Dow Off 217; Tech, Banks Fall

September rally sees slight pullback

(NEWSER) - Stock indices finished mixed today after the markets reached what most traders saw as a slight pause in a very strong September, the Wall Street Journal reports. Financials led declines: AmEx fell 2.9%, while Bank of America lost 1.8%. Google rose 1.1% after Citigroup analysts boosted their third-quarter estimate. The Dow closed down 41.34 points at 9,778.86. The Nasdaq gained 5.18, closing at 2,138.04, while the S&P 500 lost 3.64, finishing at 1,064.66. More»

Dow sees triple-digit rise

(NEWSER) - Is the panic over on Wall Street? The Dow shot up around 131 points, and the S&P and Nasdaq were up 13.5 and 26.2 as of 9:39am EST. Part of the gain came from Google’s blockbuster acquisition of Motorola , which sent the latter’s stock up 60%, according to the Wall Street Journal . Traders were also watching two other major deals—Time Warner is reportedly close to an agreement to buy Insight Communications, and Bank of America sold its credit card portfolio to Toronto-Dominion Bank. More»

Dow gains 0.5% for the week, other indices fall

(NEWSER) - Energy stocks led declines on Wall Street today after Goldman Sachs downgraded coal firm Peabody Energy, and Dell reported a bigger-than-expected profit decline, the Wall Street Journal reports.

• The Dow closed down 14.28 points at 10,318.16.
• The Nasdaq lost 10.78, closing at 2,146.04.
• The S&P 500 fell 3.52, settling at 1,091.38.

Expectations for Caterpillar, AmEx earnings boost Dow

(NEWSER) - Stocks rallied today on expectations for this week’s earnings reports, with the Dow rising 96.28 points to hit a new 2009 high of 10,092.19. Caterpillar, which reports tomorrow, gained 6.5% after saying it would raise prices. American Express, which reports Thursday, gained 2.6%. Traders were cautiously optimistic about Apple, which reported better-than-projected results after the bell: its stock rose 1%. The Nasdaq gained 19.52 to close at 2,176.32, and the S&P 500 added 10.23 to close at 1,097.91, the Wall Street Journal reports. More»

Traders pessimistic about Google, IBM earnings

(NEWSER) - A rally in crude oil lifted shares of energy firms and saved stocks from a tech-driven slump. Oil rose $2.40 to $77.55 a barrel, boosting the likes of Chevron and Exxon. Google and IBM both saw losses as traders bet against the firms ahead of their third-quarter earnings reports. The Dow rose 47 points to close at 10,063. The Nasdaq added 1 point, settling at 2,173, and the S&P 500 gained 4 points to 1,096, reports the Wall Street Journal. More»