NEW YORK  (CNNMoney) -- U.S. stocks fell Wednesday after the Federal Reserve issued a dour assessment of the economy but gave no indication that additional stimulus measures are in the works.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) fell 80 points, or 0.6%, to 12,109. The S& P 500 (SPX) lost 8 points, or 0.6%, to 1,287. The Nasdaq Composite (COMP) tumbled 18 points, or 0.7%, to 2,669.

Shares of Boeing (BA, Fortune 500) fell 2.5%, making it the worst performer on the Dow. But the selling was broad based, with only three stocks in the blue-chip index ending in the black.

In a widely expected move, the Fed held its benchmark interest rate near zero percent, saying the economic recovery has been weaker than expected.

Echoing past statements, the Fed said economic growth remains tepid enough to justify " exceptionally low" interest rates for an " extended period" of time.

" There was was no 'new news' in the Fed's statement today," said Nigel Gault, an economist IHS Global Insight.

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Separately, the Fed issued an update to its economic projections. The bankers lowered their target for economic growth and raised their forecast for the unemployment rate.

" Overall, the tenor of today's policy statement and Bernanke's words would best be described as mixed and uncertain," said Guy LeBas, a strategist at Janney Capital Markets. " The markets' response was similarly mixed."

Stocks rose Tuesday, ahead of a key confidence vote in Greece, that boosted the likelihood that the country will be able to secure a bailout package and avert a default.

Companies: FedEx (FDX, Fortune 500) reported earnings and sales that topped forecasts, and hiked its outlook. That sent shares of the shipping company up 3%. Shares of rival UPS (UPS, Fortune 500) edged up nearly 1%.

Shares of Adobe Systems (ADBE) slumped more than 6%. The software maker posted a 54% jump in second-quarter profit after the market close Tuesday, but issued a revenue outlook that fell short of expectations.

Carmax (KMX, Fortune 500) reported first-quarter earnings that widely beat expectations, sending shares of the company 7.5% higher.

Royal Phillips Electronics (PHG) warned that second-quarter profit would drop sharply and miss expectations. U.S.-listed shares of the electronics maker tumbled 10%.

Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY, Fortune 500) will report quarterly results after the market close Wednesday. The home decor retailer is expected to report earnings of 62 cents a share.

Video streaming website Hulu LLC is considering putting itself up for sale, according to news reports that cite people familiar with the situation.

Greece? The Fed? Earnings are the real story

World markets: European stocks lost ground. France's CAC 40 dropped and the DAX in Germany both lost 0.1% and Britain's FTSE 100 was little changed.

Asian markets ended higher. The Shanghai Composite inched up 0.1%, while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong ended barely above breakeven, and Japan's Nikkei jumped 1.8%.

Currencies and commodities: The dollar gained against the British pound, but edged lower versus the euro and Japanese yen.

Oil for August delivery gained $1.24, or 1.3%, to $95.41 a barrel.

Motorist group AAA released a forecast saying more Americans are staying home for the 4th of July weekend compared to last year -- with 39 million Americans expected to travel 50 miles or more from home between Thursday, June 30 and Monday, July 4. That's down 2.5% from last year, when 40 million Americans celebrated the long weekend away from home.

Gold futures for August delivery added $8 to $1,554.40 an ounce.

Bonds: The price on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury held steady, with the yield unchanged from Tuesday at 2.99%.   

NEW YORK  (CNNMoney) -- U.S. stocks managed decent gains Monday, even as investors remained cautious about Greece's debt crisis.

After slipping about 0.3% in the opening minutes, the major indexes turned higher, with the Dow Jones industrial average closing (INDU) up 76 points, or 0.6%.

Financial stocks JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500) and Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500) were the biggest laggards, while DuPont (DD, Fortune 500) and Caterpillar (CAT, Fortune 500) led the gains.

The S& P 500 (SPX) rose 7 points, or 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite (COMP) rose 13 points, or 0.5%. Biogen Idec (BIIB, Fortune 500) was the best performer on both indexes, with shares rising more than 4%.

The gains were limited as investors grappled with the latest news on the Greek debt crisis. European finance ministers said Monday that the country won't receive fresh loans until mid-July.

" All eyes are on the Greek debt situation and whether more help is on the way," said Sameer Samana, an analyst at Wells Fargo Advisors. He said ongoing developments in Greece will likely continue to drive market action, as investors wait for the debt-ridden country to pass more austerity measures.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Monday that the Obama administration believes that Greece's debt situation can be resolved with Europe's help, but " it does create a headwind."

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Adding fuel to the fire, credit agency Moody's said Friday that it was putting Italy on watch for a possible credit rating downgrade.

Despite Moody's warning, the Dow managed to break its six-week losing streak last week.

Companies: Ford Motor Co. (F, Fortune 500) plans to invest $1 billion to revamp its struggling Lincoln brand, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday, citing dealers briefed on the plan. Shares of the automaker rose 1.3%.

PNC Financial Services Group (PNC, Fortune 500) said early Monday that it will buy the U.S. retail banking division of Royal Bank of Canada (RY) for $3.45 billion. Shares of PNC were down 2%, while share of Royal Bank edged up 0.2%.

Shares of land driller Nabors Industries (NBR) fell 1.8%, after the company trimmed its second-quarter outlook.

