DOW JONES

Wall Street stocks kicked off 2012 with a sharp rally on Tuesday after data showed U.S. manufacturing activity and construction spending picked up, signaling the economic recovery was gaining steam.

Stocks slightly added to their sharp gains on Tuesday, with both the Dow and S&P advancing two percent after data on construction spending and manufacturing came in higher than expected.

Stock index futures rose sharply on Tuesday as upbeat Chinese and German data boosted optimism about the global economy after the S&P 500 index ended flat in 2011.

Stock index futures rose on Tuesday as investors returned to the market optimistic about the global economy after Wall Street ended flat in 2011.

Shaky Europe. Political gridlock. Volatile markets.

Shaky Europe. Political gridlock. Volatile markets. Familiar themes for those who lived through this year, and investors should be ready to revisit them next year.

Stocks were nearly unchanged on Friday, the last trading day of a turbulent year, but the S&P 500 looked set to end with a slight gain.

Gold mining company shares rose on the last trading day of 2011, tracking gains in the precious metal itself and outperforming the broader equity markets.

Gold prices fell on Thursday to their lowest level in nearly six months as tight liquidity in the euro zone forced investors to sell the metal, but strong U.S. economic data prompted a stock rally on Wall Street.

The acquisition will give Chesapeake Midstream 47 percent of an integrated system of assets that consist of about 200 miles of pipeline in the Marcellus Shale, and position it as the largest gathering and processing master limited partnership based on throughput volume.

Wall Street stocks resumed their upward move into year-end on Thursday but the S&P 500 continued to churn around its 200-day moving average as jitters over Europe contrasted with better-than-expected U.S. economic data.

A Wall Street Journal article making the rounds this morning notes some big investors have turned bullish on the housing market in the past quarter. Among the big names mentioned are hedge funds run by SAC Capital Advisors LP, Blackstone Group LP and Goldman Sachs Group.

Stock index futures were slightly higher on Thursday, following a market selloff in the previous session as Italian bond yields fell and investors awaited a new spate of data.

U.S. stocks fell more than 1 percent on Wednesday after a hefty year-end rally and the S&P 500 erased gains for the year on renewed concerns about the euro zone's financial health.

U.S. stocks fell more than 1 percent on Wednesday after a hefty year-end rally and the S&P 500 erased gains for the year on renewed concerns about the euro zone's financial health.

Stocks fell about 1 percent on Wednesday on concerns about the economy in early 2012 while the euro hit a fresh 11-month low against the dollar before a key auction of long-dated Italian debt on Thursday.

Stock index futures edged higher on Wednesday in what looks to be another low-volume session, with investors waiting for the start of 2012 before betting on risky assets.

A large part of Jesse Toprak's job as the chief automotive industry analyst for TrueCar.com is to advise consumers on which cars to target -- and the clunkers to avoid. In 2011, though, something changed within the United States automotive industry. There are very few, if any, clunkers.

Stocks ended flat on Tuesday after fluctuating between small gains and losses in a light-volume session, as investors took a breather following a 5 percent rally last week.

Markets edged up Friday, extending gains seen throughout most of the week, as optimistic data on durable goods and new homes sales offset lackluster consumer spending and signaled U.S. strength against the Eurozone crisis.

The S&P 500 turned positive for the year on Friday as equities rallied again on a run of better-than-expected economic data, though volume continued to be seasonally weak.