Jobs Lift Stocks; Dow Up 114

(NEWSER) - Stocks ran out of gas at the open today, as investors digested a grim jobs report. The Dow and S&P were essentially flat, the Wall Street Journal reports, while the Nasdaq inched higher, on strong earnings from Research in Motion. The BlackBerry maker posted a 26% gain in earnings and was rewarded with a more than 21% share jump. The Labor Department’s latest report showed unemployment at a 25-year-high. More»

Unemployment rate holds at 9.7%

(NEWSER) - A better-than-expected jobs report fueled a rally in stocks to close out the week. Nonfarm payrolls fell by 36,000 in February, far less than the predicted level of 75,000, the Wall Street Journal reports.

• The Dow gained 122.06 points to close at 10,566.20.
• The Nasdaq picked up 334.04, settling at 2,326.35.
• The S&P 500 added 15.72, closing at 1,138.69.

Financials rally against broader slump

(NEWSER) - Stocks fell today on dour data, though some financial firms rallied against the broader slump, the Wall Street Journal reports. The private sector lost 371,000 jobs in July, and the Institute for Supply Management’s index of non-manufacturing activity fell to 46.4 from 47.0 in June. Nonetheless, AIG surged 60.8% and CIT Group rose 40.6%. The Dow closed 39 points lower at 9,281. The Nasdaq shed 18 points to close at 1,993, and the S&P 500 lost 3 points, settling at 1,003. More»

(NEWSER) - Stocks posted losses today, soured all session by worse-than-expected June employment data, the Wall Street Journal reports. With unemployment up a tenth of a percent to 9.5% and wages remaining stagnant, investors have little to be optimistic about. The Dow lost 223.32 to settle at 8,280.74. The Nadsaq dropped 49.20, hitting 1,796.52, and the S&P 500 fell 26.90 to close at 896.43. More»

(NEWSER) - Stocks tumbled at the open today after a worse-than-expected drop in June payroll figures, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow sunk 135 points, while the Nasdaq and S&P fell 1.8% and 1.6%, respectively. The economy shed 467,000 non-farm jobs in June; economists had predicted a loss of 350,000. “Jobs are usually a lagging indicator,” said one researcher. “But this time, they’re almost a leading indicator. This is a consumer led recession.” More»