Dow Surges 379, Biggest Gain of Year

Big gains for major banks ahead of earnings reports

(NEWSER) - Stocks staged a broad rally today as financials soared ahead of earnings reports, the Wall Street Journal reports. Bank of America surged 9%, while Citigroup and JP Morgan Chase rose 6.9%. General Electric, which will also report its second-quarter earnings this week, rose 6.1%. The Dow closed up 185.16 at 8,331.68. The Nasdaq added 37.18 to 1,793.21, and the S&P 500 rose 21.92, settling at 901.05. More»

Dow falls 289 on financial uncertainty

(NEWSER) - Stocks saw deep declines today as uneasiness over banking spilled into the broader market, the Wall Street Journal reports. Bank of America slid 22% on word of growing losses in its credit-card unit. Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase also fell on reports of a Treasury move that may dilute shareholder value. The Dow lost 289.60 to close at 7,841.73. The Nasdaq shed 64.86, to 1,608.21, and the S&P 500 lost 37.21 to 832.39. More»

(NEWSER) - Stocks turned south this morning, as a series of downgrades and bad news for the Sun/IBM deal spooked investors ahead of earnings season, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow dropped 92, the S&P 12. Financials sank after a veteran analyst downgraded 11 major US banks. The Nasdaq fell 33, after a downgrade from Cisco and a report that the Sun takeover deal was in jeopardy. More»

Banks' continued troubles unnerve investors

(NEWSER) - Stocks finished just barely in positive territory today, MarketWatch reports. Nervousness about US banks’ continued need for government funds dropped the Dow below 8,000, but bargain-hunters pushed the index higher, and it closed at 8,212.49, up 12.35 points on the day. The Nasdaq rose 22.20, settling at 1,511.84, and the S&P 500 added 1.12, closing at 843.74. More»

Markets seesaw, close down

(NEWSER) - The Dow closed below 13,000 today after seesawing on bad news from the financial sector and falling oil prices. The Dow finished at 12,987.55, down 55.19, after E*Trade said further mortgage-related write-downs might come—and its shares dropped 56%. The Nasdaq slid 43.81 to close at 2,584.13, and the S&P 500 dropped 14.52 to 1,439.18. More»