Chinese social networking site Renren (RENN) is slated to report results after the market close. Shares of Renren, which went public last month, rose 8%. The stock has declined 50% from its IPO price.

Europe's sickly banks

World markets: European stocks finished slightly lower. Britain's FTSE 100 slumped 0.1%, the DAX in Germany slipped 0.2% and France's CAC 40 dropped 0.6%.

Asian markets ended the session mixed. The Shanghai Composite lost 0.8%, the Hang Seng in Hong Kong slipped 0.4% and Japan's Nikkei ended just above breakeven.

Currencies and commodities: The dollar was flat versus the euro and the British pound, and gained slightly against the Japanese yen.

Oil for July delivery rose 16 cents, or 0.2%, to settle at $93.26 a barrel, following steep losses from the previous week.

Gold futures for August delivery gained $2.90 to settle at $1,542.00 an ounce.

Bonds: The price on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury fell, pushing the yield up to 2.96% from 2.94% late Friday.   

 

NEW YORK  (CNNMoney) -- U.S. stocks closed little changed on Monday after a downgrade of Greece's credit rating tempered earlier investor enthusiasm for a series of corporate deals.

At the close, the Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) rose 1 point, or less than 0.1%, to end at 11,953 the S& P 500 (SPX) added less than a point to close at 1,272 and the Nasdaq Composite (COMP) fell 4 points, or 0.2%, to 2,640.

Stocks opened higher following a series of deals. But the gains were short lived after credit agency Standard & Poor's downgraded its rating on Greece to " CCC." S& P also kept its negative outlook on Greece.

The downgrade pressured the currency and commodity markets. Oil fell 2% to $97.30 a barrel. Silver prices slid more than 4%. And and gold dropped 1% to $1,515.60 an ounce.

Energy and material stocks were hit hard, with Cabot Oil (COG) tumbling 3.5% and Halliburton (HAL, Fortune 500) shares down more than 2%.

S& P downgrades Greece

Apparel company VF Corp. (VFC, Fortune 500), the maker of Wrangler and The North Face brands, agreed to buy Timberland for $43 per share -- creating a $10 billion apparel and footwear company. Shares of Timberland (TBL) rose 44% and VF Corp.'s stock jumped 10%.

Wendy's/Arby's Group (WEN) rose 1%, after the restaurant operator agreed to sell Arby's to a private equity group led by Roark Capital Group. Wendy's will retain an 18.5% ownership interest in the roast beef chain's business.

These deals were some of the first M& A activity Wall Street had seen in weeks.

" It's an emotional confirmation that businesses continue to deal despite the economy," said Bruce McCain, chief investment strategist at Key Private Bank.

U.S. stocks tumbled Friday, with each of the three key indexes falling more than 1%, and the Dow ending below 12,000 for the first time in months.

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Companies: Sears Holdings (SHLD, Fortune 500) was the second-best performing stock in the S& P 500, rising more than 5%.

Honeywell (HON, Fortune 500) announced plans to acquire EMS Technologies (ELMG) for $491 million in cash. Honeywell shares edged higher, while EMS shares jumped 32%.

European Insurance company Allied World Assurance (AWH) agreed to buy U.S. insurance company Transatlantic Holdings (TRH) for approximately $3.2 billion in an all-stock deal. Transatlantic shares rose 10%, while Allied World shares were down 4.5%.

Shares of Citigroup (C, Fortune 500) rose 3% despite a Wall Street Journal report that said the bank waited three weeks before notifying customers of a credit card hack attack.

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Bonds: The price on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury edged slightly higher Monday afternoon, pushing the yield down to 2.96% from 2.97% late Friday.

World markets: European stocks finished higher. Britain's FTSE 100 and the DAX in Germany edged up 0.2%, and France's CAC 40 added 0.1%. Europe markets were closed by the time the S& P Greece downgrade was announced.

Asian markets ended mixed. The Shanghai Composite lost 0.2% and Japan's Nikkei slumped 0.7%, while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong added 0.4%.

China is slated to release its latest consumer price data overnight. Investors will be looking at the report closely for any hints of a slowdown in growth.   

 

NEW YORK  (CNNMoney) -- Stocks fell Wednesday, with the Dow and S& P ending lower for a sixth consecutive session, as investors remain concerned about signs of an economic slowdown.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) fell 22 points, or nearly 0.2%, to 12,049. The S& P 500 (SPX) dipped 5 points, or 0.4% to 1,279. The Nasdaq (COMP) sank 26 points, or 0.9%. to 2,675.

Shares of Alcoa (AA, Fortune 500) fell over 2%, making it the worst performing Dow stock. But the index was supported by Verizon (VZ, Fortune 500), which rose 1% after analysts at Oppenheimer upgraded the stock.

After the market closed, Texas Instruments (TXN, Fortune 500) lowered its outlook for second-quarter earnings and revenue. Shares of the technology company fell 4.5% in extended trading.

Oil prices jumped nearly 2% to settle near $101 a barrel after OPEC failed to reach an agreement on crude production levels.

The spike in crude prices lifted shares of energy producers Cabot Oil and Gas (COG), Apache Corp. (APA, Fortune 500) and Occidental Petroleum (OXY, Fortune 500), among others.

Exxon Mobil (XOM, Fortune 500) rose nearly 1%, after the company announced three new oil and gas discoveries in the Gulf of Mexico that could produce 700 million barrels of product.

