Stocks Skid on Jobs Numbers

(NEWSER) - Stocks inched higher this morning as investors chewed on retailer and jobs data. The Dow added 17 points while the Nasdaq and S&P rose 9.03 and 3.17 points respectively. Jobless claims took a rare step in the right direction last week, with ongoing claims dropping for the first time since January. Retailers also released some disappointing same-store sales numbers: Both Limited Brands and Costco reported 7% dips. More»

(NEWSER) - Stocks climbed at the open, following jobless claims and wholesale price reports that, for once, didn’t contain any nasty surprises. The Dow was up 35 points, while the Nasdaq and S&P each rose about 0.8%. The producer-price index rose 0.8% in January, reflecting a widespread rise in wholesale prices. Meanwhile, the level of new jobless claims remained constant, though the number of workers drawing unemployment benefits for more than a week hit a new record. More»

(NEWSER) - Stocks slid at the open today, following yet more negative numbers from retailers and the Labor Department, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow dropped 52 points, while the S&P fell 1%. The Nasdaq dropped 1.2%, weighed down by sub-par earnings from Cisco. New jobless claims ripped past the 600,000 mark last week, marking their highest level since 1982, while every retailer save Wal-Mart reported weak same-store sales. More»

(NEWSER) - Stocks headed south this morning, following worse-than-expected housing and job data. Jobless claims rose by 62,000 last week, and housing starts slid 15.5%, to their slowest pace on record. The Dow sunk 144 points, accompanied by an 18-point decline in the S&P. A strong quarter from Apple initially lifted Nasdaq futures, but news that Microsoft is slashing 5,000 jobs sent the tech-heavy index down 45 points. More»

Dow makes miniscule move

(NEWSER) - Stocks barely moved at the open in the wake of a gruesome but unsurprising jobs report. The Dow fluctuated between gains and losses, recently trading down 27 points, with the Nasdaq and S&P registering 0.6% and 0.5% declines. The country lost 2.6 million jobs in 2008, the Labor Department announced, with nearly 2 million of those coming in the last four months alone. The jobless rate is now 7.2%. More»