Archive for the ‘Daily News And Highlights’ Category

Stocks drift lower as investors worry soft retail sales signal spending will remain weak

Stocks drifted lower early Thursday as news of an improving job market failed to offset the market’s disappointment over sales at Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

The Labor Department said new claims for unemployment insurance fell to a seasonally adjusted 502,000 from an upwardly revised 514,000 the previous week. That’s the fewest claims since the week ending Jan. 3, and below economists’ estimates.

The news is evidence the job market is slowly healing.

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Stocks are sharply higher on manufacturing and housing data

Stocks are snapping back from Friday’s big losses as stronger-than-expected reports on manufacturing and housing allay concerns that the economy’s recovery won’t last.

Major indexes rose more than 1 percent in early trading Monday, including the Dow Jones industrials, which gained 112 points, erasing a chunk of Friday’s 250-point loss.

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Stocks are giving back some of the previous day’s big gains as consumer spending dips

Personal spending fell 0.5 percent in September, the Labor Department reported Friday, in line with forecasts. That follows a 1.3 percent jump in August fueled by the government’s popular Cash for Clunkers car rebate program.

The market is paying close attention to indicators of consumer spending, which is still in a slump despite improvements in other parts of the economy such as manufacturing and housing. Spending by consumers makes up a major part of the U.S. economy.

The Dow Jones industrials jumped nearly 200 points on Thursday following a strong report on gross domestic product growth in the third quarter, but many economists worry that much of that growth came from government stimulus measures and that weak spending by consumers will continue to hold the economy back.

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Stocks are sharply higher after the government said the economy grew at a stronger than expected pace during the third quarter

Investors have spent the past couple of months hunting for clues of just how much the economy has recovered. Thursday’s gross domestic product reading gave them the surest sign yet that the economy is on the upswing.

The Commerce Department said the economy grew at an annual pace of 3.5 percent in the third quarter, faster than the 3.3 percent increase predicted by economists polled by Thomson Reuters.

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Stocks are slightly lower as investors grow more cautious about the strength of an economic recovery

The market is extending its losses after weakening Tuesday following a disappointing reading on consumer confidence. A new report showing durable goods orders rose in line with expectations in September had little effect on trading.

A disappointing earnings or economic report can give investors a reason to cash in some gains, but overall most signs point toward additional strengthening of the economy and market, Williams added.

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Stocks are moving higher after a new report showed home prices rose for the third consecutive month in August

The gains came a day after investors uneasy about the strength of an economic recovery pummeled stocks for the second straight day and for the fourth time in the last five days.

Overseas, Asia markets fell overnight following declines Monday in the U.S. In Europe, markets have steadily advanced throughout the day.

The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller home price index, which measures housing prices in 20 major metropolitan markets, rose 1 percent in August from July, marking the third straight monthly improvement.

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Stocks rise as investors prepare for GDP and earnings reports

Stocks rose moderately in early trading Monday as investors brace for the government’s first reading on the economy in the third quarter later in the week and fresh earnings reports and debt auctions.

Overseas markets rose, bolstered by new signs economies in Asia are well on their way to recovery. South Korea reported its economy grew at its fastest pace in seven years.

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Stocks are mixed as investors dismiss sharp rise in sales of existing homes; Amazon and Microsoft report strong earnings

Stock investors are dismissing a big jump in sales of existing homes last month as an aberration.

Stocks remain mostly lower Friday following a report that September home sales soared 9.4 percent, nearly double analysts’ forecasts. It was the highest level in more than two years as buyers raced to complete purchases before a tax credit expires.

The market is lower after a big spike Thursday and with little new information to trade on after a busy week of earnings. Strong profits from Amazon.com and Microsoft are drawing some buyers to tech stocks.

The Dow Jones industrial average is down 50 at 10,031. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index is down 5 at 1,088, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index is up 9 at 2,174.

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Stocks are mixed as investors sort through a disappointing reading on the labor market and another batch of earnings reports

The market is trying to rebound a day after a late-session sell off pushed major indexes lower. Lingering concerns over whether investors had been overly optimistic about an economic rebound in pushing the market higher recently fed into Wednesday’s decline.

Overseas markets were tumbling following the U.S. market’s drop Wednesday, and as uncertainty mounted about Chinese stimulus measures aimed at pumping up that country’s economy.

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Stocks are higher as investors found some encouragement from the latest batch of earnings reports

A handful of banks, including Wells Fargo and Morgan Stanley, reported better results for the July-September period Wednesday. However both those banks also reported high loan losses, bringing fresh reminders that the broader economy is struggling even as the financial industry recovers.

Last week, Bank of America Corp., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Citigroup Inc. all reported higher credit losses as consumers and businesses struggle to pay off their bills.

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