Dow Boots GM, Citi; Travelers, Cisco Take Spots

(NEWSER) - Stocks shot higher at the open this morning, as rising oil prices and strong manufacturing data from China outweighed news of GM's bankruptcy. The Dow rose 102 points; as of next Monday, the index will no longer include GM and Citigroup. The Nasdaq and S&P were each up 1.3%. Oil rose more than $2 to $68, driven in part by China’s announcement that industrial activity would increase for the third straight month. More»

(NEWSER) - More bankruptcy rumblings from General Motors sent stocks down early today, but the blow was cushioned by good news from the financial sector, the Wall Street Journal reports. Citi and Bank of America had double-digit gains ahead of what are expected to be solid earnings reports. The Dow finished down 25.57 at 8,057.81; the Nasdaq rose 0.77, to 1,653.31; and the S&P 500 gained 2.17 to 858.73. More»

Nobody's too big to sell

(NEWSER) - America's once-mightiest stocks have been humbled. Blue chips such as Citigroup, GE, and GM are trading at laughable levels, with Citgroup shares even going under a dollar yesterday. Analysts offer two main reasons for the troubles of big companies: they relied on offering financing to customers, which killed them in the credit crunch, and they are increasingly exposed to the global markets, the Washington Post reports. More»

Dow blows by Tuesday low

(NEWSER) - Stocks fell today, with the Dow passing the bear-market low it set Tuesday, and two giants of US banking and manufacturing trading at less than $2, MarketWatch reports. Mounting problems at Citigroup and General Motors drove their shares to $1.02, and $1.95, respectively. The Dow dropped 281.40 to close at 6,594.44. The Nasdaq lost 54.15, closing at 1,299.59, while the S&P 500 lost 30.32 to settle at 682.55. More»

(NEWSER) - Stocks limped higher at the open today, after a punishing Monday session that left the Dow below 7,000, its worst levels since April 1997. Today the Dow was up 80 points in early trading, the Wall Street Journal reports, while the S&P and Nasdaq added 1.6% and 1.5%, respectively. Financial stocks were modestly higher, with Citigroup up 11% and Bank of America up 4.7% More»