5/16/2012

From Reuters:

U.S. stocks and the euro slid on Wednesday on news that some Greek banks face emergency funding needs, while minutes from the Federal Reserve's April meeting showed U.S. economic prospects remain sobering.

5/15/2012

From AP:

The euro and European stocks plunged as trading in New York began after efforts to form a government in Greece collapsed. Newly-elected political leaders there disagree about whether to accept more international bailouts and continue with painful spending cuts.

5/14/2012

From Reuters:

Stocks fell on Monday as investors dealt with the one-two punch of worsening political upheaval in the euro zone and the possibility that China's economy may be softening more than previously thought.

5/11/2012

From Reuters:

Shares of U.S. banks slumped on Friday after JPMorgan said it lost billions of dollars on bad trades, but the overall market ended only modestly lower, thanks to gains in technology shares.

5/10/2012

From AP:

Investors have worried that job growth is fading. They were encouraged by a Labor Department report that applications for unemployment benefits dropped 1,000 to 367,000 in the week ending May 5.

5/9/2012

From Reuters:

Stocks trimmed earlier losses to trade modestly lower by mid-afternoon trade on Wednesday after news that Greece will get 5.2 billion euros in aid.

5/8/2012

From Reuters:

Stocks ended lower on Tuesday after political developments in Greece fanned concerns about Europe's fiscal health, but a late rally helped indexes cut losses to close well above lows.

5/7/2012

From Reuters:

- Investors brushed off Europe's election results, as the S&P 500 rebounded from early losses to end nearly unchanged on Monday, despite the uncertainty surrounding the euro zone's ability to tackle its debt crisis.

5/4/2012

From Reuters:

Wall Street ended its worst week this year with a sharp selloff on Friday after a slowdown in job creation in the world's top economy raised the biggest question mark yet about the prospects for U.S. growth.

5/3/2012

From Reuters:

Stocks fell on Thursday as economic data sent mixed signals on the recovery a day before the April payrolls report

5/2/2012

From Reuters:

The S&P 500 and the Dow edged lower on Wednesday as data showed that private sector hiring unexpectedly fell to a seven-month low in April, sparking concerns that Friday's key jobs report will also disappoint investors.

government data on Wednesday showed new orders for factory goods suffered their biggest decline in three years in March as demand for transportation equipment and a range of other goods dried up

5/1/2012

From Reuters:

The Dow closed at its highest level in more than four years on Tuesday after U.S. manufacturing expanded at a faster pace than expected in April, easing jitters about a slowdown in the economic recovery.

4/30/2012

From Reuters:

The S&P 500 posted its first monthly decline since November on Monday, as stocks slipped on signs the U.S. economy may be slowing and as a recession in Spain highlighted risks in the euro zone.

"We had such a strong first quarter, and we've lost that momentum in the last two weeks," said Jake Dollarhide, chief executive at Longbow Asset Management in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The data "reinforces the ominous tone on Wall Street, along with the fears we have about Europe."

Stronger consumer spending cushioned the blow in the first quarter, but Monday's data suggested consumers ended the period spending less freely.

4/27/2012

From AP:

Stocks are closing slightly higher as investors weigh news of higher corporate profit against disappointing economic news.

4/26/2012

From Reuters:

Stocks rose for a third day on Thursday after upbeat housing data and stronger-than-expected results from companies, including Lockheed Martin, overshadowed some high-profile earnings misses.

4/25/2012

From CNBC:

Troubles in Europe are making banking analyst Meredith Whitney "wildly bullish" on certain U.S. markets, though she said in a CNBC appearance that some of the nation's biggest regions face major challenges.

4/24/2012

From Breakout:

Whether it's earnings, the economy, or the Fed, Wall Street, at its core, is ultimately a game of expectations. And right now Jim Bianco, president of Bianco Research, says the anticipation for Wednesday's trifecta of policy proclamations is fittingly low.

4/23/2012

From AP:

The Dutch government collapsed Monday, a day after French President Nicolas Sarkozy lost the first round of that country's presidential election. A new report showed that European government debt continues to pile up despite severe budget cuts, which have led to unrest and political upheaval across the continent.

4/20/2012

From Reuters:

U.S. stocks mostly rose on Friday, led by solid earnings from McDonald's, General Electric and Microsoft, but declines in banks and technology shares pulled indexes from their day's highs.

