Fed Moves Street; Dow Up 91

(NEWSER) - A Treasury note bump and continued skittishness about the US economy sent stocks down today, the Wall Street Journal reports. “Yesterday, everyone was happy about the consumer,” one strategist said. “Now people are wondering about the flip side: What happens if consumption gets out of hand?” The Dow was down 173.47 to 8,300.02. The S&P lost 17.27, to 893.06. The Nasdaq shed 19.35 to 1,731.08. More»

Poor Treasury auction saps some investor confidence

(NEWSER) - Stocks wavered today, with the indices posting gains but off session highs, the Wall Street Journal reports. A rise in durable-goods orders stoked an early rally, but enthusiasm was tempered by weak demand for US Treasuries in an auction. The Dow dipped into losses in the afternoon, but closed up 89.60 at 7,749.81. The Nasdaq gained 12.43 to 1,528.95, and the S&P 500 rose 7.63, settling at 813.88. More»

But the rest of the bond market is attractively priced

(NEWSER) - As the credit and stock markets collapsed, investors rushed to Treasuries as the safest possible bet. But the rush to safety could be fueling a bubble, writes Andrew Bary for Barrons. Yields have been plummeting, with 10-year notes at 2.4% and three-month bills selling last week for 0.05%. The bonds will still pay out at maturity, but prices could fall steeply by year’s end. More»

Nasdaq, S&P also post huge gains

(AP) - Another crazy day for the markets, but this time they ended way up in positive territory. The Dow rose 430 points to close at 11,239, up nearly 4%. The Nasdaq rose 125 to 2,483 (5.29%) and the S&P 500 jumped 53 to 1,173 (4.74%). The Dow had been up triple digits most of the day until the Fed came out with a statement after 2pm saying that because the economy is weaker than thought, it would leave interest rates unchanged for another two years. More»

Markets recover after last week's bloodbath

(NEWSER) - Stocks posted gains today as some investors bought up bargains in the wake of last week's big losses—but volume was light as most remained cautious ahead of the State of the Union address, a hearing on AIG's bailout, and a Fed interest-rate decision, the Wall Street Journal reports.

• The Dow rose 23.88 points to close at 10,196.86.
• The Nasdaq added 5.51, settling at 2,210.80.
• The S&P 500 gained 5.02, closing at 1,096.78.