Worries Prevail, Dow Falls 42

Amazon, Microsoft fall after weak earnings

(NEWSER) - The tech sector exerted downward pressure on stocks today, snapping the Nasdaq’s 12-day winning streak, the Wall Street Journal reports. Microsoft sank 8.9% after reporting a 29% drop in quarterly earnings, while Amazon fell 8.3% after also reporting a disappointing quarter. Alcoa, Pfizer, and Merck helped the Dow climb with modest advances. The Dow gained 23.95 points to close at 9,093.24. The Nasdaq lost 7.64, settling at 1,965.96, and the S&P 500 added 2.97, closing at 979.26. More»

Manufacturing, housing demand reports disappoint

(NEWSER) - Stocks fell today as a sharp monthly decline in the New York Fed’s manufacturing index hammered the materials, industrial, and energy sectors, the Wall Street Journal reports. Alcoa fell 6.3%, with Caterpillar, John Deere, and GE also down. In housing, the National Association of Home Builders’ index of demand for real estate unexpectedly fell in June. The Dow lost 187.13 points to settle at 8,612.13. the Nasdaq fell 42.42 to 1,816.38, while the S&P 500 closed down 22.49 at 923.72. More»

Price of barrel drops to $126, a 7-week low

(NEWSER) - Stocks climbed to robust gains by the end of today’s session as a drop in oil helped offset a spread of mixed earning reports, MarketWatch reports. The Dow gained 135.16 points to close at 11,602.50, the Nasdaq rose 24.43 to 2,303.9, and the S&P 500 climbed 17.01 points to 1,277.01. More»

Investors worry about bad news in coming earnings reports

(NEWSER) - Stocks were flat today after worries about coming first-quarter earnings reports kept a financial stocks rally from taking hold, MarketWatch reports. The Dow rose 3.01 to 12,612.42; the S&P 500 rose 2.14 to 1,372.54; and the Nasdaq was off 6.15 to close at 2,364.83. More»

(NEWSER) - The Dow had its biggest fall in a month today, as investors showed anxiety over third-quarter earnings. The key index dropped 85.84 points from yesterday's record high to 14,078.69, after aluminum maker Alcoa announced a sales slippage of 3.2%. Boeing contributed to the bearish day with a 2.7% loss, Bloomberg reports, after it pushed back delivery of its much-delayed 787 Dreamliner for 6 more months. More»