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Credit card companies Visa (V, Fortune 500) and MasterCard (MA, Fortune 500) came under pressure after the Senate failed to delay rules capping fees that banks charge retailers to process debit card transactions by consumers.

Overall, the tone on Wall Street has been bearish as investors remain rattled by recent signs that the economic recovery has stalled.

" We've had a slew of bad news," said Abigail Doolittle, the founder of Peak Theory Research.

She said the market has shown some resilience and that stocks could bounce higher over the short term. But she was less optimistic about the bigger picture.

" Over the long term, the bad news will outweigh the good news, and that will pressure the S& P lower from here," she said.

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The economic gloom hanging over the market was reinforced late Tuesday by comments from Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke, which killed a modest stock rally.

Economy: The Fed released the latest edition of its Beige Book, which describes economic conditions across the central bank's 12 districts.

The report showed that economic activity continued to expand at a moderate pace in most districts.

But growth slowed in at least four districts, while the Dallas Fed reported an acceleration in activity, according to the Beige Book.

Companies: Hovnanian (HOV) reported disappointing earnings results after the market close Tuesday, sending shares of the homebuilder about 12% lower Wednesday.

LDK Solar (LDK) shares fell more than 7% after the company issued a cautious outlook.

Shares of telecommunications company JDS Uniphase (JDSU) were down sharply. Retail clothing companies Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) and Urban Outfitters (URBN) were also under pressure.

Currencies and commodities: The dollar rose against the euro and the British pound, but slipped versus the Japanese yen.

Gold futures for August delivery fell $2.70 to $1,536.00 an ounce.

Bonds: The price on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury edged up, pushing the yield down to 2.96% from 2.99% late Tuesday.

World markets: European stocks closed lower Wednesday. Britain's FTSE 100 shed 0.8%, the DAX in Germany dropped 0.6% and France's CAC 40 fell 0.5%.

The declines came amid reports that Moody's has determined the U.K.'s credit rating is at risk of being downgraded.

Asian markets ended the session mixed. The Shanghai Composite ticked up 0.2% and Japan's Nikkei added 0.1%, while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong slipped 0.9%. 

NEW YORK  (CNNMoney) -- Losses in the financial sector weighed on the stock market Monday, as investors remain nervous about the country's economic outlook.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) fell 61 points, or 0.5%, with JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500) and Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500) the biggest drags on the blue-chip index. Of the Dow's 30 components, 23 posted losses.

The S& P 500 (SPX) shed 14 points, or 1.1%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq (COMP) slipped 30 points, or 1.1%.

" Investors are really trading on emotions right now -- and unfortunately, most people are pessimistic," said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer of Harris Private Bank in Chicago.

U.S. stocks fell sharply on Friday, following a weak May jobs report.

The Dow and S& P have each declined roughly 5% since the beginning of May, amid weak reports on home prices, unemployment claims and manufacturing.

Apple launches iCloud

Companies: Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) investors adhered to the common Wall Street saying " buy on the rumor, sell on the news," Monday.

Shares of the tech giant fell 1.6% after CEO Steve Jobs' unveiled iCloud , a free service that will store and sync documents, photos and other content across Apple devices. (Read Fortune's live blog of the event at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.)

The biggest gainer in the S& P 500, Harley-Davidson (HOG, Fortune 500), saw its shares rise 2.8% after UBS Investment Research called the motorcycle maker a short-term buy, citing strong May sales.

Also bucking the day's downward trend, Starbucks (SBUX, Fortune 500) shares rose 1.7% after analysts at BMO Capital boosted their rating on the coffee retailer to " outperform." The analysts raised their price target for the stock to between $40 and $45 -- a more than 13% premium over Friday's closing price.

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Currencies and commodities: The dollar rose against the euro and the British pound, but fell versus the Japanese yen.

Oil for July delivery slipped $1.21 to settle at $99.01 a barrel.

Gold futures for August delivery edged up $4.80 to settle at $1,547.20 an ounce.

Bonds: Treasury yields traded in spitting distance of six-month lows Monday. The price on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury fell, pushing the yield up to 3.01% from 3.00% late Friday.

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World markets: European stocks ended their session mixed. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.2%, the DAX in Germany dipped 0.2% and France's CAC 40 fell 0.8%.

In Asian markets, Japan's Nikkei finished 1.2% lower. The Shanghai Composite and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong were closed for holidays. 

 

NEW YORK  (CNNMoney) -- U.S. stocks closed mostly lower on Thursday, with the Dow and S& P falling for a second day in a row, as fears about the economy and concerns about consumer spending weighed on investors' minds.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) fell 42 points, or 0.3%, to end at 12,249, with Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500) and Chevron (CVX, Fortune 500) the biggest drags on the blue-chip index. At one point in the session, the Dow stumbled nearly 100 points.

The S& P 500 (SPX) lost 2 points, or 0.1%, to 1,313 and the Nasdaq Composite (COMP) rose 4 points higher, or 0.2%.

Retail stocks pressured the broader market throughout the day, as major retail chains reported mostly disappointing same-store sales. Limited Brands (LTD, Fortune 500), Kohl's (KSS, Fortune 500) and Gap (GPS, Fortune 500) were among the worst performers on the S& P 500.

