Encouraging news from the job market pushed the stock market up early Thursday, putting the Standard & Poor's 500 index near its all-time high. The S&P 500 rose seven points to 1,561 -- just four points away from the high it hit in October 2007 -- before retreating marginally after 10 a.m.
With the Dow Jones industrial average soaring to new all-time highs, investors are enjoying the new-found prosperity reflected in their brokerage statements. But it you want to keep those paper profits, now's the time to start making some tough decisions.
The Dow is cruising at new highs, 236,000 jobs were created in February, consumer confidence is up, and Americans are feeling secure enough to take on new debt again. But if you're feeling somehow left out of the party, you aren't crazy. Things are still far from golden.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a new all-time high last week, but not every stock went along for the ride. In fact, a whopping 221 stocks hit fresh 52-week lows on the NYSE and Nasdaq exchanges. Let's go over some of the surprising names on the list of underachievers.
From Costco checking in with its latest financials to a highly anticipated video game that could breathe life into the moribund gaming industry, there will be plenty of news breaking in the coming days. Here are some of the items that will shape the week ahead on Wall Street.
Wall Street stock futures are signaling a declining Dow after six straight days of gains that pushed the index to a series of all-time highs.
U.S. stock futures are heading higher for the third straight day with a raft of economic indicators on tap, ranging from jobs and consumer debt, to productivity and international trade.
The past 36 hours should have been a moment of unbridled celebration for cheerleaders of American capitalism, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average had two successive record-breaking closes, and Hugo Chávez died after a two-year illness.
After barreling through a record the day before, the Dow Jones industrial average meandered higher on Wednesday. The DJIA edged up 42.47 points to close at 14,296.24. An encouraging job-market report helped nudge the stock market up and pushed bond prices lower. The question now is, how much longer can it keep climbing?
The Dow is closing at a record, beating the previous high it set in October 2007, before the financial crisis and the Great Recession. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 126 points, or 1 percent, to 14,253 Tuesday, beating its previous record by 89 points.
World stock markets rose Tuesday as investors applauded China's pledge to stick to economic growth targets for its economy, the world's second largest. Outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao said the government would spend what it needs to meet the target of 7.5 percent enshrined in the latest five-year development plan.
On Wednesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 14,075, its highest close in the past five years, and within 90 points of its all-time high: 14,164, reached on Oct. 9, 2007. But what does that really mean for you, or the economy as a whole?
A rally is losing steam on Wall Street as indexes inch higher following two days of triple-digit gains.The Dow Jones industrial average was up 16 points at 14,091 at midday. It's just 73 points below the record high it reached in October 2007.
Sure, the stock market is looking strong now, but the recent downturn has left investors understandably on edge. If you're nervous about whether your portfolio is set up to weather the next financial storm, here are five pieces of sound advice for you.
Futures are rising as Chairman Ben Bernanke heads to Capitol Hill to explain what the Federal Reserve will do to accelerate the economic recovery only days before a series of mandatory budget cuts kick in.