stock markets

Major indexes flitted between tiny gains and losses in the morning Wednesday, rallied a bit after the Federal Reserve released minutes from its last meeting, then petered out toward the close. The Standard and Poor’s 500 ended lower, but barely — down just 0.09%.

Major indexes headed lower at the opening of trading Tuesday, wavered between tiny gains and losses throughout the morning then spent much of the afternoon sitting still.

U.S. stocks closed higher on Monday for the third consecutive day with the Dow and S&P setting records.

After a mostly downbeat week in the markets, trading got off to a strong start early Thursday as investors weighed the two Labor Department reports. The government said fewer people applied for unemployment aid last week, pushing the four-week average down to its lowest level since April 2000.

Coming off a two-day losing streak, the major stock indexes spent much of Wednesday drifting between small gains and losses before ending mostly lower. Technology stocks were among the biggest gainers, sending the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite slightly higher. The Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor’s 500 index notched their third straight loss.

On Tuesday, the market nearly clawed back all the way from an early slump that dragged the Dow Jones industrial average down as much as 180 points in the first half-hour of trading. The price of oil closed above $60 a barrel for just the third time this year, giving a boost to energy stocks.

U.S. stock indexes edged lower Monday, led by falling prices in the energy sector. Crude oil prices fell, pulling down energy stocks.

On Friday, U.S. stocks jumped the most since March following hiring gains. Investors were encouraged that U.S. employers added 223,000 jobs in April, a solid gain suggesting that the economy may be recovering after a stumbling start to the year.

U.S. stock indexes edged higher Thursday, a day after heavy selling followed Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen’s suggestion that stock prices might be too high.

Markets started higher Wednesday, propelled by a jump in energy stocks, but then quickly gave up the gains. A comment from Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen suggesting that stocks are generally overvalued added to the selling pressure.

Major indexes wavered at the outset of trading on Tuesday, drifted lower throughout the morning, then spent the afternoon slowly ceding ground.

Stocks gained Monday. Corporate earnings for the first quarter have surpassed analysts’ expectations, growing slightly rather than contracting, as had been forecast. That’s helping boost demand for stocks, keeping alive a bull market that is now in its seventh year.

Stocks bounced back Friday following a drop the day before. “It’s an odd day in the markets,” said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at BMO Private Bank. The news out Friday was mostly disappointing, he said. Big corporations’ earnings reports weren’t all that good.

U.S. stocks dropped Thursday as investors assess coorporate earnings reports. While many investors remain optimistic that growth will resume later in the year, that belief isn’t yet being backed up stronger economic data or good corporate earnings reports.

Stocks stayed lower Wednesday after the Federal Reserve downgraded its assessment of the economy and appeared no closer to raising its benchmark interest rate from close to zero. The stock market, trading close to record levels, is struggling to maintain its upward momentum at the start of the seventh year of a bull-market run.

Stocks ended mostly higher Tuesday. Pharmaceutical stocks rose after drug giant Merck reported better-than-expected results. Twitter plunged nearly 20 percent after its results, which were released early, missed analysts’ marks.

Stocks appeared headed for new highs in the morning Monday, but drifted lower in afternoon as health care companies dropped sharply. Mylan, a maker of generic drugs, slumped nearly 6%. It was a downbeat note after strong gains last week, capped by a new record in the Nasdaq composite, 15 years after its dot-com era peak.

Tech earnings drove stocks moderately higher Friday. The modest gains helped close out a relatively strong week for U.S. stocks, with the three major indexes rising between 1.4% and 3.2% in five days. The Standard & Poor’s 500 and Nasdaq composite closed at record highs.

The Nasdaq rose 20.89 points, or 0.4% to 5,056.06 on Thursday, above the record of 5,048.62 it set on March 10, 2000. The Nasdaq’s advance was part of a broader move higher by the stock market on Thursday.  The Dow Jones industrial average rose 20.42 points to 18,058.69.

For most of the day, the market looked like a driver given bad directions. Major indexes shuffled between slight gains and losses in morning trading before turning higher in the late afternoon. The gains were modest but shared widely: All 10 industries in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose.

Major indexes started Tuesday slightly higher, turned lower around noon, then languished until the closing bell. A mixed batch of first-quarter earnings reports offered traders little direction.

Stocks recorded gains Monday, recovering from a big slump on Friday when worries about the unresolved Greek debt crisis and some disappointing earnings reports rattled financial markets.

News that negotiations between Greece and its international lenders are making little progress sent European stock markets down sharply on Friday, and the selling spread across the Atlantic. By the close of U.S. trading, stocks across industries were lower, with four of five stocks down. Investors shifted money into German government bonds, a perceived haven in troubled times.

Stocks drifted lower at the start of trading Thursday, followed oil prices higher in the early afternoon, then flipped back to slight losses in the last hour before the closing bell.

Stocks rose Wednesday on news of positive earnings reports and higher oil prices. For investors, any good news comes as a welcome surprise this earnings season, which is widely expected to be the worst in years.

Stocks fell shortly after the open onTuesday, then headed mostly higher along with the price of oil. Chevron led the Dow Jones industrial average higher with a 2.2 percent gain.

With little news to move the market either way, major indexes spent Monday wavering between slim gains and losses. Stocks started higher in the morning, turned lower shortly after midday, then drifted downward until the closing bell.

U.S. stocks closed higher again Friday on news that General Electric would be selling its long-struggling lending business.

Energy stocks led an overall gain in U.S. issues Thursday. Oil rose as negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program hit a snag. That could mean Iranian oil will continue to be held back from the international market by sanctions.

Stocks edged higher Wednesday, led by health care stocks, which rose after generic drugmaker Mylan bid $29 billion for rival Perrigo. That offset a slump in energy stocks prompted by a big drop in oil prices.

U.S. stocks closed mildly lower on Tuesday as investors eyed continued gains in oil and the dollar ahead of the unofficial start of earnings season on Wednesday.

U.S. stock indexes posted gains Monday in quiet trading fueled by a jump in the price of crude oil.

U.S. stocks edged higher Thursday. Traders drew encouragement from the latest economic data, particularly a government report indicating a steep drop in applications for unemployment benefits last week. That appeared to reassure investors that the government will report solid job growth for March.

Many of the stocks that fell the most on Wednesday were also some of the biggest gainers during the first three months of the year. The health care sector notched the biggest decline in the S&P 500. Even so, it’s up 4.8% this year, leading the nine other sectors in the index.

A late slide Tuesday in stocks erased much of Monday’s gain. The broad decline came as traders seized on the final day of the quarter to do some profit-taking and prune their portfolios. Health care stocks were among the biggest decliners. Oil prices extended their slide.

Stocks gained Monday on encouraging signs in spending and home sales. The broad rally nudged the Dow Jones industrial average back into positive territory for the year after a rough stretch for the market most of last week.

Major indexes notched modest gains on Friday, not nearly enough to make up for the four previous days of losses. It wound up being the second-worst week for the market so far this year. There was no one major catalyst to move the market one way or another Friday.

U.S. stocks fell Thursday for the fourth straight day. After hitting record highs earlier this month, stocks have been steadily declining this week. Strategists and traders said the strong dollar, geopolitical tensions and a market that is already expensive have given investors little impetus to buy in recent days.

Major indexes drifted lower in early trading Wednesday, following news that orders for long-lasting U.S. goods sank last month. The selling gathered strength in the afternoon, with companies like Avago Technologies and Skyworks Solutions losing the most.

Major indexes started higher in morning trading Monday, settled into an afternoon lull, then dipped down in the last 10 minutes of trading. The S&P 500 fell 3.68 points, or 0.2 percent, to close at 2,104.42.