S&P 500 – News Stories About S&P 500 - Page 44

Sep 9, 2009 3:31 PM CDT

Dow Up 50 Despite Soft Spending Data

Beige book shows progress in manufacturing, continuing slump in retail

(Newser) - Stocks posted gains today slightly off session highs as the Fed’s beige book raised concerns about consumer spending, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Fed’s report signaled improvement in manufacturing across the country, but it said retail sales remained flat, even with the boost from “Cash for...

Dow Up 56 on Oil, Gold

MARKETS

Sep 8, 2009 3:21 PM CDT

Dow Up 56 on Oil, Gold

Energy firms rise as oil adds $3.08

(Newser) - Stocks posted solid gains today as commodity prices rose, the Wall Street Journal reports. Oil jumped $3.08 to $71.28 a barrel and gold crossed the $1,000-an-ounce mark. Commodity-producing stocks Exxon, Chevron, and Alcoa all saw gains as a result. The Dow added 56 points to close at...

Dow Up 97 on Aug. Jobs Data

MARKETS

Sep 4, 2009 3:26 PM CDT

Dow Up 97 on Aug. Jobs Data

Indices post declines for the week

(Newser) - Traders focused on positive aspects of today's August unemployment report—declining job losses—rather than the upward revision in total jobless numbers, sending stocks higher, the Wall Street Journal reports. General Electric led advancing stocks on the Dow with a 3.35% gain. The Dow rose 96.66 points to...

Dow Climbs 64 as
Investors Await Jobs Report

MARKETS

Sep 3, 2009 3:20 PM CDT

Dow Climbs 64 as Investors Await Jobs Report

Fear of Sept. stock pullback drives gold to 6-month high

(Newser) - Stocks jumped today on the strength of blue-chip financials after mostly idling. Volume was low as investors waited for the government’s monthly employment report, due tomorrow, the Wall Street Journal reports. AIG and Citigroup rose, while safe-haven buying pushed gold to almost to $1,000 an ounce, a level...

Dow Slips 30 on Jobs Data

MARKETS

Sep 2, 2009 3:23 PM CDT

Dow Slips 30 on Jobs Data

Rise in materials stocks offsets jobs news

(Newser) - Stocks closed with modest losses today as advances in materials stocks helped offset disappointing data on jobs, the Wall Street Journal reports. The private sector shed 298,000 jobs in August, more than forecast. The materials sector of the S&P 500, however, advanced as gold futures hit a 3-month...

Dow Plunges 186,
Biggest Fall in 2 Months

MARKETS

Sep 1, 2009 3:16 PM CDT

Dow Plunges 186, Biggest Fall in 2 Months

Financials lead broad selloff

(Newser) - Financials led stocks in a steep sell-off today that saw the Dow’s biggest decline in 2 months, the Wall Street Journal reports. AIG fell 20.9% on an analyst’s report that without government support, it would be worth a negative $6.4 billion. Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Citigroup,...

US Stocks Track Chinese
Selloff; Dow Down 48

MARKETS

Aug 31, 2009 3:22 PM CDT

US Stocks Track Chinese Selloff; Dow Down 48

Shanghai Comp. loses 6.7% in one session

(Newser) - A staggering 6.7% selloff in the Shanghai Composite spooked US stocks, which stayed low throughout today's session, the Wall Street Journal reports. Analysts note that it’s the second time in 3 weeks US markets have fallen in response to a drop in China—a reverse of the usual...

Dow Drops 36
as Consumer Data Saps Stocks

Aug 28, 2009 3:28 PM CDT

Dow Drops 36 as Consumer Data Saps Stocks

Intel, Dell see gains

(Newser) - Stocks mostly fell today despite good news from the tech sector, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Reuters/University of Michigan index of consumer confidence fell in August, dragging the markets down. Intel rose 4.32% after raising its third-quarter profit forecast, while Dell gained 1.89% on second-quarter earnings that...

Dow Climbs 37
on Day 8 of Streak

MARKETS

Aug 27, 2009 3:19 PM CDT

Dow Climbs 37 on Day 8 of Streak

Eight-day winning stretch is first in 28 months

(Newser) - Stocks closed up today as the Dow continued its modest winning streak for an eighth day—the longest period of gains in 28 months—though trading volume remained light, the Wall Street Journal reports. An auction of 7-year Treasury notes saw decent demand. AIG shares rose 28.8% on reports...

Dow Up 4 Despite
Strong Housing Data

MARKETS

Aug 26, 2009 3:33 PM CDT

Dow Up 4 Despite Strong Housing Data

Gains in durable goods mostly due to defense, aircraft orders

(Newser) - Stocks barely eked out gains today, as positive reports on housing and durable goods orders failed to excite investors, the Wall Street Journal reports. New-home sales rose 9.6% in July, beating expectations, while inventories dropped to the lowest level since April 2007. The Dow closed up 4 points at...

