stock markets

Stronger earnings results from Caterpillar, Microsoft and other corporate giants have helped push the market higher over recent weeks, with the trend continuing on Thursday.

The direction of the stock market has been dictated by swings in the price of oil this week. Energy stocks plunged on Monday and Tuesday on reports that Saudi Arabia was cutting prices for U.S.-bound crude. On Wednesday, oil rebounded on a smaller-than-expected increase in overall U.S. supplies.

U.S. Stocks slipped Tuesday as the slump in oil prices continued. The latest decline was prompted by reports that Saudi Arabia is cutting the price of oil that it supplies to the U.S. as it attempts to maintain its market share as U.S. production booms.

Stocks traded near record levels Monday after strong company earnings helped the stock market recover from an early October slump.

For investors, there was plenty of encouraging news Thursday. Before the market opened, the government said that the U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 3.5 percent in the three months ending in September, powered by more business investment, sales abroad and the biggest jump in military spending in five years.

Major U.S. stock indexes ended Wednesday with a slight loss after the Fed confirmed that it was shutting down a bond-buying program because the economy no longer needs as much help.

Stocks rose from the open on Tuesday, then built on the momentum as investors sifted through mostly encouraging quarterly results. Whirlpool, AutoNation and engine-maker Cummins all rose 7% after reporting their results.

Companies whose fortunes tend to follow global economic growth fared the worst on Monday, as shares of oil companies and material producers dropped 2 percent. Those industries that depend on the U.S. economy, including telecoms, held steady.

Solid company earnings are sending the stock market higher and helping it recover from a jarring drop in mid-October that gave the Standard & Poor’s 500 index its biggest slump in two years. The index has gained on five of the last six days, and on Tuesday logged its biggest advance of the year.

Stocks were higher most of the morning on hopes that the European Central Bank would add to its stimulus program as well as news that U.S. inflation remained low last month. A batch of good earnings reports from U.S. companies also helped. But those gains vanished in the afternoon as the price of crude oil began to drop.

On Tuesday, investors rallied behind an encouraging report on the Chinese economy as well as strong quarterly results from Apple and other big companies. The market continues on its recovery from last week’s swoon and has now erased much of its losses over the last two weeks.

It was a quiet Monday on Wall Street that came after a wild ride last week. Investors remain concerned that economic weakness in Europe could spread to the U.S. Many investors remain bullish on the U.S. stock market over the long term, especially considering how well the U.S. economy has been doing.

On Friday, investors rallied behind a group of corporate earnings results. It was the latest big move for a market which, with a few exceptions, has been on a mostly downward track. Stocks have had four weeks of declines, leaving the Standard & Poor’s 500 index 6 percent below the record high it set Sept. 18.

The stock market took an early plunge Thursday but recovered nearly all of the ground it lost as the day went on. By the closing bell most indexes were showing modest gains. Despite the relatively calm day, many market pros say investors haven’t seen the last of the market’s big moves.

Investors fled stocks and poured into bonds Wednesday as worries about a global economic slowdown intensified. In the afternoon, all three U.S. stock indexes were in negative territory for the year, and the so-called fear index spiked. A late recovery limited the damage and left stocks mostly lower.

The major stock indexes remained in positive territory on Tuesday until the last hour of trading, when they began to fade, threatening to deliver the second last-minute slide in two days. Even so, corporate earnings provided some encouragement to investors, helping to close the gap on losses after a three-day slump.

Airlines, energy and materials stocks were among the biggest decliners on Monday. The market is coming off its biggest weekly decline in more than two years. Many investors remain concerned that economic growth in Europe and Asia could be slowing. A meeting of Eurozone finance ministers in Luxembourg didn’t appear to ease those concerns.

Stocks suffered a steady, moderate decline on Friday that left the market with its worst weekly performance since May 2012. Technology shares were especially hard hit. Semiconductor makers slumped after Microchip Technology cut its sales forecast for the quarter and warned investors to expect bad news from others in the sector.

Stocks fell at the opening of trading Thursday, and the selling accelerated once European markets closed at midday Eastern time. A decline in energy stocks and worries about the global economy sent investors fleeing out of the market. It was the biggest point drop for the Dow since June 2013.

The U.S. stock market surged on Wednesday, erasing a steep loss from the day before. Investors were reacting to minutes from the Federal Reserve’s latest policy meeting, which showed that the central bank wants to keep interest rates extremely low for the time being.

Stocks started the day lower after a report showed that German industrial output fell 4% in August, far more than expected. The slump follows other disappointing economic reports and suggests Europe’s economy will not recover as strongly as hoped in the third quarter.