" Those are some pretty big names giving some disappointing numbers," said Frank Davis, senior equity trader with Wedbush Morgan Securities. " It adds to the already-heightened anxiety over the recent economic data."

Investors also remained sharply focused on the labor market. Weekly jobless claims stayed above the 400,000 level for the eighth straight week.

" Jobless claims have taken a lot more meaning over the last several weeks," said Mark Luschini, chief investment strategist at Janney Montgomery Scott.

The figure takes on even more importance in light of Wednesday's " shockingly weak" private sector jobs report, Luschini added. Both reports come ahead of the government's key monthly jobs report on Friday.

Economic 'malaise' takes root

Stocks fell sharply Wednesday, with the Dow and S& P 500 posting their steepest losses in nearly a year, following weak reports on jobs and manufacturing. A late downgrade on Greece's debt added to the rout.

Economy: The U.S. Commerce Department said April factory orders fell 1.2% -- slightly more than the 1% decline economists had expected.

Moody's said would consider downgrading the United States' AAA rating if Congress failed to act on the debt ceiling.

Companies: Shares of the for-profit education stocks jumped, after the Department of Education issued its final rules that aim to halt federal aid to schools whose graduates cannot earn enough to repay their loans.

Shares of Corinthian Colleges (COCO) spiked 27%, while shares of Apollo Group (APOL, Fortune 500) rose 11% on the news. Bridgepoint Education's (BPI) stock added 3%.

Online coupon company Groupon filed for a $750 million initial public offering on Thursday. Groupon plans to trade under the symbol " GRPN."

In the financial sector, Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500) shares slid more than 1% on reports that the Manhattan Attorney General's office is investigating the bank.

Currencies and commodities: The dollar fell 1% against the euro. The greenback was also lower versus the Japanese yen and the British pound.

Oil for July delivery closed up 11 cents to $100.40 a barrel. AAA reported Thursday morning that gas prices rose to $3.784 per gallon, following 20 consecutive decreases.

Gold futures for July delivery dropped $10.50 to $1,535.50 an ounce.

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Bonds: The price on the 10-year U.S. Treasury fell, pushing the yield up to 3.03%. On Wednesday. the benchmark yield fell below 3% Wednesday for the first time since December.

World markets: Global markets fell sharply following Wall Street's deep losses on Wednesday, and as investors digested yet another downgrade on Greece debt.

Britain's FTSE 100 slid 1.4%, while the DAX in Germany and France's CAC 40 tumbled nearly 2%.

In Asia, the Shanghai Composite lost 1.4%, the Hang Seng in Hong Kong declined 1.6%, and Japan's Nikkei sank 1.7%.

Japan's market was under pressure amid domestic political turmoil. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan survived a no-confidence vote in Parliament Thursday, by promising he will resign after the country's nuclear crisis is under control.   

NEW YORK  (CNNMoney) -- The rally in U.S. stocks regained momentum Tuesday afternoon, but the day's gains weren't enough to lift the market out of the red for the month.

May has been a rough month for the stock market as investors wrestle with signs of a slower recovery.

On Tuesday, investors sifted through yet another batch of weak U.S. economic data that showed a decline in home prices, regional manufacturing activity and consumer confidence.

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The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) surged 128 points, or 1%. All but one of the Dow's components posted gains, with Pfizer (PFE, Fortune 500), Cisco (CSCO, Fortune 500) and Alcoa (AA, Fortune 500) leading the advance.

The S& P 500 (SPX) added 14 points, or 1.1%, and the Nasdaq Composite (COMP) gained 38 points, or 1.4%.

The Journal reported that Germany is shifting its stance to consider lending more money to debt-ridden Greece. Previously, German officials had said that private investors in Greece should share some of the burden in any new bailout, but according to the Journal, Germany is now considering lending additional assistance -- even without private bondholders getting involved.

" The market is battling between growing fears that the U.S. economy is headed toward another downturn, and some progress on the European debt problems," said Peter Tuz, president at Chase Investment Counsel.

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U.S. investors are also gearing up for the government's highly anticipated monthly jobs report on Friday.

CNNMoney's survey of economists forecast that the U.S. economy created 178,000 jobs in May, down from 244,000 jobs a month earlier. The unemployment rate is expected to tick down to 8.9% from 9%.

U.S. stocks rose modestly last Friday, with trading volume light as traders positioned themselves for a long holiday weekend. The stock market was closed Monday for Memorial Day.

Economy: According to the closely watched S& P Case-Shiller Index, home prices recently fell to their lowest levels since the housing bubble burst. Prices tumbled 4.2% in the first quarter, sending home prices back to levels not seen since mid-2002.

The Chicago Purchasing Managers index fell more than expected to 56.6 in May, from 67.6 the previous month. Economists were expecting the figure to slip to 62.5.

The Conference Board's consumer sentiment index declined to 60.8 in May, from 65.4 in April. Economists were expecting consumer confidence to rise to 66.3.

Companies: Shares of Nokia (NOK) tumbled 14%, after Nokia issued a sales warning that the second quarter will be lower than previously expected. The cell phone maker, which has been losing market share to Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) and Google (GOOG, Fortune 500), also lowered its full-year outlook.

Shares of Apple rose 3% after the company said that CEO Steve Jobs, who is on medical leave, will introduce the iCloud service during the Worldwide Developers Conference keynote on June 6 in San Francisco.

