Flu Spooks Street; Dow Off 51

(NEWSER) - Swine flu fears, and negative reports about the banks left investors feeling ill this morning. The Dow fell 65 points, while Nasdaq fell 0.8% and the S&P 0.9%. Bank of America and Citigroup were headed south, down 7.5% and 6.2% respectively on reports that they’d need to raise capital following poor stress test showings. Airlines were also lower. Overseas, swine flu fears pushed the Nikkei down 2.7%. More»

(NEWSER) - Swine flu panic swept across markets today, sending stocks lower around the world. In the US, the Dow sank 80 points at the open, while the S&P and Nasdaq fell 1.1% and 1.2% respectively. In Asia, the Hang Seng tumbled 2.7%, while many major European indexes were down more than 1%. Commodities sank, with oil down almost $3 a barrel, as did transportation and travel stocks, with American Airlines down 7.6% More»

It's Dow's best finish since 2008

(NEWSER) - Today's rosy jobs report did wonders for the markets. The tech-heavy Nasdaq, in fact, closed at an 11-year high, reports MarketWatch , while the Dow finished at its highest level since May 2008, notes the Wall Street Journal . The numbers:

• Dow: Up 157, 1.2%, to 12,862
• Nasdaq: Up 46, 1.6%, to 2,906
• S&P 500: Up 19, 1.5%, to 1,345

Market has its best day this month

(AP) - Encouraging signs out of Europe and a surprisingly strong report on the US housing market drove the Dow Jones industrial average up more than 330 points today. It was the best day for stocks this month. The Spanish government pulled off a successful debt auction, and gauges of business and consumer confidence in Germany rose unexpectedly. The Commerce Department, meanwhile, said builders broke ground on 685,000 new homes last month, a 9.3% jump from October. That's the highest level since April 2010. More»

Dow drops triple digits

(NEWSER) - Stocks plunged at the opening bell today, thanks to the super committee's failure to reach a deal and the ongoing debt crisis in Europe. As of 9:37am, the Dow was down 158 points, while the Nasdaq and S&P were down 40 and 19 points, respectively, as investors bet that the US would suffer yet another credit rating downgrade. More»