Stories related to: stock market

Stocks zoomed downward today as oil topped $123 a barrel, hastening a sell-off by anxious investors. "You can still get a lot of nervousness when they see these daily moves in crude, along with follow-through in the stock market," an analyst tells the Wall Street Journal . The Dow ended down 206.48 to 12,814.35, the Nasdaq 44.82 to 2,438.49, and the S&P 25.69 to 1,392.57. More »

Stocks rallied and recorded modest gains today after initially falling on on bad news from Fannie Mae. But analysts cautioned against excessive optimism. "The fact that we're not imploding doesn't me that we're OK," a strategist told the Wall Street Journal . The Dow ended up 51.29 at 13,020.83, the Nasdaq 19.19 at 2,483.31, and the S&P 500 10.77 at 1,418.26. More »

Stocks fell today as Yahoo shares plummeted 16% and crude prices jumped past $120 a barrel. "People have gotten in, but they don't want to be in a big way," a investment officer told the Wall Street Journal . The Dow fell 88.66 at 12,969.54, the Nasdaq 12.87 to 2,464.12, and the S&P 500 6.41 at 1,407.49. More »

Despite economic gloom spreading along Main Street, things on Wall Street are perking up, the New York Times reports—enough that analysts see a glimmer of hope for a turnaround beginning this year. The stock market rebounded almost 11% in recent weeks, junk bonds and other risky securities are rallying. More »

News of today's Fed interest-rate cut swept away a market rally, and stocks ended down. Language in the Fed statement indicating that further trims were unlikely spooked investors, the Wall Street Journal reports, though that news was expected. The Dow ended down 11.81 to 12,820.13; the Nasdaq was off 13.30 to 2,412.80; and the S&P down 5.35 to 1,385.59. More »

Stocks ended mixed but mostly down today as cautious investors digested bad economic news while the Fed met, presumably to discuss further rate cuts. "In many ways, the economy seems fundamentally weaker now" than during the last official recession in 2001, an economist told the Wall Street Journal . The Dow ended down 39.81 at 12,831.94, the Nasdaq up 1.70 at 2,426.10, and the S&P 500 down 5.43 at 1,390.94. More »

Stocks ended mixed today as concerns that the Fed might not cut rates at this week's meeting overwhelmed earlier gains that followed announcements of big deals, reports the Wall Street Journal . The Dow ended down 20.11 at 12,871.75, the Nasdaq up 1.47 at 2,424.40, and the S&P 500 down 1.47 at 1,396.37. More »

Stocks ended slightly up today on mixed news, as techs did well but many financials struggled. "Tech is one of the few bright spots across a sluggish earnings quarter," a market strategist tells the Wall Street Journal . The Dow ended up 42.99 to 12,763.22, the Nasdaq 28.27 to 2,405.21, and the S&P 4.04 to 1,379.98. More »

Stocks fell today as oil prices soared and the flow of disappointing earning reports continued. Texas Instruments and UnitedHealth were both hit hard. "We're likely to see stocks continuing to be under pressure," one researcher told Bloomberg. The Dow was down 104.79 to 12,720.23, the Nasdaq 31.10 to 2,376.94, and the S&P 500 12.23 to 1,375.94. More »

Stocks ended mostly down today after a poor quarterly report from Bank of America and spiking crude prices. "We got a reminder this morning that banks and financials are still digesting credit problems," an investment strategist told the Wall Street Journal . The Dow ended down 24.34 at 12,825.02, the Nasdaq up 5.07 at 2,408.04, and the S&P 500 down 2.16 at 1,388.17. More »

Stocks staged a rally today on the strength of profit reports from JP Morgan and Intel. "The bear market is bottoming, and folks are beginning to look beyond the valley of widely known problems to better times ahead," a strategist tells the Wall Street Journal . The Dow ended up 256.80 to 12,619.27, the Nasdaq 64.07 to 2,350.11, and the S&P 30.28 to 1,364.71. More »

Hopeful economic indicators outweighed surging crude prices today, and stocks responded with a modest rally. "There's a little bit of investor optimism cropping up here to hold the market together," a strategist told the Wall Street Journal . The Dow ended up 60.41 at 12,362.47, the Nasdaq up 10.22 at 2,286.04, and the S&P 500 up 6.11 at 1,334.43. More »

The buying and selling of the world's wealth is at the mercy of aggressive men and their hormonal fluctuations, neuroscientists have discovered. While that doesn't come as a big surprise, the study isolates the major role that testosterone plays in making boorish traders exceptionally bullish—and the part the hormone cortisol plays in slumps, reports the Daily Telegraph . More »

Stocks fell today on bad news on earnings and record prices for crude oil. American Express, General Motors, and UPS all took hits. "The negative UPS news could shake confidence in the broader transport stocks," an analyst tells the Wall Street Journal . The Dow ended down 49.18 to 12527.26, the Nasdaq 26.64 to 2322.12, and the S&P 11.05 to 1354.49. More »

Stocks ended mixed today as a commodities rally contrasted with disappointing employment news, the Wall Street Journal reports—though the major indices were up for the week. The Dow fell 16.61 to close at 12,609.42, up 3.2% for the week. The Nasdaq gained 7.68 points to 2,370.98, a weekly gain of 4.9%; the S&P 500 rose 1.09 point to 1,370.40, rising 4.2% for the week. More »

The markets finished with modest gains for the second consecutive session today. Investors, still digesting yesterday's testimony by Fed chief Ben Bernanke, shook off bad news on employment and got a lift from the tech sector. The Dow gained 20.20 points to finish at 12,626.03, the Nasdaq closed up 1.90 to 2,363.30, and the S&P 500 gained 1.78 to finish at 1,369.30. More »

The markets slid into negative territory after Ben Bernanke's Congressional testimony on the state of the economy today, but trading was generally low-key. "Flat is good," an economist told the Wall Street Journal . "People are getting their nerve back." The Dow ended down 45.44 at 12,608.92, the Nasdaq down 1.35 at 2,361.40, and the S&P 500 down 2.65 at 1,367.53. More »

The Dow leapt almost 400 points today, the best kickoff to a second quarter since 1938. Lehman Brothers and UBS announced plans to raise capital, cheering investors and convincing many that big banks can work through the credit crisis, Bloomberg reports. The Dow ended up 391.47 at 12,654.36, the Nasdaq 83.65 at 2,362.75, and the S&P 500 47.48 at 1,370.18. More »

Lehman Brothers is selling $3 billion in new shares to allay fears after its stock dropped 42% this year, Bloomberg reports. "We still maintain that we don't need capital, but we've realized that perception is the dominant issue in today's markets,'' said CFO Erin Callan. Lehman fell up to 48% this month on rumors that it lacked cash and faced a Bear Stearns-style meltdown. More »

Stocks closed up today as the year's dismal first quarter came to an end. Lower oil prices, improved business activity and a favorable reaction to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's new regulation plan helped to boost the markets, Bloomberg reports. The Dow ended up 46.49 to 12,262.89, the Nasdaq rose 17.92 to 2,279.10, and the S&P 7.48 to 1,322.70. More »