World markets cheer Greek, Japanese news

World markets: European stocks climbed Tuesday. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.9%, the DAX in Germany surged 1.9%, and France's CAC 40 added 1.6%.

Asian markets ended sharply higher. The Shanghai Composite rose 1.4%, the Hang Seng in Hong Kong gained 2.2% and Japan's Nikkei added 2%.

Early Tuesday, Moody's placed 12 Japanese regional governments on review for a possible downgrade.

Currencies and commodities: The dollar fell against the euro, but rose versus the British pound and the Japanese yen.

Oil for July delivery rose $2.11, or 2.1%, to settle at $102.70 a barrel.

Gold futures for August delivery slipped 50 cents to settle at $1,536.80 an ounce.

Bonds: The price on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury rose, pushing the yield down to 3.05% from 3.06% late Friday.   

NEW YORK  (CNNMoney) -- Stocks edged higher Thursday as momentum in the technology sector offset disappointing reports on economic growth and the labor market.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) rose 8 points, or 0.1%, to end at 12,403 the S& P 500 (SPX) added 5 points, or 0.4%, to 1,326 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (COMP) gained 22 points, or 0.8%, to close at 2,783. The Dow had been down more than 70 points earlier in the session.

Technology shares helped offset broader market losses, with technology blue chip Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) rising 2% and Hewlett-Packard (HPQ, Fortune 500) gaining 1.5%. Microsoft shares were higher after large shareholder David Einhorn called for CEO Steve Ballmer to step down.

" All these tech giants like Microsoft, Dell, HP have gotten so big, they're very hard to manuveur," said Daniel Morgan, portfolio manager with Synovus Trust Co., who also owns Microsoft shares.

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Among other tech names, NetApp (NTAP) shares jumped 7% after the data storage company reported strong quarterly results late Wednesday and issued an upbeat outlook for the current quarter.

The biggest decliners among the blue chips were Merck (MRK, Fortune 500) and Home Depot (HD, Fortune 500), which were both down roughly 1%.

Stocks have been struggling this month, as optimism over upbeat corporate earnings has been tempered by signs the economy could be entering a slowdown this summer.

Evidence of a weaker economy was prevalent in two economic reports released Thursday morning.

The number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefit claims remained above 400,000 for the seventh week in a row. Additionally, the government's revised reading on first-quarter growth domestic product remained at 1.8%. Economists expected GDP to bump up to 2%.

" The data doesn't bode well for the summer," said Stephen Carl, head trader with Williams Capital.

Climbing a wall of worry - StockTwits

Stocks posted modest gains Wednesday, but are in negative territory for the week overall.

Companies: Shares of Tiffany & Co. (TIF) rose more than 8.5%, after the luxury jeweler reported a 12% jump in sales. The company also hiked its quarterly dividend payment to 29 cents per share from 25 cents.

Signet Jewelers (SIG) also fared well, with its stock rising 5%. The retailer, which operates Kay Jewelers, Jared, The Galleria Of Jewelry and chains in the U.K., got a big boost from U.S. sales in its latest quarter.

Shares of MasterCard (MA, Fortune 500) rose 3%, following a joint announcement by Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) -- along with MasterCard and Sprint (S, Fortune 500) -- of a new mobile payment system called Google Wallet.

Computer Sciences Corp.'s (CSC, Fortune 500) shares dropped 13%, after the company's quarterly results came in short of expectations. The company said it earned an adjusted profit of $1.01 a share, while analysts were looking for $1.16 a share.

Freescale Semiconductor (FSL) priced its initial public offering at $18 a share, below its estimated range of between $22 and $24 per share. Shares rose 2% following its IPO.

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Currencies and commodities: The dollar fell against the euro, the Japanese yen and the British pound.

Oil for July delivery dropped $1.09, or 1.1%, to $100.23 a barrel.

Gold futures for June delivery slid $4.10 to $1,523.20 an ounce. Silver for June delivery fell 0.8% to $37.33 an ounce.

Bonds: The price on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury rose, pushing the yield down to 3.09% from 3.14% late Wednesday.

World markets: European stocks closed Thursday's session mixed. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.2%, while the DAX in Germany slid 0.8% and France's CAC 40 fell 0.3%.

Asian markets ended mixed. The Shanghai Composite edged lower 0.2%, while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong added 0.7% and Japan's Nikkei rallied 1.5%. 

NEW YORK  (CNNMoney) -- Investors are on edge as they face a series of headwinds that just don't seem to be going away: a slowing U.S. recovery, European debt problems and the end of the Federal Reserve's bond-buying program.

It's already been a choppy week and it's only Tuesday. After getting hammered in the previous session, stocks were struggling to recover.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) slipped 25 points, or 0.2%, with GE (GE, Fortune 500) and American Express (AXP, Fortune 500) pressuring the blue chip index. Chevron (CVX, Fortune 500) and Exxon Mobil (XOM, Fortune 500), which got a boost from oil prices, were among the biggest gainers on the Dow.

Crude prices rose nearly 2% to close just under $100 a barrel. The spike came after Goldman Sachs boosted its forecast for Brent oil -- the European benchmark -- to $120 a barrel by year's end.

The Nasdaq Composite (COMP) lost 13 points, or 0.5%, and the S& P 500 (SPX) lost 1 point, or 0.1%.

