S&P

Stocks rose on Thursday as better-than-expected monthly sales from retailers and a drop in the number of Americans filing claims for jobless benefits pointed to stabilization in the economy.

Stocks rose on Thursday as better-than-expected monthly sales from retailers and a fall in the number of Americans filing claims for jobless benefits pointed to stabilization in the economy.

U.S. retailers posted their best monthly sales performance since just before the recession started in 2007, as lean inventories meant they did not need to resort to steep discounts.

Stock index futures rose on Tuesday, a day after the S&P 500 moved into positive territory for 2010, as Greece appeared to be making progress toward a resolution on aid from the European Union.

Stock index futures rose on Tuesday, a day after the S&P 500 moved into positive territory for 2010, as Greece appeared to be making progress toward a resolution on aid from the European Union.

The stock market plunged on Thursday as fresh Greece concerns and disappointing U.S. economic data weighed on investors.

Optimism over Fed Chairman Bernanke's comments on Wednesday faded as global markets sputtered over unsettled Greece woes.

For retailers that sell everything from toilet paper to refrigerators, 2010 may be more about winning sales from competitors than about getting consumers to buy a lot more of their merchandise.

U.S. stocks edged higher on Monday as takeover news and gains in bank shares on hopes of a regulatory reprieve were offset by uncertainty over the Federal Reserve's policy intentions.

U.S. stocks posted their biggest daily percentage gain in three months on Tuesday after strong revenue from drugmaker Merck and regional manufacturing data instilled confidence in the economic outlook.

U.S. stocks dipped on Wednesday as worries over Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's strategy after the economy recovers offset optimism about a possible rescue for debt-burdened Greece.

U.S. stocks dipped on Wednesday as worries over Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's strategy after the economy recovers offset optimism about a possible rescue for debt-burdened Greece.

The Nasdaq turned positive late in the session on Friday, while the Dow and the S&P pared losses to nearly flat as investors snapped up technology and materials stocks.

The Dow industrials and S&P 500 index fell more than 1 percent in early afternoon trading on Friday, with the energy and industrials sectors weighing on the market.

U.S. stocks dropped and briefly hit session lows in late morning trading on Friday, with shares of energy companies falling as oil dropped more than $3 a barrel. An S&P index of energy stocks lost 1.8 percent.

Top U.S. retail chains ended their fiscal year with better-than-expected January sales, but the current first quarter could be tougher if consumers overspent during the holiday season.

The Australian Dollar opens at 0.8940 after a volatile 24-hour session which saw it trade between a low of 0.8910 during early Sydney trade yesterday and a high of 0.9044 in early Europe.

U.S. stock index futures were higher on Thursday in the wake of President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech, which had no new plans to tighten Wall Street oversight, and after strong results from Procter & Gamble and Ford.

U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday as consumer confidence data lifted optimism about the economy's improvement and results from Travelers Cos and Apple Inc added to a stream of strong profit reports.

U.S. retail sales should rise 2.5 percent this year, signaling that store chains have made it through the worst of the downturn as improvements in the housing and job markets bolster shoppers' confidence, a trade group forecast on Tuesday.