Trade Crude Oil

New York, NY, United States (AHN) – U.S. stocks opened modestly higher Friday as traders bet the end of the work week will see the Dow close over 13,000.

Upbeat economic data Thursday helped the Standard & Poors 500 Index end near a 10-month high, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the day up 46.02 to 12,984.69, a new 52-week high. It was the highest close since May 19, 2008, and just a few points below the psychologically important 13,000 mark.

Just after the opening bell on Friday, the Dow gained 4 points, the S&P was up 2 points and the NASDAQ rose 3 points.

Economic focus will remain key on Friday as reports on consumer sentiment and new homes sales are due mid-morning.

Market participants were also keeping a close eye on oil, which has risen sharply over the past week on worries of export cutbacks and embargoes from Iran.

Crude oil for April delivery rose 45 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $108.26 a barrel. Oil gushed higher by $1.55 a barrel on Thursday amid concerns that Iran could stop sending some oil to European nations.

Gold, which has had a stellar run over the past several trading sessions, shed $5.80 to $1,780.50 a troy ounce, and silver, which has been on a tear, was last quoted up 7 cents to $35.43.

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New York, NY, United States (AHN) – Stocks rallied Tuesday and propelled the Dow above the psychologically important 13.000 level. It was the first time the Dow surpassed the mark since May 2008.

Buoying markets was news that eurozone finance ministers had inked a deal for a second Greek bailout. Industrials lead the broad-based rally

Chevron, Alcoa, McDonalds, Home Depot and Bank of America were among the movers. Just before noon, the Dow had given back some gains, but was still up some 35 points to 12,986.43

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and the NASDAQ also advanced, led by energy, materials and consumer staples.

European shares steadied after hitting seven-month highs in the previous session.

Global markets were cheering the Greek deal that staved off what would have been a messy and chaotic default.

With little on the economic calendar for Tuesday, investors traded off the overseas news.

Commodities also enjoyed gains. Oil was up $1.54 to $104.78. Gold soared $31 to $1,756 a troy ounce, platinum jumped $40, palladium gained $15 and silver was up 55 cents.

On Wednesday, traders will be looking at mortgage applications, existing homes sales and a five-year note auction. On Thursday market participants will weigh in on jobless claims, a report on the FHFA home price index. oil inventories and Apple’s shareholder meeting. On Friday, moving markets will be a report on consumer sentiments and new home sales.

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New York, NY, United States (AHN) – U.S. stocks opened mixed to higher Thursday fueled by lower than expected jobless claims and impressive earnings from General Motors.

Just after the open on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 15 points. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and the NASDAQ were both nearly unchanged.

Investors were buoyed by the a report from the Labor Department that showed initial jobless claims fell to a near four-year low.

Also giving stocks momentum was an earnings report from General Motors. GM reported the largest annual profit in its history on Thursday, even as losses in Europe were a drag on fourth quarter earnings.

The auto maker said it earned a quarterly profit of $472 million, or 28 cents a share. It was the eight consecutive quarterly profit for the car maker, which strategically cleared up much of its debt in bankruptcy a few years ago. For all of 2011, GM earned $7.6 billion, most of it from North America.

In early morning trading, shares of GM climbed almost 5 percent, and were last changing hands at $26.15 per share.

Holding stocks back were continued worries over Greece’s ability to secure a second bailout. Investor sentiment was further dampened after rating agency Moody’s put 17 global banks and 114 European financial institutions on review for possible downgrades.

Gold fell as Greece’s woes hurt the euro. The precious metal tumbled $16.40 to $1,711.80 a troy ounce. Oil was flat at $101.67 a barrel.

Ringing the opening bell on the NYSE was Westminster’s Best in Show, Malachy, a petite, composed and well manicured Pekinese.

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New York, NY, United States (AHN) – Stocks were little changed on the open Thursday as investors keep a close eye on developments in Greece.

