Dow Off 77 on Consumer Data

(NEWSER) - Markets were mixed today as positive economic indicators and surging tech stocks battled with a Fed announcement that interest rates would be held near zero, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow lost early momentum, but the Nasdaq flourished. “We’ve basically come through a panic phase,” an analyst said of tech buying. The Dow was off 23.05 to 8,299.86. The S&P rose 5.84 to 900.94. And the Nasdaq gained 27.42 to 1,792.34. More»

(NEWSER) - Markets fell today after the Federal Reserve warned of a more prolonged recession than it previously expected, the Wall Street Journal reports. Financials and tech contributed to the plunge, which even a 6-month high in oil prices could not stop. “We’re just dealing with a stock market that was defying gravity,” a broker said. The Dow was off 52.81 to 8,422.04. The S&P fell 4.66 to 903.47. The Nasdaq lost 6.70, ending at 1,727.84. More»

Retailers’ sales sink as homes out-perform expectations

(NEWSER) - Stocks rose slightly today as retail woes were somewhat offset by August home sales that outperformed expectations, MarketWatch reports. Led by Microsoft, which rode the release of “Halo 3” to a 1.5% jump, the Dow climbed 19.59 to 13,778.65. The S&P dipped 0.52 to 1,517.21, and the Nasdaq closed at 2,683.45, up 15.50. More»

All indexes fall as traders bite nails over tomorrow's Federal Reserve meeting

(NEWSER) - Wall Street bit its collective nails today, with fear mounting that the Fed meeting tomorrow will result in a rate cut of only 25 basis points rather than the 50 traders crave. The Dow fell 39.10 to 13,403.42, the S&P 500 dipped 7.60 to 1,476.65, and underperforming tech hauled the Nasdaq down 20.52 to 2,581.66. 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»