Dow Up 30 After Rosy Data

MARKETS

Aug 25, 2009 3:21 PM CDT

Dow Up 30 After Rosy Data

(Newser) - Stocks closed with modest advances on strong economic data and a drop in oil prices, the Wall Street Journal reports. Advances in second-quarter home prices and a boost in July consumer confidence propelled stock indices to new 2009 highs shortly after the open, but oil’s $2.32 drop moderated...

Dow Up 3 as Stocks
Stall Ahead of Reports

MARKETS

Aug 24, 2009 3:22 PM CDT

Dow Up 3 as Stocks Stall Ahead of Reports

Investors await consumer confidence, housing, GDP data

(Newser) - Stocks closed near to opening levels today, with the Dow just barely extending its winning streak into a fifth session, the Wall Street Journal reports. All the indices hit new highs for 2009 early, boosted by housing data, investors pulled back ahead of looming reports on consumer confidence, new home...

Dow Climbs 156;
Stocks Hit Highs

MARKETS

Aug 21, 2009 3:21 PM CDT

Dow Climbs 156; Stocks Hit Highs

Jump in existing-home sales spurs rally

(Newser) - Stocks rallied today off of strong housing data, propelling all three major indices to their highest levels of the year, the Wall Street Journal reports. Sales of existing homes rose 7.2% in July, the National Association of Realtors said, beating analysts’ expectations by a generous margin. The Dow rose...

Data Boosts Stocks, Dow Up 71

Aug 20, 2009 3:30 PM CDT

Data Boosts Stocks, Dow Up 71

Fed reports an increase in business activity

(Newser) - Stocks advanced today on positive economic news from the Philadelphia branch of the Fed, the Wall Street Journal reports, which said that its index of business activity registered a 4.2 in August, up from a negative 7.5 in July. Investors were specifically encouraged by a rise in the...

Dow Up 61 After Shaky Day

MARKETS

Aug 19, 2009 3:10 PM CDT

Dow Up 61 After Shaky Day

(Newser) - Markets ended higher today after a dismal start, buoyed by an ascendant energy sector, the Wall Street Journal reports. The seesaw comes as no surprise to one strategist: “This market is highly vulnerable to get pushed around right now. That’s a factor of light volume.” The Dow,...

Retail Gains Drive Dow Up 83

MARKETS

Aug 18, 2009 3:15 PM CDT

Retail Gains Drive Dow Up 83

Signs of life from the consumer help stocks rebound

(Newser) - Positive retail reports helped get stocks back on track today after recent declines, the Wall Street Journal reports. Home Depot, Target, and Saks saw smaller-than-expected declines in quarterly profit, while discount chain TJX reported a 31% gain. The Dow rose 82.60 to close at 9,217.94. The Nasdaq...

Dow Falls 186,
Biggest Drop Since July 2

MARKETS

Aug 17, 2009 3:32 PM CDT

Dow Falls 186, Biggest Drop Since July 2

Worldwide shocks worry investors

(Newser) - Stocks continued to decline after drops in world markets proved to be contagious at the open, with the Dow falling the most since July 2, the Wall Street Journal reports. The worldwide stock decline had investors scrambling to Treasurys and other safe havens. Home-improvement retailer Lowe's fell 10% after reporting...

Global Selloff
Rocks Dow

MARKET open

Aug 17, 2009 8:51 AM CDT

Global Selloff Rocks Dow

(Newser) - The Dow tumbled 175 points at the open today, following even bigger selloffs in overseas markets, the Wall Street Journal reports. The S&P and Nasdaq each fell 2.2%. Those drops followed a whopping 5.8% dive on China’s Shanghai Composite Index, a 3.1% drop for Japan’...

Dow Off 77 on Consumer Data

MARKETS

Aug 14, 2009 3:19 PM CDT

Dow Off 77 on Consumer Data

(Newser) - Stocks dipped today on worse-than-expected information about consumer sentiment, the Wall Street Journal reports. A Reuters index dropped 3 points instead of the anticipated 2-point rise. A downward spiral has been evident since the Fed announced it would not raise interest rates Wednesday. “A day like today has been...

Retail Sales Curb Rally;
Dow Climbs 37

MARKETS

Aug 13, 2009 3:20 PM CDT

Retail Sales Curb Rally; Dow Climbs 37

July retail sales negative despite 'Cash for Clunkers'

(Newser) - A drop in retail sales reported today cooled off yesterday’s post-Fed-meeting rally, the Wall Street Journal reports. Stocks ended with modest gains as the Commerce Department reported a 0.1% drop in July retail sales despite increased car sales under the “Cash for Clunkers” program. The Dow rose...