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Financials stumble, drag region lower By V. Phani Kumar, MarketWatch Last update: 12:34 a.m. EDT July 15, 2008 Comments: 61 HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Asian banking and financial stocks tumbled across the board Tuesday, extending their poor run and pulling down regional indexes, on persistent worries about the health of the U.S. financial sector. Taiwanese and Japanese financials were hit especially hard on reports about their exposure to troubled U.S. mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Japan's Nikkei 225 Average extended losses in the afternoon session, and was recently 2% down at 12,745.68, while the broader Topix index shrank...

NEW YORK, July 10 (Reuters) - MasterCard Inc (MA.N: Quote, Profile, Research), the world's second-largest credit card network, will replace Ace Ltd (ACE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) in the Standard & Poor's 500 .SPX, and will also replace General Motors Corp (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) in the S&P 100 index .OEX of major blue-chip companies, S&P said on Thursday. S&P said it is dropping Ace from its flagship index because the insurer is reincorporating in Switzerland, rendering it ineligible for including in S&P U.S. indexes. MasterCard shares have risen more than sixfold since the Purchase, New York-based company went public in...

Dow Jones becomes a bear market A bear market is commonly defined as one that is 20% below its peak The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed more than 20% below its October 2007 peak on Wednesday, meaning it is officially a bear market. The blue-chip index fell 166.8 points or 1.46% to 11,215.5, which is 21.0% below its 14,198.1 close on 11 October. The biggest drag on the index was General Motors, which fell below $10 a share for the first time since September 1954. The S&P 500 index closed just shy of 20% below its peak levels.

Dow in 350-point tumble Blue-chip indicator ends at a 21-month low as crude hits record high above $140 a barrel. Goldman Sachs' downgrades of investment banks, GM drag on markets. By Catherine Clifford, CNNMoney.com staff writer Last Updated: June 26, 2008: 5:48 PM EDT NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The Dow plummeted more than 350 points Thursday as selling accelerated following a record surge in oil prices. The three major indexes took a beating right out of the gate after Goldman Sachs downgraded two key Dow components, and two tech leaders disappointed investors. The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) shed 358.41...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Why is General Motors still in the Dow? GM (GM, Fortune 500) may still be the biggest of the Big Three. But it's getting more and more difficult to justify keeping GM in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, an exclusive list of what's supposed to be the 30 leaders in the U.S. markets and economy. GM confirmed on Monday that it is looking into selling its Hummer brand of monstrously-sized vehicles. And in a major sign of desperation, it also announced that it would offer six-year, zero-percent loans for 2008 models until the end of June...

The Dow took a 325 point plunge on Friday as Wall Street reacts to an unprecedented $10 surge in crude oil prices and the largest one-month rise in the nation's unemployment rate in two decades. Today's Market As of 2:46 p.m. EDT, the Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 317.46 points, or 2.52% to 12286.26, the Standard & Poor’s 500 index dropped 31.88 points, or 2.27%, to 1372.17 and the Nasdaq Composite Index lost 61.54 points, or 2.41%, to 2488.40. The consumer-friendly Fox 50 fell 21.92 points, or 2.22%, to 964.53. It didn't take long for Wall Street to erase all...

Dow Chemical Co. will raise its prices by up to 20 percent almost immediately to offset the soaring cost of energy, and the CEO of the chemical giant lashed out at Washington on Wednesday for failing to develop a sound energy policy. Dow supplies a broad swath of industries, from agriculture to health care, and any sizable price jump would likely affect almost all of them. The price increases will take effect Sunday and will be based on a product's exposure to rising costs. Dow said it spent $8 billion on energy and hydrocarbon-based feedstock, or raw materials, in 2002...

Wall Street surges higher after upbeat earnings reports Wednesday April 16, 10:17 am ET By Joe Bel Bruno, AP Business Writer Stocks gain after earnings from Intel, JPMorgan, Coca-Cola ease profit anxiety NEW YORK (AP) -- Wall Street rallied in early trading Wednesday, led by robust first-quarter results from JPMorgan Chase & Co. and two other Dow Jones industrial components. The blue chip index rose more than 120 points. Investors anxious about corporate earnings and their impact on the economy were relieved after JPMorgan, Coca-Cola Co., and Intel Corp. all topped projections. The three companies are among dozens of others...

