Dow Falls 427 to Below 8,000

Investors overcome grim FOMC minutes

(NEWSER) - Stocks posted gains today after dipping into the red after the release of minutes from the Fed open market committee’s March meeting, during which forecasts were lowered, the Wall Street Journal reports. Family Dollar Stores' strong earnings report encouraged investors, and the consumer and retail sectors saw broad advances. The Dow rose 47.55 points to close at 7,837.11. The Nasdaq gained 29.05, closing at 1,590.66, while the S&P 500 added 9.61, settling at 825.16. More»

US industrial output falls for November

(NEWSER) - Stocks lost value today as investors await tomorrow’s meeting of the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate committee, and digested various bits of bad news on financial firms and manufacturing, MarketWatch reports. The Dow fell 65.15 to 8,564.53. The Nasdaq lost 32.38, closing at 1,508.34, while the S&P 500 lost 11.16 to settle at 868.57. More»

More ugly news makes for yet another volatile day

(NEWSER) - Stocks remained volatile and swung lower at the end of the today’s session,as bad economic news convinced investors the financial crisis is not over yet, MarketWatch reports. The Dow closed down 127.04 at 8,852.22, but posted a weekly gain after four weeks of losses. The Nasdaq lost 6.42 to 1,711.29, and the S&P 500 fell 5.88 to settle at 940.55. More»

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.

GE, financials gain; Fed shows industrial activity up for August

(NEWSER) - Stocks rallied today, with all three major indices hitting their highest levels of the year, the Wall Street Journal reports. GE surged 5.69%, AmEx 3.06%, and BofA 2.80% on good data: Industrial production gained 0.8% in August, and the Labor Department’s consumer-price index rose 0.4%. The Dow closed up 108 points at 9,791, Nasdaq added 30 points to 2,133, and the S&P 500 rose 16 points to 1,069. More»