Stories related to: stock market

After an early rally, stocks fell after being hit with news on Ambac Financial's restructuring plan, but then regained some of the lost territory by the closing bell. Shares fell after Ambac said that instead of a bailout plan, it would raise money through a sell-off and restructuring, reports CNNMoney. The Dow ended up 41.19 to 12,254.99, the Nasdaq 12.53 to 2,272.81, and the S&P 6.95 to 1,333.7. More »

Antidepressant Effexor XR will soon lose patent protection, and maker Wyeth is hoping Pristiq, the successor drug approved today by the FDA, will soften the financial blow. Higher-ups at the company gush over Pristiq's advantages, including zero acclimation time and no liver interaction, and hope that sales will offset losses to generic versions of Effexor, the New York Times reports. More »

A new Microsoft bid to take over Yahoo will do little to quash Yahoo holders' worries— primarily because many of them have greater holdings in Microsoft itself, reports MarketWatch. Eighteen of Yahoo's top shareholders—comprising 42% of its shares—have greater investments in the software Goliath "and could likely be hurt by a higher offer," says analyst David Hilal. More »

Stocks ended mainly flat after mixed news had indices seesawing throughout today's session, the Wall Street Journal reports. Economic news was bad in general, but Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke and housing regulators cheered the markets with upbeat comments. The Dow ended up 9.36 to 12,694.28, the Nasdaq up 8.79 to 2,353.78, and the S&P down 1.27 to 1,380.02. More »

A $15 million buyback by IBM plus today's good retail news and higher commodity prices set off a third straight day of stock market gains. IBM sparked a tech rally, including big gains by Intel and Microsoft, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow gained 114.7 to close at 12,684.92, the Nasdaq 17.51 to 2,344.99, and the S&P 500 9.49 to 1,381.29. More »

Stock rallied in a big way today after S&P maintained the high credit ratings of top bond insurers Ambac and MBIA. The rating agency called MBIA's success "a strong statement of management's ability to address the concerns relating to the capital adequacy of the company," the Wall Street Journal reports.The Dow was up 189.20 to 12,570.22, the Nasdaq 24.13 to 2,327.48, and the S&P 500 18.69 to 1,371.80. More »

Traders faced heavy losses across the board today until a late rally on news of a possible bailout for a major bond insurer sent prices soaring to gains, MarketWatch reports. The Dow rose 96.72 points to close at 12,381.02, the Nasdaq gained 3.57 points to 2,303.35, and the S&P 500 rose 10.58 points to 1,353.11. More »

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 »

Asian stocks slumped today after reports in the Financial Times that a struggling arm of private equity heavyweight Kohlberg Kravis Roberts. missed a second payment on billions of dollars of commercial debt just 6 months after two of its founders poured $270 million into the company. Investors cashed out as fears of a global credit meltdown flared, reports the Wall Street Journal.  More »

After three-digit Dow gains, today's record surge in oil prices knocked out a broad rally, and the major indexes closed in the red. Analysts say the market won't be able to sustain a prolonged rally for some time. "The rallies we're seeing now are just bounces, not a new trend," a strategist tells the Wall Street Journal . The Dow ended down 10.99 at 12,337.22, the Nasdaq 15.60 at 2,306.20, and the S&P 500 1.21 at 1,348.78. More »

Stocks rose for a third straight day today, spurred in part by a big tech rally and healthy retail sales at gas stations, Bloomberg reports. Big advances at Applied Materials, which makes superconductor equipment, led the tech gains. "The rally could last," said one analyst. "We see the market heading higher." The Dow rose 178.83 to 12,552.24, the Nasdaq 53.89 to 2,373.93, and the S&P 18.35 to 1,367.21. More »

Stocks ended mixed today, with the Dow up more than 100 points on Warren Buffet's offer to reinsure municipal bonds. "The important thing is that people are thinking we're now close to some kind of broader bailout of the bond insurers," an economist told the Wall Street Journal . The Dow rose 133.40 to 12,373.41, the Nasdaq fell 0.02 to 2,320.04, and the S&P 500 closed up 9.74 at 1,348.86. More »

Stocks climbed to post modest gains today after a plunge early in the session. Financials fell early after AIG said its credit-derivatives portfolio lost $4.88 billion, significantly more than the company had estimated in December, reports the Wall Street Journal . The Dow closed up 57.88 at 12,240.01, the Nasdaq up 15.21 at 2,320.06, and the S&P 500 7.82 at 1,339.11. More »

An early rally fizzled late over inflation fears, and stocks ended down today. The Philly Fed chief raised inflation worries when he said the Fed had to concentrate on "price stability" when considering future rate cuts, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow fell 65.03 to 12,200.1, the Nasdaq 30.82 to 2,278.75, and the S&P 10.19 to 1,326.45. More »

Stocks fell today on a spate of analyst downgrades of banks and credit-card issuers. American Express, Discover Financial, and Capital One were all hit with downgraded ratings by UBS, reports the Wall Street Journal . The Dow fell 108.03 at 12,635.18, the Nasdaq 30.51 at 2382.85, and the S&P 500 14.60 to 1,380.82. More »

European markets opened higher on the heels of a mining and technology stock rally in Asia and a positive close on Wall Street Friday, reports the AP. China's benchmark Shanghai Composite Index surged 8.1%, in part on news in state-run papers that the snow emergency in China was overblown. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index jumped 3.8%, Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose 2.7 %, and markets in South Korea and India were also up strongly at the close. More »

Stocks rose for a second straight session today thanks to a late rally. Flagging techs dragged down the markets initially, but then got a boost from a cheerful report on durable goods orders on the first day of the Fed meeting, reports CNNMoney. The Dow climbed 96.41 to 12,480.30, the Nasdaq 8.15 to 2,358.06, and the S&P 8.33 to 1,362.30 More »

An estimated 1.4 million iPhones that have been either inventoried or clandestinely unlocked may not pose a significant threat to techno-juggernaut Apple's overall profit. The "missing" phones could force stock prices to dip, "but if you look at Apple," reassures analyst Ezra Gottheil, "It's solidly profitable without the iPhone. The iPhone just takes it up to another level." More »

Stocks finished in positive territory today, riding hopes that grim new housing numbers will lead the Fed to cut interest rates this week. "The main event for the week will be the Fed-rate decision on Wednesday," a strategist tells MarketWatch. The Dow was up 176.72 to 12,383.89, the Nasdaq 23.71 to 2,349.91, and the S&P 23.36 to 1,353.97. More »

Stocks enjoyed growth for a second consecutive day as the announcement of Congress’ economic stimulus plan raised investor confidence already bolstered by this week's rate cut by the Fed, the Wall Street Journal reports. Though jittery throughout the day, the Dow mounted a late rally to end up 108.44 points at 12,378.61. The Nasdaq rose 44.51 points to 2,360.92, while the S&P 500 rose 13.47 points to 1,352.07. More »