stock markets

The Dow Jones industrial average and Nasdaq composite ended mixed after drifting between small gains and losses for much of the day. The three key stock indexes all opened higher, holding on to tiny gains in premarket trading as investors sized up the latest data on unemployment aid applications and an index of economic indicators.

Major U.S. stock indexes were mostly flat in premarket trading Wednesday. They wavered through much of the morning then settled slightly in the red, where they held right up to the release of the Federal Reserve’s statement at 2 p.m. ET.

Stocks closed higher Tuesday after news that U.S. consumer prices jumped sharply in May drove up long-term interest rates, setting the stage for a turnaround as investors bid up shares in financial stocks such as E-Trade Financial, Charles Schwab and Goldman Sachs.

Stocks mostly hovered between small gains and losses through much of the day Monday  as traders monitored the conflict in Iraq and considered its potential impact on oil prices.

Stocks fell from the start of trading Thursday on a government report that retail sales for May came in slightly lower than expected. A separate report on jobs was weak, too. A surge in oil prices as violence flared in Iraq also weighed on the market, and hammered airline stocks.

Stocks opened lower Wednesday after the World Bank predicted weaker global growth this year, citing a tough winter in America and the political crisis in Ukraine. The bank said late Tuesday that it expects the world economy to grow 2.8% this year instead of the 3.2% it predicted in January.

News of a handful of corporate deals sent some stocks jumping Monday. And Family Dollar climbed following news that investor Carl Icahn has taken a stake in the company.

Stocks climbed higher Friday after the Labor Department said employers added 217,000 jobs to their payrolls in May, in the range of what economists had expected. The unemployment rate stayed put at 6.3%. Wall Street’s forecasters had expected it to inch up.

Stock market gains Thursday were broad but modest. All 10 industries in the S&P 500 crept higher, led by industrial companies and banks. The European Central Bank cut two key interest rates, pushing one of them below zero.

Once again trading was quiet on Wednesday, with roughly 2.8 billion shares changing hands on the New York Stock Exchange, compared with the recent average of 3.3 billion shares. Volume has been under 3 billion shares every day this week.

Stocks edged lower Tuesday. Even with the day’s decline, the direction for the stock market the last two weeks has been up. The S&P 500 and Dow have fallen just three times in the last 12 sessions.

Stocks finished Monday higher after the Institute for Supply management said U.S. manufacturing grew at a brisk pace last month, correcting its earlier statement that growth had slowed. The ISM said the correct number for its manufacturing index was 55.4 in May, in line with what economists were expecting. That’s a better result than the 53.2 figure that ISM initially reported.

Trading was uneven, and indexes moved between small gains and losses for most of Friday. A late push higher left the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor’s 500 at all-time highs, but just barely.

Stocks rose modestly Thursday, sending the Standard & Poor’s 500 index to another record high. Investors rallied behind a bidding war in the food industry as well as a somewhat positive report on the U.S. labor market.

Stocks climbed Tuesday after the government reported that orders to U.S. factories for long-lasting manufactured goods rose unexpectedly in April, powered by a surge in demand for military aircraft. Also, the Conference Board’s consumer confidence index rose in May to the second-highest level since January 2008, just after the start of the Great Recession.

Stocks are bumbling along this year after a gangbuster 2013. The upward grind is underscored by the Standard & Poor’s 500 index, which closed above 1,900 for the first time on Friday and is up 2.8 percent for the year.

In the absence of any major new economic data on Wednesday, investors focused on companies reporting quarterly earnings or otherwise garnering headlines, pushing stocks higher.

Disappointing earnings from Staples, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Urban Outfitters and others triggered a selling spree Tuesday. The downturn in retail stocks came in a slow week for economic news and ahead of the Memorial Day weekend, which contributed to lighter-than-usual trading volumes. The weakness stirred fresh concerns about the retail sector and the outlook for consumer spending in the U.S.

Stocks edged higher Monday as much of the market remained in drift mode, but still near the latest all-time high set by the Standard & Poor’s 500 index a week ago.

Stocks posted a small gain Friday. Major indexes spent much of the day meandering around the breakeven mark. Stocks started higher at the open but reversed course after a report on consumer confidence showed a drop last month. The market took a sudden turn up in the last hour of trading, turning minor losses into minor gains.

Stocks tanked Thursdayas financial markets reflected broader investor jitters: government bonds rose, small-company stocks continued to plunge, and safe, slower-growth industries fared the best. The latest economic data from the United States was mixed: Factory output fell. But fewer people sought unemployment benefits, evidence that hat solid hiring should continue. The news was more disappointing in Europe, where the economy of the 18 countries that share the euro saw output rise just 0.2% in the first quarter.