U.S. stocks on Tuesday celebrated the start of a new quarter, rallying as Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.'s equity offer drew a warm reception, fueling the Dow to its 8th-biggest point jump ever. "Clearly there is a recognition the credit markets are healing -- usually stocks begin to rally about six months before the end of a slowdown," said Jeffrey Kleintop, chief market strategist at LPL Financial Services. "And with earning season less than a week away, and we haven't heard a flood of negative pre-announcements," Kleintop said. The Dow industrials climbed 391.47 points, or 3.2%, to 12,654.36, with all 30...

The parents of the 11-year-old boy killed by a black bear last summer in American Fork Canyon are suing the U.S. Forest Service and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. They say more should have been done to prevent their son's death. Step-father Tim Mulvey, his wife Rebecca Ives and Sam’s father say they have lived with the horror of that father's day weekend every day since and now they want to make sure it never happens to anyone else's family. It is grief beyond comprehension for most of us; a child ripped away from his family in the middle of...

The Bush administration forecasts a $410 billion federal budget deficit for this year, an indication that, as the US saving rate is approximately zero, the US is not only dependent on foreigners to finance its wars but also dependent on foreigners to finance part of the US government's domestic expenditures. Foreign borrowing is paying US government salaries--perhaps that of the president himself--or funding the expenditures of the various cabinet departments. Financially, the US is not an independent country. A troubled currency and financial system and large budget and trade deficits do not present an attractive face to creditors. Yet Washington...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Wall Street finally found a reason for a huge rally Tuesday, after the Federal Reserve said it plans to pump $200 billion into the financial markets to help ease the strain from the credit crisis. The Dow Jones industrial average shot up more than 416 points, its biggest one-day point gain since July 24, 2002.

With a bad day on Friday and over seas markets in turmoil I though it might be time for another Opening Bell Thread

Selling has accelerated this morning as stocks have hit session lows on the latest ugly economic data and a huge loss from insurance giant AIG. Today's sell-off has put the Dow and S&P on pace for their fourth consecutive monthly losses -- something that hasn't happened since 2002. Today's Market As of 11:17 a.m. EST, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 204.83 points, or 1.63% to 12376.95, the Standard & Poor’s 500 index lost 23.48 points, or 1.72% to 1344.18 and the Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 40.51 points, or 1.74%, to 2291.22. The consumer-friendly Fox 50 fell 14.74 points, or...

Index Value: 12,162.38 Trade Time: 3:29PM ET Change: Up 191.19 (1.60%) Prev Close: 11,971.19 Open: 11,969.08 Day's Range: 11645.63 - 12163.44 52wk Range: 11,508.70 - 14,280.00

Dow Jones Indexes, a leading global index provider, today announced it was named the "Best Islamic Index Provider" by Islamic Finance News. The selection was made by a record 1,502 Islamic finance professionals worldwide. "This award acknowledges our achievements in and dedication to providing the most comprehensive, reliable and established family of Islamic indexes. The Dow Jones Islamic Market Indexes were the first to measure the performance of stocks and bonds that comply with Islamic investment principles, and we remain committed to further developments in this area," said Michael A. Petronella, president of Dow Jones Indexes. "The award also recognizes...

Cramer started Friday's show with his "Game Plan", but this segment focused on a Game Plan for the Fed and government instead of the stock market. Cramer doesn't like the stimulus packages being discussed in the White House and Congress, so he offered his own plan. He says that the reason stocks are dropping is that there is a fear that bond insurers will go out of business in the next few days or weeks because they are out of cash. They have $500 billion in potential claims, and they don't have enough money to pay out the claims. If...

Bears that barge in on people in the forest have become enough of a nuisance that more of them should be hunted, state wildlife managers have decided. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, responding to a spike in human-bear contacts and an 11-year-old boy's death in June, want to issue 296 black bear hunting permits for Utah's 2008 spring and fall hunts, a 20 percent increase from the 248 permits offered this year. DWR officials say the state's black bear population is high enough to warrant the permit increase. Wildlife managers also say bears and humans clashed too many times...

Dow drops 300 after Fed cuts rates Tue Dec 11, 3:53 PM ET The Dow Jones industrial average has plunged more than 300 points as investors disappointed by the Federal Reserve's rate cut sold off stocks. In late afternoon trading, the Dow is down 303.61 to 13,423.42. The Fed lowered its benchmark interest rate by 0.25 percentage points, disappointing some investors who hoped the central bank would take more aggressive measures. The Dow Jones industrial average, which had been up about 40 points before the decision, fell 300 points. Investors had been expecting policymakers would cut rates for a third...

