GoldPrices

More people have been selling their gold jewelry in the past year, many to cover expenses, others to just to take advantage of record high prices. Prices have dipped a bit from their recent highs, but expect more people to sell in the months ahead, and expect the prices to rise again.

The majority of gold demand these days goes to jewelry and investors, but the precious metal is good for more than looking pretty and providing a hard asset: Industrial and technological uses for gold are growing.

The precious yellow metal soared again Wednesday, rising above $1,800 an ounce for the first time as investors fled stocks for safer assets. The Dow closed down more than 500 points, erasing Tuesday's gains.

This may have been a holiday-shortened trading week, but there were plenty of financial nuggets that kept stocks moving. Let's go over some of the news from Netflix, Verizon, Immucor and more that shaped this abridged week in the markets.

After a rough opening session on Monday, stocks rebounded sharply on Tuesday. The Dow enjoyed a triple-digit gain after oil prices eased and bank shares bounced higher on the possibility of further dividend payouts and share buybacks.

Increasing violence in Libya caused oil prices to rise and stocks to fall 80 points to close at 12,090 on Monday. It didn't help that a Wells Fargo analyst also downgraded the semiconductor industry, sending shares of Intel down by 1.6%.

Can you profit from the turmoil in the Middle East? Oil is now flirting around $100 a barrel and gold is continuing its upward trend. For investors, this could present an opportunity in oil and gold stocks. Here is the bull and bear take on three stocks that could rise on Mideast unrest.

The first trading day of the month is usually good to equities, but after a two-day respite, stocks went back back to broad-based declines. The sharp rise in oil prices overshadowed some encouraging corporate and economic news.

Gold bugs love bad news, and civil war in Libya, Africa's third-largest oil producer, couldn't have come at a better time. After dropping a hundred bucks in January, February's upheavals have pushed gold back within striking distance of nominal all-time highs.

The Dow suffered a steep triple-digit loss Tuesday as turmoil in Libya ignited a global sell-off in stocks. Oil prices rose sharply, as did safe-haven assets such as Treasurys and the dollar. Disappointing news from Walmart didn't help matters.