Stocks Plummet on UK's Credit Woes

(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»

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»

Dow loses 135 points at open, now down more than 500

(NEWSER) - Investors reacted to the S&P's US credit rating downgrade and Europe's debt woes today exactly the way you'd expect: They panicked. Stocks started low, and have sunk ever deeper throughout the day. As of 2:26pm EST, the Dow was down a whopping 600 points, taking it below 11,000, with the S&P and Nasdaq falling around 76 and 158 points, respectively. “The initial reaction with most things problematic in the market is to sell and ask questions later,” one investment banker told the Wall Street Journal this morning. More»

Oil hits $71.2 a barrel, highest price in a month

(NEWSER) - Stocks rallied today on signs of a turnaround for US manufacturing, the Wall Street Journal reports. Oil rose $2.13, to $71.27 per barrel, its highest price in a month, and banks HSBC and Barclays reported strong quarterly earnings. The Dow closed up 114.95 to settle at 9,286.56. The Nasdaq added 30.11, settling at 2,008.61, and the S&P 500 rose 15.15 to close at 1,002.63. More»

Rally extends into 4th day on Roubini comments, tech optimism

(NEWSER) - Stocks gained today as the tech sector continued to inspire and economist Nouriel Roubini predicted a recovery in late 2009, the Wall Street Journal reports. Though the looming bankruptcy of CIT Group depressed stocks most of the day, financials were able to trim losses before the close. The Dow rose 95.61, closing at 8,711.82. The Nasdaq gained 22.13, settling at 1,885.03, and the S&P 500 added 8.06, to 940.74 More»