4/19/2012

From Reuters:

Stocks fell for a second day on Thursday as labor market data showed more signs of weakness while a warning from Qualcomm and poor results from Stanley Black & Decker discouraged investors.

4/18/2012

From Reuters:

Exuberant global markets have taken a reality check this month on chronic U.S., Chinese and European growth concerns, and investors should hold companies' relatively rosy profit outlooks up for scrutiny too.

4/17/2012

From Reuters:

"People were very pessimistic, marking down earnings expectations so there was plenty of room for the market to be positively surprised," said Paul Zemsky, the New York-based head of asset allocation at ING Investment Management.

4/16/2012

From Reuters:

The Dow rose on Monday as robust U.S. retail sales data helped large-cap consumer stocks, but a 4 percent slide in Apple hurt the Nasdaq.

"The market behavior is fairly manic today and investors are confused after a mixed set of data, Spanish yields, and momentum stocks like Apple losing ground," said James Dailey

4/13/2012

From Reuters:

U.S. stocks closed their worst two-week slide since November with a selloff on Friday as disappointing China growth data sparked worries the global recovery was flagging.

4/12/2012

From Reuters:

Stocks scored a second day of solid gains on Thursday, led by materials and energy stocks, as investors set aside weak figures on the domestic labor market.

The U.S. Federal Reserve is running through data to determine if last month's soft non-farm payrolls report was a weather-related setback or a sign the recovery is losing momentum, said William Dudley, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

4/11/2012

From Reuters:

An encouraging start to earnings season helped stocks rebound on Wednesday from five days of losses that pushed the S&P 500 below a key technical level.

Gold dipped on Wednesday as a buying spree paused after four straight sessions of gains, but the stronger euro and a bullish price outlook from metals consultancy GFMS provided support.

4/10/2012

From Reuters:

Most Fed policymakers think the jobless rate could fall to somewhere between 5.2 and 6 percent before the economy heats up enough to fuel inflation. That's a higher "natural" unemployment rate than the roughly 5 percent rate estimated by most Fed policymakers three years ago. Many private sector economists have shifted their estimate of the natural rate even higher. Credit Suisse pegs it at around 6.5 percent, and UBS at near 7 percen

4/9/2012

From Reuters:

Most Fed policymakers think the jobless rate could fall to somewhere between 5.2 and 6 percent before the economy heats up enough to fuel inflation. That's a higher "natural" unemployment rate than the roughly 5 percent rate estimated by most Fed policymakers three years ago. Many private sector economists have shifted their estimate of the natural rate even higher. Credit Suisse pegs it at around 6.5 percent, and UBS at near 7 percen

4/5/2012

From Reuters:

The Federal Reserve's balance sheet shrank in the latest week, Fed data released on Thursday showed.

The Federal Reserve on Thursday issued a policy reminder to banks that are turning foreclosed homes into rentals, and outlined existing guidelines which must be followed in dealing with the growing number of distressed residential properties on the market.

The number of Americans lining up for new jobless benefits dropped to the lowest level in nearly four years last week, according to a government report that showed ongoing healing in the labor market.

A top Federal Reserve official warned on Thursday that the United States could face the same crisis of confidence from investors as European countries if it does not rein in government overspending.

The Treasury Department said on Thursday that a net $815.9 million of government securities were stripped in March.

4/4/2012

From Reuters:

The Federal Reserve is considering possible sales of assets from its Maiden Lane III portfolio, which was created during the bailout of insurer American International Group (AIG) (AIG.N), a New York Federal Reserve spokesman said on Wednesday.

Former Federal Deposit Insurance Corp Chairman Sheila Bair is leading an effort to convince the Federal Reserve to get tougher on the largest U.S. banks.

The pace of growth in the U.S. services sector slipped in March after hitting its highest level in a year the previous month, as a gauge of new orders declined, according to an industry report released on Wednesday.

The United States is far behind on reforming the country's housing finance system, where the government's mortgage buyers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac provide funding for the bulk of U.S. home loans, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Wednesday.

Wall Street firms authorized to deal directly with the Federal Reserve nudged their expectations for the Fed's first interest rate hike further into the future last month, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York revealed on Wednesday.