions saw the markets almost overcome the week’s earlier losses, MarketWatch reports. The Dow gained 368.75 to close at 11,388.44, the Nasdaq rose 74.80 to 2,273.90, and the S&P 500 climbed 48.57 to 1,255.08. More»

AIG, Citi, oil spook investors; even commodities look less safe in downturn

(NEWSER) - Stocks performed poorly today, battered by another new oil high and bad news from AIG and Citigroup, Bloomberg reports. The Dow lost 120.90 to end at 12,745.88, with a weekly loss of 2.4%. The S&P 500 shed 9.50 to 1,388.28, while the Nasdaq dropped 5.72 to settle at 2,445.52. More»

Financial sell-off follows Fed's move, sends markets plummeting

(NEWSER) - News of the Bear Stearns bailout triggered a sell-off today as investors were reminded that the true depth and breadth of current credit problems remains uncertain, the Wall Street Journal reports. Bear Stearns stock closed at 30, down a breathtaking 47.4% on the day. The Dow fell 194.65 to 11,951.09, the Nasdaq 51.12 to 2,212.49, and the S&P 500 27.34 to 1,288.14. More»