DOW JONES

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.38 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.62 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.61 percent at 0910 GMT.

U.S. stocks soared on Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) ended up 337 points, or 2.9 percent, to close at 12,103. The S&P 500 Index rose 36 points, or 3 percent, to 1,241, while the NASDAQ rose 80 points, or 3.2 percent, to 2,604.

Last week Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke told federal lawmakers that no bailout of Europe was forthcoming and ended a monthly meeting of the central bank’s top decision-making body by pointedly rejecting a new round of quantitative easing. Data released by the Fed reveals that, at least partially, the organization spent the week engaging in exactly those actions.

Gold prices rose Tuesday with other commodities and global equities on unexpected signs the U.S. housing market is turning around and continued improvement in the Eurozone.

Stocks extended gains on Tuesday, with the Nasdaq rising 3 percent as investors latched onto signs of easing stress in Europe's bond markets as well as positive economic data at home and abroad.

At a time of daily stock-market seizures, weekly bank and sovereign debt downgrades and monthly central bank interventions, most people are seeing the glass half empty, and have forecasted bearish -- if not downright abysmal -- market conditions for next year. A look at some of the more salient predictions.

Stocks were poised to rebound at the open Tuesday after declines in the prior session as a drop in Spain's borrowing costs and unexpectedly positive data from Germany eased euro zone debt worries.

Gold prices rose more than 1 percent and silver popped nearly 2 percent Tuesday on fresh evidence the struggling U.S. housing industry is recovering plus rising German business sentiment that boosted investors' risk appetite.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Tuesday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.5 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.3 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.4 percent at 0819 GMT.

In a bombshell research note that is making the rounds of Wall Street this morning, Glenn Schorr, the financial services sector analyst for Nomura, cut his estimate for Goldman's fourth-quarter earnings to $1 per share, half of his previous $2 prediction. That's less than half of what the consensus expectations are. Other bank estimates were also taken down.

Stock index futures rose on Monday after Wall Street's steep decline last week, but the death of North Korea's leader over the weekend and a warning from Fitch about possible credit downgrades kept investors jittery.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street Monday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.43 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.26 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.38 percent at 0945 GMT.

A rally in stocks fizzled, leaving major indexes with modest gains on Friday, as Wall Street was torn between hope that U.S. economic data signals better times ahead and fear Europe's debt crisis will engulf world economies.

Oil, the lifeblood of the global economy, has plunged more than 10 percent in the past five days, to about $93 per barrel Friday, and the compelling question for investors and motorists alike is -- in early 2012 where does oil head?

Global stocks and commodities, including much-battered gold prices, rose Friday on fresh evidence that neither Eurozone troubles nor Asian weakness are deterring U.S. economic growth.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open for equities on Wall Street on Friday, with futures for the S&P 500, for the Dow Jones and for the Nasdaq 100 rising 0.3 to 0.6 percent.

U.S. stocks rose on Thursday, as signs of strength in the economy and higher-than-expected profit at FedEx outweighed more warnings about Europe.

Stocks rose on Thursday as signs of strength in the economy and higher-than-expected profit at FedEx outweighed a stark warning from the IMF about inaction over Europe's debt crisis.

FedEx Corp. reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit and said it is buying 27 new Boeing aircraft to update its fleet for fuel efficiency and cost savings.

Stock index futures added to gains on Thursday after data showed weekly jobless claims dropped to their lowest level since May 2008, suggesting the labor market recovery was gaining speed, while a gauge of manufacturing in New York State showed growth accelerated in December.

Stock index futures rose on Thursday, following three days of market losses and ahead of a batch of data including industrial production, jobless claims and New York manufacturing.