Market Opens Down on Grim Spending Data

(NEWSER) - Stocks headed higher at the open today, after a pair of promising economic reports. The Dow added 75 points, while the Nasdaq and S&P rose 1.1% and 1% respectively. Durable goods orders rose 1.9% last month, and new jobless claims fell 13,000 last week; both numbers beat analyst estimates. Trading was halted on GM shares, after bondholders struck a new deal with the company. More»

(NEWSER) - The ugly news on consumer spending cast a pall over Wall Street throughout today’s session, the Financial Times reports, pushing all three major indices down more than 2%. The unexpected dip in retail sales was particularly hard on retailers Target, Lowe’s, and Office Depot. The Dow finished off 184.22 at 8,284.89; the Nasdaq ended down 51.73, to 1,664.19; and the S&P 500 dropped 24.44, to 883.91. More»

Positive indicators, better policy, historical benchmarks; the time is right for a bottom

(NEWSER) - The tentative rally on Wall Street is reason enough for one economist to feel hopeful: "I’m ready to take another shot at calling the bottom," writes Michael Mandel in BusinessWeek. Since (apparently) bottoming out March 9, stocks have risen 20%, and the reasons behind the climb are genuine. Better policy, signs of economic revival, and historical data all point toward a possible sustained boost. More»

(NEWSER) - Stocks switched back into climbing mode this morning, after a better-than-expected durable goods report. The Dow rose 76 points, bolstered by GE's 4% surge, while the Nasdaq and S&P each gained about 1%. Durable goods orders rose 3.4% in February, defying analyst expectations of a 2% decline. But one economist urged caution. “It is much less impressive than it looks at first sight,” he said. “It cannot possibly last.” More»

(NEWSER) - Stocks tumbled at the open today, in the wake of a retail sales report that drastically missed estimates. The Dow dove 157 points, while the Nasdaq and S&P dropped 1.5% and 2.1% respectively. Sales fell 2.7%, more than twice the 1.2% economists predicted. Nortel Networks, meanwhile, shot down 76% after reports broke that it was filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy. More»