Oil Drives Uneven Finish

Bernanke's comments encourage the battered financial sector

(NEWSER) - The markets made strong gains today as crude futures fell more than $5 and the Fed took steps to shore up the housing market, MarketWatch reports. The Dow gained 152.25 points, its biggest jump in a month, to close at 11,384.21. The Nasdaq rose 51.10 points to 2,294.42, and the S&P 500 rose 21.39 points to 1,273.70. More»

Oil drop, Fed's confidence in growth not enough to preserve rise

(NEWSER) - The markets rallied for much of the day on news of ebbing oil prices and the Fed's decision to hold rates steady, but it fell mostly flat by the finish on nagging worries about long-term growth, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow—at one point up more than 100 points—added 4.40 points to 11,811.83. The Nasdaq climbed 32.98 points to 2,401.26, while the S&P 500 rose 7.68 points to 1,321.97. More»

Drop in oil, strong greenback pushes Dow to weekly gains

(NEWSER) - The markets rallied today, pushing the Dow into positive territory for the week, off a strong dollar and a drop in oil prices. The Dow gained 165.77 to close at 12,307.35, a weekly gain of 0.8%. The Nasdaq climbed 50.15 to 2,454.50 but posted a weekly loss of 0.8%. The S&P 500 gained 20.16, settling at 1,360.03, flat for the week. More»

Jobs rally undercut by, dollar boom, sinking commodities

(NEWSER) - Stocks posted modest gains today after a morning rally off an unexpectedly strong jobs report. The surge lost steam when a rise in the dollar sapped commodity stocks, the Wall Street Journal reports.

• The Dow rose 22.75 points to close at 10,388.90.
• The Nasdaq added 21.21, settling at 2,194.35.
• The S&P 500 gained 6.06, closing at 1,105.98.

Bernanke predicts US GDP growth in 2010

(NEWSER) - Stocks rallied today on news of strong third-quarter economic growth in Japan and reassurance from Ben Bernanke that the Fed will keep interest rates low, the Wall Street Journal reports.

• The Dow rose 136.49 points to close at 10,406,96.
• The Nasdaq gained 29.97, settling at 2,197.85.
• The S&P 500 added 15.82 to close at 1,109.30.