The dollar dropped to a record low against the euro and a major currency basket on Friday, on persistent worries about credit and unreported losses at financial firms, which overshadowed a strong U.S. payrolls report.
Stock futures rose on Thursday as results from mobile phone maker Motorola Inc and fellow tech leader EMC Corp helped ease worries about third-quarter earnings.
Stocks tumbled on Wednesday as a steep quarterly loss at Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. and executives' warnings about possible future problems deepened investors' concern about the credit crisis.
Stock futures rose on Wednesday as a rush of stronger-than-expected profits from such blue chips as Intel, United Technologies and JPMorgan Chase reassured investors about the earnings outlook.
The dollar eased against the yen and euro on Monday, weighed down by weakness in the U.S. stock market after comments by a top Citigroup official raised anew concerns about global credit.
The economists won the prize for laying the foundations of an economic theory that determines when markets are working effectively.
Stock futures fell on Friday, weighed down by caution before key economic reports and news that Deutsche Bank had slashed its rating on shares of Dow component Citigroup Inc.
Wireless service provider Sprint Nextel Corp agreed to settle a patent lawsuit against Vonage Holdings Corp for $80 million, triggering a sharp rebound in the Internet phone company's shares on Monday. The news of a settlement pushed Vonage shares up 74 percent to $2 in early composite trade. However, they are still a fraction of their May 2006 initial public offering price of $17.
Stock futures were little changed on Monday as investors paused after major indexes hit record highs on Friday and before the start of the quarterly earnings reporting season.
New orders at factories fell more than expected in August and jobless claims climbed last week, government reports showed on Thursday, but markets awaited more conclusive evidence of the impact of the housing slump and credit crisis on the economy.
U.S. service sector growth fell more than expected in September, according to a report released on Wednesday that painted a mixed picture of the economy, with prices rising but employment improving.
Canada's Toronto-Dominion Bank will buy Commerce Bancorp Inc in a cash-and-stock deal worth $8.5 billion which will expand its footprint in the United States, the banks said on Tuesday.
Stocks were set to open slightly higher on Monday, helped by optimism about shares' performance in the third quarter, while a profit warning from Citigroup Inc was expected to weigh on the financial sector.
As the economy winds through housing troubles and turmoil in credit markets, the picture emerging from data measuring the health of the job market is clouded.Firms are showing a reluctance to lay off workers at the same time they are apprehensive about hiring new ones, creating a puzzling picture, economists say. Usually, low layoffs coincide with robust hiring.
Stocks fell on Friday, hurt by near-record oil prices, concerns about the weaker dollar and profit-taking in sectors that had contributed to the market's recent gains.
As the U.S. economy winds through housing troubles and turmoil in credit markets, the picture emerging from data measuring the health of the job market is clouded. Firms are showing a reluctance to lay off workers at the same time they are apprehensive about hiring new ones, creating a puzzling picture, economists say. Usually, low layoffs coincide with robust hiring.
New orders for costly U.S.-made manufactured goods dropped at the sharpest rate in seven months during August, according to a government report which added to signs growth was slowing in the third quarter.
Stock futures rose on Wednesday as news of a tentative deal ending a strike at General Motors Corp raised hopes that Detroit's automakers would soon slash their health-care costs.
He wears a $15 watch, flies economy class and does not own a house or car. For years few guessed that Chuck Feeney was one of the world's biggest philanthropists, secretly giving away his billionaire fortune.
Wall Street will watch next week for more ripples from the Federal Reserve's half-point cut in interest rates, including any deeper drop in the dollar, and any more spikes in the price of gold and oil.
Bear Stearns Cos Inc said on Thursday quarterly profit plunged 61 percent to its lowest level in five years on bad bets on subprime mortgages and disrupted fixed-income trading.
Stocks rallied for a second day on Wednesday after an aggressive U.S. rate cut soothed concern the U.S. economy would slip into recession, stirring demand for riskier investments and killing demand for safe-haven bonds.
