Traders were spooked by escalating violence in Libya on Tuesday, and those fears sent all major averages down sharply.
As Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi took to the airwaves, anti-government protesters clashed with loyalist troops in the worst violence since the uprising began more than a week ago. The situation in Tripoli affected the mindset of traders, who feared an interruption in oil shipments from the volatile region.
The political volatility in north Africa and across the Middle East sent U.S. stocks lower across the board Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed ...
The Dow Jones Industrial Average shook off a two-day losing streak Wednesday, as two big companies reported solid earnings and the Federal Reserve hinted at continued growth in the economy.
Shares of Dell rose more than 12 percent on bullish sales projections for this year. Farm-equipment giant Deere Co. also reported profits doubling over the first quarter of 2010. Deere shares were up almost 2.5 percent Wednesday, to $95.86.
Key members of the Federal Reserve signaled a potential policy shift in light of improving economic conditions. In a meeting of Fed regional ...
All three major U.S. stock averages plummeted Friday amid fears of worsening unrest in Egypt.
Protesters marched against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, whom they view as a corrupt figure, unresponsive to growing concerns over higher prices and burgeoning youth unemployment.
The escalating violence in Egypt sent U.S. investors running for cover. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 166.13 points Friday after briefly touching the 12,000 mark. It ended the week at 11,823.70. The NASDAQ retreated 68.36 points – almost 2.5 percent -- to 2,686.92. The S&P 500 reached the 1,300 level before ...
Stocks shrugged off last week’s volatility and lowered expectations Monday, posting broad gains across all major indexes.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average continued its upward trend Monday, closing at a 30-month high. Blue chips added 108.68 to close at 11,980.52. The NASDAQ surged 28.01 points to 2,717.55. The tech-heavy average endured a pullback last week after starting 2011 strongly. The broader S&P 500 was up 7.49 to a close of 1,290.84.
The 108-point gains was the Dow’s biggest since Dec. 1, 2010. The index is just 20 points shy of 12,000, a ...
Stocks finished the week on a strong note, with each of the three major averages posting solid gains.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average continued its upward trend for a third straight day Friday, gaining 55.48 points to end the week at 11,787.38. The S&P 500 also had a good day Friday. It added 9.48 points, closing at 1,293.34. And the tech-heavy NASDAQ composite continued its strong showing so far this year, tacking on 20.01 to close at 2,755.30.
The Dow closed at a 30-month high Friday. But not all the news was ...
A surge in private-sector job growth was the key factor that boosted markets Wednesday.
The ADP National Employment Report showed that almost 300,000 jobs were created in December, far exceeding analysts’ projections. The news came in advance of a broader employment report that will be issued by the Labor Department on Friday. While experts generally believe that the government’s numbers won’t be as inspiring as the ADP’s, many expect broad expansion in the labor market that could conceivably push the overall unemployment rate down from its current 9.8 percent.
On Thursday, holiday ...
A broad sell-off in commodities, chiefly gold and oil, was a drag on trading Tuesday and underscored lingering doubts about the broader U.S. economy.
Gold fell more than 3 percent Tuesday, closing the day under $1,400 per ounce. Gold futures had traded higher in recent weeks, and traders took those profits Tuesday. Silver also was down sharply.
The recent run-up in oil prices stalled somewhat Tuesday. Trading above $90 per barrel over the last two weeks, crude oil fell $89.23, a one-day decline of $2.17. Profit-taking was behind oil’s decline, too.
The major ...
The trend of timidity continues.
The three major U.S. stock exchanges wobbled near the break-even point for most of the day Tuesday in light trading.
The NASDAQ was the only one of the three key indexes to end the day lower, shedding 4.39 points to a close of 2,662.88. The Dow Jones Industrial Average posted a 20.51-point gain, edging up to 11,575.54. The S&P 500 was unchanged at 1,258.51.
Trading has stayed in a narrow range over the past three weeks, and volume hasn’t been robust of late, either. On Tuesday, only 2.2 ...
In advance of a scheduled Monday vote on extending current tax rates through 2011, traders pushed all three major indexes up Friday.
Debate on the measure – the so-called Bush era tax cuts – has raged in Congress’ lame-duck session and came to a crescendo when President Obama reversed course earlier this week and supported the plan. It was a calculated move on the part of the president, who said passage of the measure was important because it would give the economy a better chance to continue growing. But Obama’s about-face ...
Unusually weak job creation in November put pressure on the surging markets Friday, but the three major indexes rebuffed the bad news, each finishing ahead on the day.
The Labor Department reported only 39,000 jobs being created in November – well off October’s figure of 172,000 – and the poor showing sent the national unemployment rate up two-tenths of a percent, from 9.6 to 9.8.
The major indexes had been riding a wave of optimism among consumers in recent days. Solid holiday retail sales figures and a report of rising consumer confidence ...
