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• Wednesday, 19 June 2013

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• Job Creation Boosts Dow - 7 March 2013

Tuesday on Wall Street saw the Dow Jones industrial average closing at 14,253.77 - a record high since the influential stock market index closed at 14,164.53 in October 2007. While the response to the increase was one of restrained optimism, Wednesday saw the Dow breaking its previous day's record by hitting an intraday level of 14,320.65 before closing at 14,296.24, providing investors with a reason to have a bit more confidence in a market that has been battered about since 2008. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index closed at 1,541.46 on Wednesday, with the Nasdaq Composite index closing at 3,222.36. Up to 53 percent of stocks traded on the NYSE and Nasdaq closed the day higher on Wednesday, with the average trading volume being 3.6 billion shares.

• Fourth Quarter Earnings Season Kicks Off on Positive Note - 10 January 2013

In keeping with a long-held tradition Alcoa kicked off the US markets earnings season this week, giving markets a boost on Wednesday by meeting analyst forecasts and predicting an increased demand for aluminum in 2013. Investor response was evident in the three main stock market indexes with the Dow Jones industrial average gaining 61.66 points to 13,390.51, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index advanced 3.87 points to 1,461.02 and the Nasdaq composite climbed 14 points to 3,105.81. Agricultural giant, Monsanto, also boosted markets by reporting a revenue increase of 21 percent to $2.94 billion and earnings per share of $0.62, as well as raising its forecast for 2013.

• Investors Support Home Repair Companies in Wake of Hurricane Sandy - 1 November 2012

On its first day of trading following the two-day shutdown caused by Hurricane Sandy, Wall Street closed relatively unchanged on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones losing 10.75 points (0.08 percent) to close at 13,096.46, the Standard and Poor's 500 climbing 0.22 points (0.02 percent) to close at 1,412.16 and the Nasdaq Composite Index losing 10.72 points (0.36 percent) to close at 2,977.23. The shutdown was reportedly the first multi-day weather related closure of the New York Stock Exchange since 1888, and traders made their way to the exchange in the early hours of the morning keen to set the wheels of trade in motion again.

• Weak Global Economy Reflected in FedEx Earnings - 6 September 2012

News on Wall Street on Wednesday included the earnings forecast cut by FedEx, causing the company’s stock to fall $2.54 to $85 – a drop of 2.9 percent. As the world's second-largest package courier company, FedEx has long been relied on for its overnight international shipments, but the company has cited the weak global economy as negatively impacting its profits, noting that customers around the world appear to be making use of slower, but less expensive, delivery options. As FedEx's first fiscal quarter ends on August 31, the company anticipates earning between $1.37 and $1.43 per share as opposed to previous forecasts of $1.45 to $1.60 per share.

• First Quarter Results, Europe Turmoil & Wall Street - 18 may 2012

Dragged down by disappointing corporate results and ongoing concerns over the political and financial turmoil in Greece, US stocks continued to reflect investor pessimism on Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the day down 33.45 points (0.26 percent) at 12,598.55, while the Nasdaq index dropped 19.72 points (0.68 percent) to close at 2,874.04, and the S&P 500 shed 5.86 points (0.44 percent) to end the day at 1,324.80. While morning trade on Wall Street included positive data regarding new home construction and industrial production, the news that the ECB has no plans to increase stimulus provisions to Greece at this time, coupled with fears of the ailing country being dismissed, or withdrawing from, the group of countries using the euro as currency, sent stocks on a downward spiral later in the day.

• Jobs Market Continues to Sway Investors - 3 may 2012

Indications of a Wall Street rally at the beginning of May were short-lived as investors reacted negatively to troubling jobs reports in both the United States and Europe, despite a few encouraging signs relating to the US economy. Following the announcement by payroll processing company ADP that the US created fewer jobs in April when compared to March (119,000 and 201,000 respectively), the Dow Jones industrial average dropped by 87 points before ending the day at 13,268.57 points, being down 10.75 points. This was a sharp turnaround from the previous day when US manufacturing reports lifted the Dow to close at its highest point in over four years. The S&P 500 fell 3.51 points, closing at 1,402.31, while the Nasdaq ended the day up 9.41 points at 3,059.85

• Wall Street Indexes, Auto Industry, Housing Market at Year End - 29 December 2011

As 2011 draws to a close, Europe's debt problems remain in the spotlight for anxious Wall Street investors, resulting in stocks being down by more than one percent at close of business Wednesday. Trading volumes have been light in this last week of the year, and with few economic and corporate reports due it is doubtful that this light trading trend will change until the New Year. Analysts have noted that recent market movement is likely to have been influenced by investors taking stock of their investment portfolios and taking action to balance these in preparation for 2012.