May has been especially rough for the stock market. The Dow and S& P 500 have both lost more than 3%, and the Nasdaq has tumbled 4% since the start of the month.

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While the risks may put a lid on gains in the near-term, investor's don't need to worry about an end to the two-year old bull market. Stocks have doubled from their March 2009 lows -- at a record pace.

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Economy: A government report showed that new home sales rose 7.3% to an annual rate of 323,000 units in April. Economists were expecting an annual rate of 300,000 sales for April.

Companies: AutoZone (AZO, Fortune 500) was among the S& P 500's best performers. Shares of the auto parts retailer jumped 6% after the company delivered quarterly earnings and sales above expectations.

Shares of entertainment products maker Sony (SNE) rebounded, ticking up 5%. Shares slipped nearly 4% in the previous session following disappointing quarterly results due to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

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Russian search giant Yandex (YNDX) debuted on the Nasdaq under the ticker 'YNDX' after going public late Monday. The stock jumped almost 60% from its IPO price of $25 a share.

Currencies and commodities: The dollar slid against the euro, the British pound, and the Japanese yen

Gold futures for June delivery rose $7.90 to $1,523.30 an ounce.

Bonds: The price on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury rose slightly, pushing the yield down to 3.12% from 3.13% late Monday.

World markets: After global markets sank in the previous session on concerns that eurozone debt woes will continue to spread, European stocks rebounded in Tuesday. Britain's FTSE 100 and the DAX in Germany added 0.4% and France's CAC 40 rose 0.3%.

Asian markets ended mixed. The Shanghai Composite edged lower 0.3%, while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong ticked up 0.1% and Japan's Nikkei rose 0.2%. 

NEW YORK  (CNNMoney) -- Stocks followed commodities, rebounding from their lows to end higher Thursday afternoon.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) added 66 points, or 0.5%, the S& P 500 (SPX) rose 7 points, or 0.5%, and the Nasdaq Composite (COMP) gained 18 points, or 0.6%. Earlier in the session, all three indexes were down as much as 0.7%.

Fair value for oil is $60 - StockTwits

Meanwhile, shares of big oil companies Exxon Mobil (XOM, Fortune 500), Chevron (CVX, Fortune 500), ConocoPhillips (COP, Fortune 500), Shell (RDSA), BP (BP) also stabilized as the companies' CEOs defended their tax breaks before Congress.

Investors: Cheaper oil is good news - The Buzz

Stocks fell sharply Wednesday, as energy and materials stocks got slammed by a sell-off in oil and gasoline futures.

Economy: The number of people who filed for first-time unemployment benefits in the most recent week fell to 434,000, down from the previous week but worse than economists' expectations.

Initial unemployment claims have been stuck above the key 400,000 level for four weeks.

Meanwhile, retail sales rose 0.5% in April, according to the Commerce Department, but the bulk of the gains came from increasing gas and food prices.

The Producer Price Index for finished goods rose 0.8% in April, seasonally adjusted, according to the government. That followed a 0.7% increase in March.

The Commerce Department said business inventories rose 1% in March. Economists were expecting inventories to rise 0.9% during the month, after a 0.7% increase in February.

Companies: Shares of Cisco Systems (CSCO, Fortune 500) fell nearly 5%, dragging on all three indexes. The Dow component posted better-than-expected earnings after the bell Wednesday, but CEO John Chambers issued a tepid outlook for the coming quarter.

Shares of Kohl's (KSS, Fortune 500) rose 3.9% after the department store chain posted a $211 million quarterly profit, up 6% from a year earlier, as sales rose 3% to $4.2 billion. Kohl's also raised its full-year outlook.

World markets: European stocks closed lower. Britain's FTSE 100 lost 0.5%, the DAX in Germany fell 0.7% and France's CAC 40 dropped 0.9%.

10 triple-digit stock winners

According to its most recent figures, China's economic growth slowed in April, with the country's inflation rate easing a bit. It's still unclear, though, whether that signals the start of a prolonged cooling period or not.

Currencies and bonds: The dollar erased its gains against the euro, falling 0.3%. It remained higher versus the British pound. The greenback was slightly lower against the Japanese yen.

The price on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury fell, pushing the yield up to 3.23%.   

NEW YORK  (CNNMoney) -- Stocks fell sharply Wednesday, as energy and materials stocks were particularly hard hit by a sell-off in oil and gasoline futures.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) slid 130 points, or 1%, to end at 12,630. The blue-chip index had been down as much as 179 points. The S& P 500 (SPX) fell 15 points, or 1.1%, to 1,342 and the Nasdaq Composite (COMP) shed 27 points, or 0.9%, to end at 2,845.

Shares of Chevron (CVX, Fortune 500) and Exxon Mobil (XOM, Fortune 500) were among the biggest laggards on the Dow as oil plunged nearly 6% to $100 a barrel. Gasoline futures also got hammered, tumbling 8% to $3.11 a gallon.

The selling intensified after the Energy Department's weekly inventory report showed a surprise build in gasoline supplies.

The drop in energy prices also drove down shares of energy firms Halliburton (HAL, Fortune 500), Cabot Oil (COG) and Tesoro (TSO, Fortune 500), among others.

Precious metals were also selling off, with silver sinking $3.26, or 8.5%, to $32.22 an ounce. And gold fell $13.40, or 0.9%, to $1,503.50 an ounce.