A day after the Standard & Poor’s 500 index climbed above 1,900 for the first time, investors turned their backs on stocks that would benefit more than others in a reviving economy. Consumer discretionary stocks, a group that includes luxury retailers and entertainment companies, dropped the most. Industrial and technology companies also fell, and riskier, small-company stocks resumed a sell-off after rebounding on Monday.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index briefly climbed above1,900 on Tuesday before dropping back to close just below it. Still, it set an all-time closing high by a fraction of point. Stocks have gained as most investors remain optimistic that the economy will start to accelerate this year following a cold winter that stymied growth. First-quarter corporate earnings came in better than expected, giving stocks a lift.

After beating down Internet and small companies for two months, investors decided that those stocks had fallen enough. Among the big gainers Monday were Twitter and Facebook, which had plunged in March and April. The Russell 2000, an index made up of small companies, climbed the most in two months.

Stocks started Thursday higher as investors looked over earnings reports and after some encouraging news on hiring. But by the close of trading they were mostly lower as energy and utilities faded.

The stock market climbed Wednesday despite skidding Internet companies. Traders dropped NetApp, salesforce.com and other tech companies for a second day running, sending their stocks down 2% or more. Whole Foods plunged 19% after cutting its profit forecast.

Mixed earnings reports on Tuesday sent stocks down. Nine of the 10 industry groups in the Standard and Poor’s 500 fell, led by a 1.4% drop in financial companies after results for insurer American International Group fell short of analysts’ expectations. Home builder stocks dropped after more signs of weakness in the housing market.

Stocks started Monday lower after a report showed that manufacturing in China, the world’s second biggest economy, had contracted for the fourth straight month. News of more fighting between pro-Russian activists and soldiers in Ukraine also made investors cautious.

Hopeful economic news Thursday failed to lift stocks. The market remains close to its all-time highs, but for now investors, uncertain about which way the economy is headed, appear reluctant to push stocks higher.

After starting Wednesday, the stock market ended with its third straight day of gains. Investors assessed a series of company earnings reports, the latest move from the Federal Reserve and an unexpectedly weak reading on first quarter economic growth,

Stocks rose on Tuesday, following strong earnings reports. Just over half the companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index have now released their earnings for the first quarter and, with the occasional exception, the reports have contained enough good news to drive stock prices higher.

Traders were pulled in multiple directions Monday. Stocks opened higher, fell in the afternoon, and then rose again in the last hour of trading. High-risk technology stocks were one area of weakness as investors continue to cut their exposure to high-growth names and turn their focus to larger dividend-paying companies.

Stocks fell sharply on Friday as worried investors sold their risky assets and moved into the traditional safe havens: bonds, gold and stocks that pay high dividends like utilities. Friday’s sell-off was enough to push the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq into the red for the week.

Stocks closed mostly higher on Thursday on higher earnings. The markets gains were modest, however, as investors turned their eyes back to Russia and Ukraine, where geopolitical tensions were heating up once again. Some earnings reports, such as 3M and Facebook, also failed to impress investors.

Disappointing earnings reports drove stocks lower Wednesday and a surprise drop in new home sales also weighed on the broader market.

Stocks are rebounding from a slump earlier this month when investors dumped high-flying biotechnology and Internet stocks. The gains over the past week have been driven by a combination of better economic news and respectable, if not spectacular, earnings reports.

Strong earnings reports drove stocks up Monday. Halliburton, an oil and gas drilling company, rose after reporting a first quarter profit on rising revenue in the Middle East and Asia. Toymaker Hasbro gained after it said it returned to profitability in its first quarter, driven by sales of girls’ toys such as My Little Pony and Nerf Rebelle. Netflix surged after the close after the company said its earnings surged as it attracted more subscribers.

The stock market appeared set Thursday morning for its fourth consecutive positive open, but immediately turned negative as investors sold shares in Google and IBM. The market heavyweights reported disappointing earnings late Wednesday. Earnings from toy maker Mattel and insurer UnitedHealth also dragged down stocks.

Major U.S. stock indexes notched their third day of gains in a row. Yahoo and Delta Air Lines were among the companies posting big gains. The gains were broad; for every stock that declined, nearly four rose.

On Tuesday, stocks managed a late-afternoon rebound for the second time in two days as investors seemed to brush off a report of lower confidence among homebuilders and simmering tensions in the Ukraine. The late rally even gave a lift to tech stocks like Google and Intel, which had weighed on the market much of the day.