Dow Gains 49 Before Holiday

Crude falls, durable goods rise, but foreclosures also climb

(NEWSER) - The Dow and S&P 500 seesawed to minor gains today amid mixed economic reports, MarketWatch reports. The Dow rose 21.41 to 11,370.69, the S&P 500 5.22 to 1,257.76. Bolstered by the relative insulation from the economic slump enjoyed by tech stocks , the Nasdaq gained 30.42 to close at 2,310.53. More»

Retail sales beat expectations in November

(NEWSER) - Stocks ended today's session mixed, with the Dow posting solid gains. Alcoa saw a. 8% jump on an optimistic profit estimate by JPMorgan, and the University of Michigan/Reuters December consumer sentiment index beat expectations, the Wall Street Journal reports.

• The Dow rose 65.67 points to close at 10,471.50.
• The Nasdaq fell 0.55, settling at 2,190.51.
• The S&P 500 gained 4.06, closing at 1,106.41.

Gains in durable goods mostly due to defense, aircraft orders

(NEWSER) - Stocks barely eked out gains today, as positive reports on housing and durable goods orders failed to excite investors, the Wall Street Journal reports. New-home sales rose 9.6% in July, beating expectations, while inventories dropped to the lowest level since April 2007. The Dow closed up 4 points at 9,544. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 were flat, closing at their opening values of 2,024 and 1,028, respectively. More»

(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»