Dismal Day Ends Dismal Week

Bad employment data another signal of recession; still, indices up for week

(NEWSER) - Stocks ended mixed today as a commodities rally contrasted with disappointing employment news, the Wall Street Journal reports—though the major indices were up for the week. The Dow fell 16.61 to close at 12,609.42, up 3.2% for the week. The Nasdaq gained 7.68 points to 2,370.98, a weekly gain of 4.9%; the S&P 500 rose 1.09 point to 1,370.40, rising 4.2% for the week. More»

Data on home resales spur rally

(NEWSER) - Stocks rallied today on news that home resales jumped 10.1% in October and comments from the president of the St. Louis Fed reaffirming the government's extended commitment to support the credit markets, the Wall Street Journal reports.

• The Dow jumped 132.79 points to close at 10,450.95, a new high for 2009.
• The Nasdaq added 29.97, closing at 2,176.01.
• The S&P 500 rose 14.86 to settle at 1,106.24.

Markets continue 7th day of wild variations

(NEWSER) - Stocks seesawed today as good economic data on industry and the housing sector drove big early gains, which then fell victim to selloffs in the financial sector, the Wall Street Journal reports.

• The Dow climbed 76.71 points to close at 9,789.44.
• Nasdaq tacked on 4.09 to end at 2,049.20.
• The S&P gained 6.60 and wound up at 1,042.88.

(NEWSER) - Yesterday’s rally segued into a regular day today as markets remained mostly flat on mixed economic data, the Wall Street Journal reports. Home sales were up, but incomes down, and an expected report on rising US oil reserves hurt energy stocks. “It's a day of consolidation after we've had a very strong run,” an analyst says. The Dow was up 33.63 to 9,320.19, the S&P rose 3.02 to 1,005.65, and NASDAQ gained 2.70 to end at 2,011.31. More»

(NEWSER) - A bad Case-Shiller number helped push stocks lower at the open, with the Dow down 37 points, and the Nasdaq and S&P down 0.4% and 0.5% respectively. Home prices fell more than 10% year-over-year in 15 of the 20 major metropolitan areas monitored by the Case-Shiller index, reports the Wall Street Journal. Traders are also nervous about North Korea’s missile tests. GM shares were down 20%, as it faces what is expected to be its last pre-bankruptcy week. More»