Stocks Fall Amid Banking Concerns Monday November 19, 5:55 pm ET By Tim Paradis, AP Business Writer Stocks Fall on Goldman Downgrade of Banks, Including Citigroup; Homebuilders, Airlines Fall NEW YORK (AP) -- Wall Street resumed its slide Monday as investors absorbed a gloomy outlook for the banking sector as well as bleak news about housing. The major stock market indexes each fell more than 1.5 percent, with the Dow Jones industrial average giving up more than 200 points. ADVERTISEMENT Concerns about the banking sector dominated the session. Goldman Sachs Group Inc.'s downgrade of large banks, and its estimate that...

Bears send bulls packing.

Wall Street ends higher on tech optimism Mon Oct 22, 4:06 PM ET NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks finished higher on Monday, rebounding from last week's sharp sell-off as investors piled into technology shares ahead of Apple's (AAPL.O) quarterly earnings. The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) was up 45.12 points, or 0.33 percent, to end unofficially at 13,567.14. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) was up 5.71 points, or 0.38 percent, to finish unofficially at 1,506.34. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) was up 28.77 points, or 1.06 percent, to close unofficially at 2,753.93.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Dow Jones industrial average dropped more than 360 points Friday — the anniversary of the Black Monday crash 20 year ago — as renewed credit concerns, lackluster corporate earnings, and rising oil prices spooked investors.The market turned sharply lower in late afternoon when Standard & Poor's again reduced its ratings on residential mortgage-backed securities. The latest reduction, on more than 1,400 types of securities, added to investors unease about credit quality.In addition, mixed results from Dow components Caterpillar Inc., Honeywell Inc., and 3M Co. gave investors little incentive to take chances on the market. And...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Oil prices surged above $85 a barrel Monday for the first time after OPEC said crude production by non-member countries is likely falling even as global demand for oil is rising. Prices were also supported by concerns Turkish forces will pursue Kurdish rebels into Iraq, disrupting oil supplies, and by technical buying by investment funds. Despite the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries' decision last month to boost its production by 500,000 barrels per day beginning next month, the rest of the world will likely produce 110,000 fewer barrels of oil per day than expected in the...

Mother-in-law of shooter says he had no choice but to shoot. A man who shot and killed a mountain lion last week in defense of his puppy should face criminal charges in the incident for "baiting" the animal, a wildlife-advocacy group said Tuesday. Wendy Keefover-Ring, director of the Boulder-based Sinapu Carnivore Protection Program, said state prosecutors should cite Jeremy Kocar for baiting the mountain lion by leaving his dog tied up outside overnight. Kocar also should face charges of shooting a cougar out of hunting season, which runs Nov. 20 through March 31, shooting without a hunting license and animal...

The Dow and S&P 500 jumped to close at records on Tuesday after minutes from the Federal Reserve's last meeting showed inflation expectations were contained, leaving open the question of whether another rate cut is near. The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 120.80 points, or 0.86 percent, to end at 14,164.53 -- a record. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index nded up 12.57 points, or 0.81 percent, at a record 1,565.15. The Nasdaq Composite Index finished up 16.54 points, or 0.59 percent, at 2,803.91. During the session, the Dow reached an intraday record high of 14,166.97 and the S&P hit...

A man shot and killed a mountain lion outside a home up Flagstaff Road near Gross Reservoir after catching it attacking his puppy, which was chained on the property, according to the Colorado Division of Wildlife. Wildlife officers are investigating the shooting Friday and are trying to determine whether the man was within his legal rights when he killed the adult cougar, division of wildlife spokeswoman Jennifer Churchill said. “We’re investigating what will happen to the person who shot the lion,” Churchill said. “We do have laws that allow people to protect their safety and the their livestock. But this...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks advanced on Friday, sending the benchmark S&P 500 index (^SPX - News) to a record as a solid employment report rekindled optimism about the outlook for growth and profits. The prospect of continued strength in the economy boosted a broad range of equity sectors, including technology, basic materials, industrials, financials and consumer-oriented plays, such as retailers. Pharmaceutical shares also showed strength, with shares of Merck & Co (NYSE:MRK - News) among the top advancers in both the Dow and the S&P 500. "The unemployment report was a good report," said Stephen Carl, principal and head...

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stocks rallied Monday, pushing the Dow to record heights to start off the fourth quarter, as Wall Street showed optimism after Citicorp warned of a steep drop in profits that the worst of the credit crunch is over and that further interest-rate cuts are ahead. "One thing the market can't stand is the unknown; today we know some of the damage - that gives us some solace that perhaps we can move on," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Jefferies & CoAfter crossing the 14,000-level for the first time since late July early on,...

