Housing Data Put Dow Off 29

(NEWSER) - Markets were up today on a surging food sector and good data from the manufacturing and housing industries, the Wall Street Journal reports. A key manufacturing activity index jumped from May to June, and an indicator of pending home sales also climbed for the fourth straight month. Amid the gains, the dollar weakened on strong economic recovery news from China. The Dow jumped 57.06 to 8,504.06, the S&P rose 4 to 923.32, and the Nasdaq tacked on 10.68 to end at 1,845.72. More»

(NEWSER) - Markets rallied today on positive news from the retail and housing sectors, the Wall Street Journal reports. Major builders saw stocks go up as much as 15%, leading some to predict an end to the crisis in the housing market. In retail, meanwhile, companies such as Bed Bath and Beyond and Best Buy benefited from the bankruptcies of competitors. The Dow was up 172.54 to 8,472.40. The S&P gained 19.33 to end at 920.27. And NASDAQ tacked on 37.20 to finish at 1,829.54. More»

(NEWSER) - Good news from the housing sector outweighed bank troubles today for Wall Street, the Journal reports. Manufacturer Alcoa tacked on 6%, and a housing-industry group said sales in April made the biggest jump in 8 years. Financials fell after more banks announced plans to pay back TARP loans through stock offerings. The Dow was up 19.43 to 8.740.87. The S&P gained 1.91, ending at 944.78. And the Nasdaq rose 8.12 to 1,836.80. More»

(NEWSER) - Markets were off today on news that credit raters might downgrade England and other countries, the Wall Street Journal reports. Though oil remained stable, the stocks of construction-related firms like Home Depot, Caterpillar, and Alcoa plunged; the price of gold surged. The Dow was off 129.91 to 8,292.13. The S&P fell 15.14 to 888.33. The Nasdaq ended 32.59 lower at 1,695.25. More»

Analyst chalks it up to psychology

(NEWSER) - Stocks had their best day in more than a week today, with the Dow jumping a whopping 322 points, while the Nasdaq and S&P gained 101 and 39 points respectively. Investors are betting that the Federal Reserve will heap more stimulus on the economy this week, Bloomberg reports, while a market analyst tells MarketWatch that the rally should be chalked up to “a shift in investor psychology.” More»