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%.
Last week, oil's ascent trumped a raft of healthy U.S. economic reports. With a relatively light slate of economic data scheduled this week, oil prices and political turmoil in the Middle East could play an even larger role in the trading sessions ahead. [Video]
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.
The market suffered its biggest swoon since August last week as chaos swept Libya and oil prices hit multiyear highs. With the geopolitical landscape uncertain for the foreseeable future, don't be surprised if stocks come under further selling pressure in the days ahead. [Video]
It was a rough (even if short) week on Wall Street. But at least the Dow ended higher after losing more than 300 points in the previous three days. Some month-end bargain-hunting also helped stem the slide. [Video]
Stocks closed broadly if modestly higher Friday on light volume as traders avoided making any big bets ahead of a long holiday weekend. The equity markets closed up for the third straight day and extended their winning ways to a third consecutive week.
Wicked winter weather played havoc with the government's employment situation resulting in an inconclusive jobs report on Friday. Still, stocks ended the week higher. But how much longer can stocks continue to gain?
Stocks fell sharply Friday as investors fled to safety amid disappointing economic data, mixed corporate earnings reports and escalating violence in Egypt. A soft start for equities only got worse as the day progressed. [Video]
Stocks closed sharply higher Monday with the Dow Jones posting a triple-digit gain as technology stocks rallied after Intel raised its dividend and expanded its share buybacks by $10 billion. The index last saw 12,000 in June 2008 -- on the way down.
Better-than-expected earnings from General Electric helped lift the Dow and S&P 500. The Nasdaq closed lower after disappointing results from chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices. Overall, the week's strong earnings bode well for coming corporate reports.
Stocks closed broadly higher Wednesday after Portugal's government had no trouble in tapping global debt markets, helping ease European debt fears. The euro gained at the dollar's expense, which lifted a broad basket of commodities as well as U.S. equities.
The S&P 500 gained about 13% last year, but it didn't get much help while companies were releasing results. That index was unchanged or lower for all four of 2010's earnings seasons, and it could repeat this pattern now.
After putting up solid gains this year, the case for the stock market in 2011 is more of the same. And when the Fed finally raises short-term rates, one pro says, the smart traders will be those who jump on the opportunity to do some serious bargain-hunting. [Video]
The big winners of 2010 scored returns far above those of U.S. markets by piggybacking on China's ferocious growth. But rebounding American equities look mighty impressive next to the year's real losers: the victims of the eurozone debt crisis.