Well, the expected happened, didn't it. But, it happened in SPADES, as the Las Vegas crowd would say! Most of the market expected a one-quarter point move by the FOMC on Tuesday, but it got a full half point reduction in interest rates! And to top off that cake, they added a dollop of ice cream and reduced the discount rate even further, too! WOW!! I don't' know if most of you watch the actual "moments of truth" on your computer screen charts or not — I refer to the actual first minute after big economic announcements are made public...

Jennifer Churchill, spokeswoman for the Division of Wildlife, said the mountain lion appears to have lost its fear of humans and is dangerous. Wendy Keefover-Ring of Sinapu said the animal isn't to blame. She said the owner of the horse should not have left it out at night in a pasture in area inhabited by predators.

About three weeks ago, South Jeffco resident Jeannie MacMurtrie made a devastating discovery — one of her cats, a tabby named Tazzy, apparently was killed by a coyote. The loss of one feline companion was hard enough to take, she said, but then last week the roving coyotes apparently took MacMurtrie’s long-haired black female cat, Boots. The family learned of their beloved pets’ fate from Jefferson County animal control officers... Since the two incidents, MacMurtrie has decided to keep her remaining pets inside, including a small female kitten that was orphaned when Boots lost her life. “We hear the coyotes...

Wall Street plunged again Thursday after problems at Countrywide Financial Corp. confirmed fears of widening credit woes and the Federal Reserve injected $17 billion into the banking system. The Dow Jones industrial average fell more than 250 points.

Stocks extend slide on Countrywide news By JOE BEL BRUNO, AP Business Writer 20 minutes ago Stocks fell sharply Thursday after a move by Countrywide Financial Corp. confirmed fears of widening problems with some mortgages and tighter access to credit. A sell-off overseas offered Wall Street little reason to try to stanch the bleeding a day after the Dow Jones industrial average closed below the 13,000 mark for the first time since April and the Standard & Poor's 500 index moved into negative territory for the year. Investors' confidence took a drubbing Wednesday on concerns about potential trouble at Countrywide,...

An unusually large black bear topping 425 pounds was killed by Colorado Division of Wildlife officers Wednesday after it was trapped for busting through windows to enter an east Aspen house. Wildlife officers said they had no choice but to euthanize the bruin because it physically smashed into the house rather than entered through an unsecured window or door. "off the charts" for size. He had a girth of 52 inches around the midsection - higher than a DOW chart for determining weight. The best guess was he weighed 425 to 450 pounds. He measured 80 inches from the tip...

By TIM PARADIS, AP Business Writer 2 hours, 2 minutes ago NEW YORK - Wall Street extended its steep decline Friday, propelling the Dow Jones industrials down more than 500 points over two days after investors gave in to mounting concerns that borrowing costs would climb for both companies and homeowners. It was the worst week for the Dow and the Standard & Poor's 500 index in five years. ADVERTISEMENT Investors cast aside a stronger-than-expected read on the economy and maintained negative sentiment that dominated Thursday when the market shuddered amid worries over the U.S. mortgage and corporate lending markets....

7 minutes ago NEW YORK - Wall Street suffered its second-biggest plunge of the year Thursday, extending its weeks-long streak of volatility after disappointing home sales figures added to investors' increasing uneasiness about the mortgage and corporate lending markets. The Dow Jones industrials briefly fell more than 300 points, while Treasury yields plunged as investors moved money from stocks to bonds. Investors who had been able to shrug off concerns about subprime mortgage lending problems and a more difficult environment for corporate borrowing were clearly worried once again. The Dow's drop is the biggest since it plummeted 416 points on...

NEW YORK (AP) -- When the Bancroft family meets Monday to consider Rupert Murdoch's $5 billion bid for Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones & Co., relatively few of them will actually be named Bancroft. There will be a Hill, a Steele, the family's lead trustee, who is named Elefante, and yes, at least one Bancroft, first name Christopher. Other family members have last names that include Cox, Robes and MacElree. And if their names are hard to keep track of, it's been just as hard trying to predict the outcome of their vote about Dow Jones. They initially rejected...