Just after the opening bell on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 25 points, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and the NASDAQ were virtually flat.

United States stocks were poised to open higher as news surfaced that political leaders had reached a deal on austerity measures and reforms that are needed to prevent Greece from a default. An official announcement is forthcoming.

Investors both in the U.S. and abroad will likely keep eyes focused on Athens. European stocks were modestly higher in afternoon trading and Asian markets were mixed.

Also giving global markets some steam was news that the European Central Bank and the Bank of England both left their benchmark interest rates unchanged. In London, the BoE also announced a $79 billion bond purchase.

Keeping a reign on gains was a report that showed China’s inflation rate rose in January, dashing hopes that the country’s central bank will soon take more action to support economic growth there.

In U.S. corporate news, shares of the nation’s biggest banks were moving after a $25 billion accord was reached to help homeowners struggling with loans bigger than the values of their homes.

Yahoo shares were climbing following news that Chinese company Alibaba is looking to buy back the 40 percent stake Yahoo owns.

Shares of Oracle inched up after the company announced it is buying the cloud-based human resource management software company Taleo in a $1.9 billion deal.

Despite beating expectations, raising its quarterly dividend 30 percent, and guiding higher, shares of Cisco slipped lower.

In commodities, oil rose $1.13 and was trading just under $100 a barrel. Gold, meanwhile, advanced $20 to $1,751.80 a troy ounce.

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New York, NY, United States (AHN) – Wall Street opened lower Friday after a report showed that the U.S. economy expanded less than forecast..

Just after the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was lower by 33 points, the Standard and Poor’s 500 Index was flat and the NASDAQ was up by about 6 points.

Weighing on stocks was a report that showed the U.S. economy expanded at 2.8 percent in the fourth quarter, less than the 3 percent that had been projected.

In Europe the Stoxx Europe 600 Index slipped 0.7 percent as investors await word on developments on the region’s sovereign debt crisis. European Union Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn said authorities are “very close” to reaching an agreement on private-sector involvement in a Greek debt swap.

Despite those words of optimism, the dismal growth of GDP in the U.S. was keeping investors cautious. The health and growth of the U.S. economy is a very important and leading indicator of economic growth worldwide. As analysts like to say, “when the U.S. sneezes, the world catches a cold.”

In corporate news, Ford fell after reporting numbers that missed estimates. Starbucks shares slipped despite reporting better than expected numbers, and Juniper Networks plunged after the second biggest maker of computer networking equipment forecast sales and profits that missed estimates.

In commodities, oil was unchanged at $$99.60 a barrel, gold rose $4.70 to $1,725 a troy ounce and silver was up a few pennies at $33.63.

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New York, NY, United States (AHN) – Stocks fell Friday morning on reports that several euro-region countries may face credit downgrades by Standard & Poor’s and of JP Morgan’s less than impressive earnings.

Just after 10 a.m. on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average slumped 107 points, the Standard & Poor’s 500 fell 10 points and the NASDAQ dropped 17 points.

Weighing on stocks in the U.S. was an earnings report from bellwether JP Morgan that showed earnings inline with expectations, but revenues that fell short.

Also dragging stocks lower was a release that revealed the U.S. trade deficit widened more than forecast in November as Americans exports declined and companies stepped up imports of crude oil and automobiles.

Downgrades in the credit ratings of a number of European governments as early as Friday could come from Standard & Poor’s. The rumors sent overseas stocks down.

European markets across the board were lower in afternoon trading and Asian stocks ended mixed.

In commodities, oil dropped 72 cents to $98.25 a barrel and gold lost $6 to $1,640.40 a troy ounce.

U.S. stock markets will be closed Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Day.

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New York, NY, United States (AHN) – The U.S. economy gained 200,000 jobs in December, the Labor Department said Friday. But the stronger than expected report did little to goose stocks.

Just after the opening bell on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was off 51 points, the Standard and Poor’s 500 Index was down 4 points and the NASDAQ dropped about 5 points.