After opening higher Monday, stocks gave up their early gains and alternated between small gains and small losses. The market’s bull run has faltered in recent weeks and the Standard & Poor’s 500 index logged its biggest monthly drop since January last month.

U.S. stocks dropped sharply Wednesday. At first they were driven lower by word that German manufacturing had slowed last month. The selling accelerated after a separate survey indicated U.S. manufacturing slowed as well. Investors were also selling stocks following news that the first case of Ebola had been diagnosed in the U.S. Investors dumped airline stocks and bought a handful of drug companies working on experimental Ebola treatments.

The market spent Tuesday wavering between minor gains and losses, but there were big moves beneath the surface. Crude oil prices plunged, dragging down Chevron and other oil and gas companies. Ford Motor fell after cutting its profit forecast, while eBay jumped after announcing plans to spin off PayPal.

Stocks turned lower Monday. John Canally, chief economic strategist at LPL Financial in Boston, said many investors think the market has gone too long without a major fall. “I can’t tell you how many calls we’re getting now asking, ‘Is this it? Is this the big one?’ ” he said.

Friday started with good news. The government reported that the U.S. economy expanded at an annual rate of 4.6% in the spring, the fastest pace in more than two years. That was followed by a strong reading of consumer sentiment this month.

Stock markets were down Thursday. The selling started early and picked up strength in the afternoon. By the close of trading, all 30 big companies in the Dow Jones industrial average and the 10 industries in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index lost ground.

Stocks turned back up Wednesday. The gains came after three days of losses for the S&P 500 and two straight days of triple-digit losses for the Dow Jones industrial average. With the gains Wednesday, the Dow recovered more than half of what it lost Monday and Tuesday.

Global stocks fell Tuesday on economic news from Europe and Syria. The disappointing news about Europe’s economy also weighed down Wall Street. The Dow Jones industrial average opened lower and finished the day with its second triple-digit loss in a row.

Investors are nervous about China following a run of soft economic data that suggests growth in the world’s second-largest economy is slowing. The worries about China helped push down the price of oil. That in turn weighed on energy stocks on Monday

Alibaba was the big story Friday. Investors watched as the Chinese e-commerce giant surged 38 percent Friday, in its first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Alibaba gained $25.89 to end at $93.89. By the end of the day, the Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell less than a point, a sliver of a percent, to 2,010.40. It finished with its best weekly gain in a month.

It was another record highThursday for the stock market after the Fed made clear that it’s in no hurry to raise a key bank lending rate, easing a major concern. Eight of 10 industry groups in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose, led by financial stocks.

After drifting along for most of the day Wednesday, stocks marched higher after the U.S. central bank released a statement signaling little change in its interest rate policy. The gains were broad, with seven of the 10 industry groups of the Standard & Poor’s 500 index rising, led by materials stocks.

Stocks flitted between gains and losses through most of morning Tuesday, then turned broadly higher in the afternoon on gains in health care and utility stocks. “The economy continues to improve in the U.S., and there’s still an accommodative Fed,” said Brad Sorensen, director of market and sector research at the Schwab Center for Financial Research. “We think the bull market has further to run.”

The stock market had its first weekly loss since early August, with the prospect of high interest rates dragging down prices on utility companies and other stocks that pay high dividends.

Stocks ended Thursday mixed after gains for dividend-rich utilities stocks largely offset a slump in health care companies. Lululemon, the high-end yoga apparel maker, surged after reporting earnings that surpassed analyst’s forecasts.

Gains in the broad market were muted Wednesday as investors fretted over the timing and pace of Federal Reserve increases in interest rates, which are widely expected next year.

Energy stocks were by far the biggest drag on the market Monday. The energy component of the S&P 500 fell 1.6%, compared to the modest 0.3% decline in the main index. Exxon Mobil, the world’s largest publicly traded oil company, dropped $1.49, or 1.5%, to $97.77. It was the biggest loser among the Dow’s 30 members.

Investors bought up utility stocks Friday after the government reported that U.S. employers added fewer jobs than forecast for August. That boosted demand for bonds and pushed down their yields. In turn, stocks with big dividends became more attractive to investors seeking income-paying securities. The stock market also got a lift from a cease-fire agreement between Ukraine and Russian-backed separatists, aimed at bringing an end to nearly five months of fighting.

Stocks had started the day higher after the European Central Bank surprised investors by announcing that it had cut its benchmark interest rate to a record low and planned to purchase asset-backed securities in an effort to stimulate the region’s ailing economy. Investors were also cheered by some encouraging reports on the U.S. economy. The gains didn’t hold though and the market fell back during afternoon trading, as the falling price of oil pushed energy stocks lower.