Copper was also getting caught up in the selling mayhem, with prices sinking 3.5%. That spilled over to miner stocks, including Freeport McMoRan (FCX, Fortune 500) and Teck Resources (TCK).

Traders also pointed to weakness in the euro as part of the reason commodities were under pressure. The dollar gained strength amid growing concerns about Greece's debt problems.

" We're now looking at a strong likelihood that Greece will need to default in some form," said Brian Dolan, Forex.com's chief currency strategist.

The euro: And the saga continues - StockTwits

One of the lone bright spots was Intel (INTC, Fortune 500), whose shares rose 1.7% after the chipmaker hiked its quarterly dividend to 21 cents a share.

Investors moved into defensive sectors such as consumer staples, utilities and health care stocks. Both utilities and health care have been particularly strong performers as of late, a sign that investors are becoming increasingly hesitant.

" It's time to be a little bit cautious," said Russell Lundeberg, chief investment officer with Barrett Capital Management. " These volatile swings show that fundamentals are not moving this market any more, so you have to be sure you're being paid for any amount of risk you're willing to take on at this point."

Wednesday's drop came after U.S. stocks rose Tuesday, thanks to investors encouraged by Microsoft's $8.5 billion deal to buy Skype, along with solid corporate earnings reports and economic data.

Companies: Shares of Dow component Walt Disney (DIS, Fortune 500) fell more than 5% after the company reported earnings that fell far short of forecasts.

Yahoo! (YHOO, Fortune 500) shares slid more than 7%, making it the worst performer in the S& P 500, on investor concerns about the value of its China-based assets.

Automaker Toyota (TM) said Wednesday that net income almost doubled and sales increased 0.2% for the fiscal year ended March 31. But the earthquake that hit Japan earlier this year cost the company about ¥100 billion. Toyota shares rose 0.5%.

Also, insurer AIG (AIG, Fortune 500) and the Treasury decided to move ahead with a $9 billion stock offering, despite the recent low price of the stock. Shares of AIG rose 3.6%.

10 triple-digit stock winners

Department store chain Macy's (M, Fortune 500) posted a profit of 30 cents a share, well above the 17 cents analysts were looking for. The company also announced it was doubling its quarterly dividend to 10 cents per share. Macy's shares jumped 8%, making it the best performer on the S& P 500.

Dow component Cisco Systems (CSCO, Fortune 500) reported earnings of 42 cents a share, beating analysts' estimates of 37 cents. CSCO rose 4% in aftermarket action.

Economy: The U.S. trade deficit widened to $48.2 billion in March, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. Economists were expecting a $47.7 billion trade deficit.

In Asia, China's food price surge slowed, helping to ease overall inflation in April. China's consumer price index rose at an annual rate of 5.3%, down from 5.4% growth in March.

Currencies and bonds: The dollar rose more than 1% against the euro but remained weak against the British pound and the Japanese yen.

Meanwhile, the price on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury rose modestly, with the yield falling to 3.16%.

World markets: European stocks closed mixed. Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.7%, the DAX in Germany lost 0.1% and France's CAC 40 added 0.1%.

Asian markets ended mixed. The Shanghai Composite lost 0.3%, the Hang Seng in Hong Kong shaved 0.2% and Japan's Nikkei rose 0.5%. 

NEW YORK  (CNNMoney) -- U.S. stocks rose for third straight day on Tuesday, as investors were bolstered by Microsoft's $8.5 billion deal to buy Skype, along with solid corporate earnings reports and economic data.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) rose 76 points, or 0.6%, to close at 12,761 the S& P 500 (SPX) gained 11 points, or 0.8%, to 1,357 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (COMP) added 29 points, or 1%, to close at 2,872.

Shares of Intel (INTC, Fortune 500), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ, Fortune 500) and Cisco (CSCO, Fortune 500) were among the Dow's top performers, all rising by more than 1%, while Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) was the biggest drag on the blue-chip index, falling 0.5%.

Leading the Dow was media giant Disney (DIS, Fortune 500), shares of which rose more than 2% before the company's quarterly results. After the bell, Disney reported earnings of 49 cents per share, missing analyst forecasts for 57 cents a share. Disney stock fell 3% in aftermarket trading.

Investors also focused on U.S. import-export data, wholesale inventories and quarterly home prices, as well as the strong Chinese trade report.

Early Tuesday, the Chinese government said China's trade surplus surged to $11.43 billion in April, growing for the second month in a row.

While stocks continue to move higher, there are signs that Wall Street is becoming more defensive. Utilities were among Tuesday's top performers, with companies such as ConEd (ED, Fortune 500), Pacific Gas & Electric (PGE) and American Electric Power (AEP, Fortune 500) all up at least 1%. Healthcare stocks, another defensive sector, were also doing well.

" When you see those sectors outperforming the broader market, that's a signal that investors are getting more cautious," said Quincy Krosby, chief market strategist with Prudential Financial. " I think we're beginning a topping-out process for stocks, unless the economic data like jobless claims starts to improve."

U.S. stocks rose Monday, as commodity prices bounced back. But the gains were tempered by worries about the fiscal crisis in Greece.

Economy: U.S. home prices continued their sharp drop during the first three months of the year, according to a report by the National Association of Realtors. The average price on a single family home in the U.S. now stands at $158,700, down 4.6% from a year ago.

