Dow Falls 203 Ahead of Jobs Report

Manufacturing employment rises

(NEWSER) - News of Prudential's agreement to buy AIG's Asia division sowed confidence on Wall Street today. Stocks rose, boosted as well by a jump in manufacturing employment, the Wall Street Journal reports.

• The Dow rose 78.53 points to close at 10,403.79.
• The Nasdaq added 35.31, closing at 2,273.57.
• The S&P 500 gained 11.22 to settle at 1,115.71.

Dow off 170 midday on European credit woes

(NEWSER) - Stocks regained their opening levels after severe losses that saw the Dow off 170 points at midday today. Despite better-than-expected US employment figures, worries about the creditworthiness of some troubled European nations exerted downward pressure on stocks, the Wall Street Journal reports.

• The Dow Jones closed up 10.05 points at 10,012.23.
• The Nasdaq gained 15.69 to close at 2,141.12.
• The S&P 500 added 3.07 to settle at 1,066.18.

Oil hits $70.47, a 2-month low

(NEWSER) - Stocks posted solid gains today following a weekly jobs report that showed a boost in initial unemployment filings but a fall in the number of claims lasting longer than 1 week, the Wall Street Journal reports.

• The Dow rose 68.78 points to close at 10,405.83.
• The Nasdaq added 7.13, settling at 2,199.86.
• The S&P 500 gained 6.40, closing at 1,102.35.

Seesaw session ends with losses

(NEWSER) - Stocks swung to losses after flirting briefly with gains late in today's session to close the worst week since mid-June. The news that unemployment grew to 9.8% in September depressed the markets, but analysts said so much disappointing data emerged this week that most traders had already unloaded shares. Also driving the late swing was bargain-hunting after the week's severe losses. The Dow fell 21.61 points to close at 9,487.67. The Nasdaq lost 9.37, closing at 2,048.11, and the S&P 500 fell 4.64 to settle at 1,025.21. More»

Dow makes 15% Quarterly Gain, amid disappointing economic data for September

(NEWSER) - Disappointing economic data drove stocks lower today but couldn't dent strong gains for the third quarter. ADP reported bigger job losses than expected in September, and the Chicago Institute for Supply Management's business index dropped more than expected. The Dow fell 30 points to close at 9,718. The Nasdaq lost 2 points, settling at 2,122, while the S&P 500 dropped 4 points to close at 1,057, the Wall Street Journal reports. More»