Data Boosts Stocks, Dow Up 71

Eased worries on liquidity nearly erase yesterday's dive

(NEWSER) - Stocks enjoyed a steady rally today off of surprisingly good manufacturing data and renewed investor confidence in Fannie and Freddie Mae, achieving the first weekly gain in a month, since the market is closed tomorrow, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow rose 261.66 points, ending at 12,361.32; the Nasdaq gained 48.15 points to 2,258.11; and the S&P 500 added 31.09 to close at 1,329.51. More»

Dow drops nearly 143 points on weak manufacturing news

(NEWSER) - Energy and industrial shares led the markets on a decline that saw all the major indexes fall more than 1%, MarketWatch reports. A drop in oil prices hurt energy stocks, and the Philadelphia Federal Reserve said regional manufacturing had contracted. The Dow fell 142.96 points to 12,284.30, the Nasdaq 27.32 to 2,299.78, and the S&P 500 17.53 to 1,342.53. More»

It's Dow's best finish since 2008

(NEWSER) - Today's rosy jobs report did wonders for the markets. The tech-heavy Nasdaq, in fact, closed at an 11-year high, reports MarketWatch , while the Dow finished at its highest level since May 2008, notes the Wall Street Journal . The numbers:

• Dow: Up 157, 1.2%, to 12,862
• Nasdaq: Up 46, 1.6%, to 2,906
• S&P 500: Up 19, 1.5%, to 1,345

Market has its best day this month

(AP) - Encouraging signs out of Europe and a surprisingly strong report on the US housing market drove the Dow Jones industrial average up more than 330 points today. It was the best day for stocks this month. The Spanish government pulled off a successful debt auction, and gauges of business and consumer confidence in Germany rose unexpectedly. The Commerce Department, meanwhile, said builders broke ground on 685,000 new homes last month, a 9.3% jump from October. That's the highest level since April 2010. 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»