The Markets

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 »

IBM will repurchase $15 billion of its own stock, it revealed today, leading the IT company to raise its profit forecast for the year to beat Wall Street predictions. The Armonk, NY-based computing giant will spend $12 billion on the buyback this year, the AP reports. The company told the Street that would help elevate its projected earnings-per-share for the year by five cents over previous estimates. 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 »

Visa is hoping to surpass rival MasterCard’s 2006 stock market debut with a $17 billion IPO that would be the largest in Wall Street history. The company today said it hopes to sell some 406 million shares for $37 to $42 each, reports the Wall Street Journal. The biggest previous IPO was AT&T Wireless Group’s $10.62 billion offering in 2000. 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 »

With both AT&T and Verizon unveiling $99.99 flat-rate unlimited calling plans this week, Sprint's is expected to undercut its rivals by up to 40%, plunging the wireless industry headlong into a price war. Sprint isn't telling yet, but analysts predict it will offer unlimited calling for roughly $60 a month, more than enough to rattle the market, Reuters reports. More »

The Dow rose 90.04 points to 12,427.26 today in roller-coaster trading despite rising fears of inflation, MarketWatch reports. US consumer prices rose 0.4% last month in what one investment officer called “a nagging problem for the Fed.” The Nasdaq climbed 20.90 to 2,327.10, and the S&P rose 11.25 to 1,360.03. 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 »

The markets ended a blustery week today with a session of light losses and minor gains on bad economic news from retail and manufacturing, MarketWatch reports. The Dow fell 28.77 to 12,348.21, and the Nasdaq fell 10.74 to 2,321.80. The S&P 500 capitalized on a minor late rally to finish up 1.13, at 1,349.99. More »

The markets fell today after three days of growth as the Fed warned that continuing credit trouble will restrain the economy and several top brokerage firms saw their earnings estimates reduced, MarketWatch reports. The Dow slid 175.26 points to 12,376.98, the Nasdaq dropped 41.39 to 2,332.54, and the S&P 500 fell 18.35 to 1,348.86. 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 »

Stocks showed mixed results today, as the Dow rallied and then teetered to a loss off lingering fears of recession. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq posted moderate gains buoyed by strong showings by Amazon, Google, Apple, and Research in Motion, Marketwatch reports. The Nasdaq gained 11.82 to end at 2,304.85; the Dow fell 64.87 to 12,181.32, and the S&P 500 dropped 5.62 to 1,331.29. 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 »

The markets fell more today than they had in 11 months in the wake of news that the service industry contracted in January and remarks by the Richmond Fed president on the growing risk of recession, Marketwatch reports. The Dow plummeted 370.03 to 12,265.13, the Nasdaq 73.28 to 2,309.57, and the S&P 500 44.18 to 1,336.62. 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 »