Wall Street moved soundly higher Thursday, sending the Dow Jones industrials to their first close above 14,000 as investors kept jitters about the economy at bay and focused on a string of upbeat earnings reports. The Standard & Poor's 500 index also had a record close. Profit news from companies like International Business Machines Corp., network equipment maker Juniper Networks Inc., and business software company SAP AG help lift stocks and boosted investors' appetite for technology issues. Resurgent concerns about the health of subprime loans, which are made to borrowers with poor credit history, hurt financial stocks, while a report...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks remained higher,helped by positive earnings news, while investors weighed the minutes from the latest Federal Reserve meeting and comments from Fed chief Ben Bernanke. The Dow Jones industrial average (up 69.26 to 13,987.48, Charts) jumped above 14,000 for the second time ever early in the session, but was about 0.6 percent higher with an hour remaining the session.

DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE CLOSES SESSION AT 14,000

IF YOU WATCH CNBC, you probably wonder how purported "experts" can disagree so sharply. Are we in a bull market or a bear market? Are interest rates heading higher or lower? Is the economy strong, or is it weak? There's always an expert to take any side of any financial question — and usually take it at the top of his lungs. I'm one of those so-called experts. I appear on CNBC about once a week, usually on a panel with other experts. We experts are chosen deliberately by CNBC's producers to have divergent opinions, so that viewers can see...

What is wrong with the Index prices. The froze at 1:03. I check yahoo, Fidelity, google. Does anybody have any info?

Wall Street Advances As Fed Minutes Fail to Surprise, S&P 500 Index Closes at Record High NEW YORK (AP) -- Wall Street advanced sharply Wednesday, sending the Standard & Poor's 500 index to its first record close in more than seven years, after minutes from the Federal Reserve's last meeting offered investors no major surprises about the economy. The Dow Jones industrials also reached a new high close. The S&P 500, considered by traders as the best barometer of U.S. stocks, surpassed the record of 1,527.46, set March 24, 2000, at the peak of the dot-com boom, closing at 1,530.22,...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Wall Street closed mostly higher Monday, though technology stocks struggled to hold onto gains during the session, as a $27 billion bid by Alcoa Inc. for Canadian aluminum rival Alcan Inc. buoyed blue chip issues. The Dow Jones industrials passed 13,300 for the first time and had yet another record close. The move by Alcoa, one of the 30 stocks that make up the Dow, gave much of the market a lift Monday as investors often regard merger and acquisition activity as a bullish bet by companies on corporate profit. A pullback in Yahoo Inc. depressed...

Two members of the Ottaway family, a minority partner in Dow Jones & Co., released scathing statements on Sunday saying that a takeover by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. would ruin Dow Jones and its crown jewel, The Wall Street Journal. The controlling Bancroft family said last week that family members representing 52 percent of votes opposed Murdoch's $60-a-share bid. But their statement was vague. The Ottaways' statements left no ambiguity, questioning the journalism and ethics of Murdoch and of News Corp. properties like Fox News Channel and the New York Post. James H. Ottaway Jr., a trustee and formerly Dow...

It's the third year of President Bush's second term, and the markets are booming. Is there a connection? Not when you look at the numbers. According to data provided in part by Jason Trennert of Strategas Research Partners, the markets tend to post strong gains during the third year of any president's term, and it's not because of anything the president himself is doing. Take the case of the current president, George W. Bush. His approval ratings continue to tumble, but the markets continue to rise. Nor does he get any credit for the market's gains. But even if the...

With the Dow industrials making new records every day of late–even cracking the 13,000 barrier to fascinate all the Wall Street numerologists out there–I thought it would be a real kick to see how the stock market has performed since Congress passed the 2003 Bush tax cuts on May 23, 2003. (The Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act accelerated the 2001 tax cuts and cut taxes on capital gains and dividends.) Since then, the Dow is up 52 percent, the S&P 500 60 percent, and the Nasdaq 69 percent. (Overall, the stock market has created some $6.8 trillion in...

America's best-known stock market index, the Dow Jones industrial average, rocketed past the 13,000 mark and even topped 13,100 for a time Wednesday before ending the trading day at a new record that left many observers ... shrugging. "It's nice to see it go above 13,000. But big deal," said Rochelle Rubenstein, a Los Gatos resident who belongs to a private investment club called Gelt.com - gelt being Yiddish for money. Similar sentiments could be heard from financial planners and economists. Round-number milestones, they say, can be overrated. For that matter, so is the Dow Jones index itself.

Can someone tell me why so many are excited about the Dow hitting 13,000? In suppose it's better than having it hit "0" but, given the decades long destruction of the value of U.S. "money," the thing SHOULD be up over 50,000 or more. For anyone who shives a git, here's why I say that. (I wrote this a number of years ago when things were NOT going well with the economy. Trust me: They WILL get ugly once again as man -- or certain men -- cannot resist playing God. We continue to violate the universal, immutable laws of...