stock markets

Signs that Europe’s debt troubles are larger than originally forecast upended financial markets Friday, sending the dollar up nearly 1% and erasing the week’s gains in the stock market.

Stocks edged higher Thursday as commodity slide eases. Consumer staples and health care led the market due in part to concerns that high gas prices will erode consumer spending and cut into corporate earnings.

Slumping oil and commodity prices halted the stock rally Wednesday. Demand for gasoline in the U.S. fell by the largest amount in seven weeks, the Energy Information Administration said, a signal that consumers are conserving money as gas prices near a national average of $4 a gallon.

Microsoft’s $8.5 billion Skype deal, another sign that cash-rich companies are starting to spend, lifted stocks Tuesday.

Energy and metals stocks rose Monday with commodity prices, pushing indexes higher as well.

Stock markets fell Thursday as concerns grew that Friday’s jobs report may be worse than originally thought.

Stocks sank Wednesday after payroll processor ADP said companies added 179,000 new jobs in April, far fewer than economists had expected. That raised worries about what the government’s monthly jobs report for April will reveal when it’s released Friday.

Stocks wobbled Tuesday as the recent corporate earnings rally slowed down with weaker earnings announcements from Pfizer, Clorox, Molson Coors Brewing Co., and Beazer Homes.

Stocks closed lower Monday despite news of Osama bin Laden’s death and strong earnings reports.

Strong earnings from Catepillar drove the Dow higher Friday. The world’s largest maker of mining and construction equipment rose 2.5% after its earnings increased more than five-fold. The company also raised its sales and profit forecast for the year.

Stocks rose Thursday despite a weaker GDP report as as investors bet that the economy would grow at a faster annual rate once gasoline prices stabilized.

Stocks rose Wednesday after the Fed said it expects the economy to grow as much as 3.3% this year.

Positive earnings reports drove stocks to new highs for the year Tuesday. The new highs continue a historic recovery in the stock market. Stock indexes have more than doubled since hitting a 12-year low in March, 2009. The fastest bull market since the 1950s has now erased most of the losses stemming from the financial crisis.

Stocks ended mixed Monday following corporate reports and rising commodity costs that made investors cautious.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed at another 2011 high Thursday after blue chip earnings pushed stock indexes higher.

Strong tech earnings pushed the Dow near a three-year high on Wednesday. Intel rose 7.8%, the most of the 30 companies in the Dow average, after the chip-maker reported that its income rose 29% in the first quarter because of rising demand for personal computers. The results easily beat analysts’ expectations and allayed concerns that surging sales of tablet computers would hurt Intel’s results.

Johnson & Johnson rose 3.7%, leading the 30 companies in the Dow Jones industrial average, with earnings that beat Wall Street’s expectations. The health care heavyweight also raised its full-year profit forecast.

Manufacturing, inflation news sent stocks higher on Friday. The Federal Reserve reported that U.S. factories increased production for the ninth straight month. Separately, the Labor Department said consumer prices rose just 0.1% last month excluding food and gas prices.

Stocks edged higher Thursday, but leave banks behind. JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America Corp. each fell more than 1%.

Stocks edged higher Wednesday on better economic data. JPMorgan Chase & Co., the first big bank to release first-quarter earnings, reported net income that beat expectations.

Stock markets in the U.S., Asia and Europe fell Tuesday after Japan said the crisis at its crippled nuclear plant was as serious as the 1986 Chernobyl accident, though much less radiation has leaked.

Stocks weakened Monday after the International Monetary Fund said that higher gas prices could slow the pace of the U.S. economy and offset the boost from the Federal Reserve’s bond-buying stimulus program.

Stocks wavered Friday as the government shutdown loomed. Without a deal, the federal government is expected to stop all services that aren’t considered essential. That means most economic reports would be suspended. Sales of debt would continue.

Stocks dipped Thursday after another earthquake hit Japan. The quake rattled investors, partly since it struck near the same area as the massive earthquake that triggered devastating tsunami on March 11.

Technology stocks rose Wednesday, and chip stocks were still a big focus for investors since Texas Instruments Inc. said Monday it would pay $6.5 billion in cash for National Semiconductor Corp.

Stocks ended mixed Tuesday following reports that the minutes from the Fed’s meeting on March 15 confirmed that members of the central bank are split about whether it needs to tighten credit later this year to ward off inflation.

Stocks edged higher Monday as oil hit a new 30-month high.

Stocks rose Friday after the Labor Department announced the unemployment rate fell to 8.8%, the lowest since March 2009.

Stocks ended Thursday mixed as the price of oil jumped to a 30-month high. Slightly disappointing reports on unemployment claims and factory orders also weighed on the market.

All 10 sectors of the benchmark Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose on Wednesday. AT&T Inc. led the 30 stocks that make up the Dow Jones industrial average with a 2.2% gain.

Stocks gained Tuesday as consumer confidence falls less than feare.

Stocks faltered Monday despite improving economic reports. The Commerce Department said consumer spending rose at its fastest pace in four months in February, though some of the increase was driven by higher gas prices. The National Association of Realtors said more Americans signed contracts to buy homes in February than economists were expecting. Sales rose in every region but the Northeast, but remained below what is considered a healthy level.

Stronger economic reports helped stocks rebound on Thursday.

Japan’s worsening nuclear crisis rattled financial markets on Wednesday, with stock indexes giving up 2%.

Japan crisis puts world financial markets on edge Tuesday, sending markets lower.

Fears of a slowdown in Japan pushed stocks lower Monday. Nine out of the 10 sectors that make up the Standard and Poor’s 500 index lost ground. Utilities companies fell 1.4%, the most of any group, as explosions at Japanese nuclear reactors in the wake of the disaster dimmed prospects for the nuclear energy industry.

Stocks inched higher Friday following news of the earthquake in Japan. Industrial and materials companies rose on expectations that they will benefit from Japan’s rebuilding efforts.

Stocks dipped Wednesday as crude oil prices hovered near $104 a barrel, continuing a three-week run of high prices that economists say could slow the economic recovery.

Bank stocks gained and oil prices dipped, helping push indexes higher Tuesday.

Stocks fell Monday after oil prices pushed higher, hitting a two-year high at close to $107 a barrel.