Earnings Send Stocks Higher

(NEWSER) - Good earnings reports and stellar performance by General Electric had markets at 2009 highs for a time today, the Wall Street Journal reports. “We have gotten so close to the S&P 1,000 level, you just sort of sense that unless there’s a horrible GDP number tomorrow, we’re going to have to go up and challenge this thing,” a strategist says. The Dow was up 83.74 to 9,154.46. The S&P gained 11.60 to end at 986.75. And the Nasdaq rose 16.54 to 1,984.30. More»

(NEWSER) - Tech stocks soared at the open today, taking major indexes with them, after a strong quarter and upbeat outlook from Intel, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow rose 100 points, while the Nasdaq added 30 points and the S&P 11.45 points. Intel was up 7.5% pre-market. “Clearly, Intel is seeing a firming up in demand," said one analyst. “It's encouraging news for the industry.” More»

(NEWSER) - Stocks slid at the open, as Citigroup slashed jobs and retailers reported yet more disappointing results. The Dow lost 160 points, while the S&P and Nasdaq dropped 1.8% and 1.5% respectively. Among the big drops were Target and Lowe’s, which each took a 24% hit to their third-quarter nets. Target shares dipped 3%, while Lowe's plunged 34%. 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»