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The Dow surged nearly 200 points, while inflation fears propelled gold to another record close. The Institute for Supply Management said its services index rose to 53.2 last month from 51.5 in August. Economists had expected the measure to rise to 52.

The first peak week of reports was just what the market ordered, thanks to some beat-and-raise results from Dow blue chips. This week has more big names on tap. And again, jittery investors will be looking closely, especially for revenue growth. [With video]

As the U.S. and global economies start to recover, a rebound in construction and agricultural equipment will be good news for Caterpillar. Add to that a further weakening in the U.S. dollar and a possible second fiscal stimulus package and shares of CAT should rise.

If you've been trying to decide whether or not to fulfill your child's holiday wish for a puppy, consider this: if you live in or near Pennsylvania, you can make your kid's wish come true and do a good yuletide deed in one fell -- and inexpensive -- swoop.

As owner of some of the most successful blogs in the history of the Internet -- I Can Has Cheezburger, Fail Blog and Engrish Funny among them -- it might be expected that Ben Huh spends lavishly. But Huh recognizes the importance of frugal living; it allowed him and his wife to save enough money...

The brain is an amazing thing. "It consumes less power than a light bulb and occupies less space than a two-liter bottle of soda," writes Dharmendra S. Modha, manager of cognitive computing at IBM (IBM), in his blog. Yet it performs functions no computer can -- many of them quite basic. Think of...

The economy may still be in the dumps -- don't let yesterday's early reading on gross domestic product fool you into thinking otherwise. But that hasn't kept U.S. companies from posting bigger-than-expected profits. In fact, four out of every five members of the S&P 500 that reported...

Caterpillar Inc. (CAT), which in April reported its first quarterly loss in 17 years, added to the growing optimism about the economy by posting better-than-expected third quarter results Tuesday and forecasting earnings that surpassed even the most bullish estimates. Net income at the world's...

Apple (AAPL) late Monday reported sales and profit that trounced estimates, sending its shares to all-time highs. iPhone and Mac sales hit record, with Macs sales jumping 17 percent, but iPhone sales held back. DailfyFinance's Alex Salkever thinks Apple's "easy days could soon be over." Meanwhile,...

Stocks extended the big gains they posted after yesterday's relatively upbeat statement by the Federal Reserve, as the Dow Jones industrial average climbed 37 points, or 0.39 percent, to 9,398 despite worse than expected weekly unemployment and retail sales readings. Bank of America (BAC) and...