The price of imports into the United States increased 2.2% in April, while exports only advanced 1.1%, according to a report released by the Labor Department.

The Commerce Department said wholesale inventories rose 1.1% in March, which was in line with forecasts.

Everyone hates Cisco

Companies: Cisco shares rose 1% ahead of its quarterly results on Wednesday after the closing bell. Analysts are looking for the telecommunications and router company to earn 37 cents a share.

Shares of eBay (EBAY, Fortune 500), which owns a 35% stake in Skype, rose 2.5% in midday trading.

Dean Foods (DF, Fortune 500)' stock surged 11%, after the dairy company easily trounced earnings expectations and raised its outlook, citing improving demand.

Shares of Intercontinental Hotels (IHG), which owns Holiday Inn, rose 4% after the company reported a 30% jump in profit.

Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) unveiled its cloud-based music service on Tuesday, which will allow users to upload music for later streaming.

World markets: European stocks ended solidly higher. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 1.3%, the DAX in Germany advanced 1.3% and France's CAC 40 ticked higher 1.1%.

Asian markets finished higher. The Shanghai Composite edged up 0.6% and Japan's Nikkei rose 0.3%. Hong Kong's stock market was closed for a holiday.

Currencies and commodities: The dollar rallied against the euro, the Japanese yen and the British pound.

Oil for June delivery rose $1.13, or 1.1%, to $103.63 a barrel.

Gold futures for June delivery rose $15, or 2.2%, to $1,518 an ounce.

Silver futures for July delivery gained $1.50, or 4%, to $38.66 an ounce.

Bonds: The price on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury edged lower, with the yield rising to 3.17%.   

 

NEW YORK  (CNNMoney) -- U.S. stocks rose Monday as commodity prices regained ground, overshadowing worries about the fiscal crisis in Greece that hung over the market.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) rose 46 points, or 0.3%, to 12,684. The S& P 500 (SPX) gained 6 points, or 0.5%, to 1,346. The Nasdaq Composite (COMP) advanced 15 points, or 0.5%, to 2,843.

After a sharp sell-off last week, commodities rebounded Monday. Oil jumped 5% to above $102 a barrel. Silver prices gained 6% and gold rose over 1%.

" Oil lifted this morning and, as a result, we saw a move back into the highly cyclical areas," said Kevin Rendino, a senior portfolio manager at BlackRock, pointing to companies in the energy and materials sector.

Shares of Alcoa (AA, Fortune 500), Caterpillar (CAT, Fortune 500) and Chevron (CVX, Fortune 500) were among the top performers on the Dow. McDonald's (MCD, Fortune 500) rose nearly 1% after the fast-food chain said sales rose 6% in April.

But the blue-chip average was hobbled by shares of Intel (INTC, Fortune 500), which fell nearly 2%. Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500) and JPMorgan (JPM, Fortune 500) were also weak.

With no major U.S. economic reports on tap Monday, investors were focused on worsening fiscal problems in Greece.

Standard & Poor's cut Greece's credit rating again, and warned that many of the nation's banks are at risk of further downgrades. That came on the heels of rumors last week that the debt-ridden country could abandon the euro or seek another bailout.

" Greece is clearly on the forefront of investors attention today," said Rendino. However, he added that the downgrade was not surprising, and the nation's economic woes are nothing new.

ETFs for the long haul

Stocks edged higher Friday, as the dollar rallied and investors responded to a stronger-than-expected jobs report.

But all three indexes closed down more than 1% for the week, as weakness in commodities -- especially silver and crude -- spilled over into the broader market.

Companies: Citigroup (C, Fortune 500) conducted a 1-for-10 reverse stock split after the closing bell Friday, meaning that the number of shares outstanding were reduced to bolster the stock price. Citi's stock edged lower in early trading to $44.75. Last week, it was trading at around $4.50 a share.

Citi shares fell 1%.

Shares of Dollar Thrifty (DTG) surged nearly 12% after Hertz (HTZ, Fortune 500) announced a new offer to buy the rival rental car company.

Tyson Foods (TSN, Fortune 500) reported earnings per share that beat analysts' estimates by a penny, but the company missed on revenue. Shares fell 6%.

Economy: Among the key reports due later in the week are the March trade balance, due Wednesday, the April retail sales figures on Thursday and a reading on April consumer prices slated for Friday.

World markets: European stocks fell as investors continued to fret about Greece's debt problems. Britain's FTSE 100 edged down 0.6%, the DAX in Germany fell 1.1% and France's CAC 40 slid 1.3%.

Asian markets ended mixed. The Shanghai Composite edged up 0.3% and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong rose 0.8%, while Japan's Nikkei slid 0.7%.

China will release its latest trade gap figures overnight. Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner began two days of meetings with Chinese leaders about economic issues, likely to include discussions about the yuan-dollar relationship.

Currencies and commodities: The dollar edged up against the Japanese yen, dipped against the euro and was little changed against the British pound.

Oil for June delivery gained $5.51 to settle at $102.69 a barrel.

Gold futures for June delivery rose $16.70 to close at $1,507.90 an ounce.

Silver futures for July delivery rose $2.18 to end at $37.47 an ounce.

Bonds: The price on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury edged up, pushing the yield down to 3.14%.