Stocks entered the last day of the first week of the New Year coming off a mixed close on Thursday. Investors continue to be worried about, and are closely watching, developments in Europe and the ongoing sovereign debt crisis plaguing the region.

European stocks were up in mid-day trading, and Asian markets ended the day mixed.

Gold futures for February delivery advanced $3.60 to $1,623.70 an ounce. Oil gained 38 cents to $102.19 a barrel.

In U.S. corporate news, Dow component Alcoa fell more than 2 percent after the aluminum producer said it is cutting its global smelting capacity 12 percent.

Friday’s close is an important one for market watchers. Many traders, analysts and investors believe the old adage that as the first week of the New Year goes, so goes the month and January, and so goes the market.

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New York, NY, United States (AHN) – U.S. stocks opened higher Friday after a mixed November durable goods orders report that showed a 3.8 percent increase, the most in four months.

In light trading, just after the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 15 points, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was up about 2 points and the NASDAQ was up 5 points.

The Commerce Department reported Friday that bookings for equipment meant to last three years rose 3.8 percent in November after no change in October. However, demand for business equipment, excluding military hardware and aircraft, dropped 1.2 percent in November, the biggest decline since January.

The decrease in demand for capital goods signals manufacturers are still slow to boost investment in light of the political gridlock in the U.S. and the ongoing European sovereign debt crisis.

The reports shows that people and businesses are still cautious and hesitant to expand.

Trading is expected to be light ahead of the Christmas holiday. The low volume could potentially stir volatility.

In overseas trading, volume was low as several European markets closed early. The Tokyo exchange was closed for the Emperor’s Birthday holiday.

In commodities, oil was up about 50 cents, trading just under $100 a barrel, while gold was down $1 at $1,609.80 a troy ounce.

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New York, NY, United States (AHN) – U.S. stocks were up on the open Monday after European markets came off early lows.

Just after the opening bell on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 46 points, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rose 4 points and the NASDAQ was better by 11 points.

Giving stocks a lift was a rebound in European stocks from early losses. Investors in the United States and abroad are waiting on news from a conference call between eurozone ministers on increasing the International Monetary Fund’s power to lend to ailing eurozone countries and implementing fiscal consideration.

South Korea’s Kospi Composite Index briefly fell 4.4 percent to its lowest level since mid October before gaining some ground. Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar, considered a safe haven, soared following news of the death of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Il.

Stocks active in the U.S. include Winn Dixie, which agreed to be taken private by Bi-Lo of Greenville, SC. Shares rose more than 70 percent and were last trading just below the deal price of $9.50. Capital goods, cyclicals and health care equities were leading sectors in early trading.

Oil was up 78 cents to $94.31 a barrel and gold was up $6.40 at $1,604.30 a troy ounce.

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New York, NY, United States (AHN) – U.S. stocks soared higher Friday after new data showed that inflation does not appear to be a problem.

Just after the opening bell on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 82 points, the Standard and Poor’s 500 Index was up 10 points and the NASDAQ rose 20 points.

Giving stocks an edge up was the Consumer Price Index, the government’s key measure of inflation, which showed prices barely budged in October, and that in the past 12 months prices were up 3.4 percent, nearly unchanged from a 3.5 percent annual inflation rate in October.

Gas prices fell 2.4 percent in the month, but were still up 19.7 percent for the year. Food prices rose a scant 0.1 percent in November, and 4.7 percent year-over-year.

The CPI measure of inflation comes from a broad range of goods ranging from food to gas to clothing to health care services to cars.

Overall, wages are still lagging inflation. Average hourly earnings rose just 1.8 percent in the 12 months ending in November, and the unemployment rate hovers just below 9 recent.

Oil was unchanged in morning trading at $93.70 a barrel, and gold gained some ground, trading higher by $15 at $1,590 a troy ounce.

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