European Markets Fall, Led By Banks, Exporters - European Commentary []

European Markets Fall, Led By Banks, Exporters - European Commentary []
The European markets fell sharply on Wednesday, as banking stocks declined on persistent worries about the wilting credit markets while a record high euro hit the exporter stocks.

European Markets Fall, Led By Banks - European Commentary []
The European markets fell on Friday, as banking stocks declined on fears that the problems stemming from the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis would deepen further.

US Stocks Set To Bounce Back Tuesday, HP Results Could Revive Techs []
US stocks were poised for a comeback Tuesday morning in New York after global stocks snapped back overnight and traders looked ahead to the release of the minutes of the last Federal Reserve meeting.

Stocks Give Back Some Ground But See Continued Strength - U.S. Commentary []
After showing a strong upward move in morning trading on Tuesday, the U.S. stock markets have given back some ground in the late morning and early afternoon. The major averages have pulled back well off their highs, although they remain in positive territory.

Stocks Move Higher On Hewlett Packard Earnings - U.S. Commentary []
Stocks have opened in positive territory on Tuesday, as investors focus on positive earning results from Hewlett Packard (HPQ) and speculation that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates in the near future.

Stocks Rise, With Dow Posting A Triple Digit Gain - U.S. Commentary []
Wall Street is posting notable gains on Tuesday, rebounding from losses in the previous sessions on renewed hope for an interest rate reduction and strong earning results from Hewlett Packard (HPQ).

Stocks Close Higher After A Choppy Trading Session - U.S. Commentary []
With some traders staying on the sidelines following recent volatility, the U.S. stock markets showed a lack of direction throughout the trading session on Friday. Stocks were unable to sustain any significant moves but eventually ended the session higher.

11/21/2007 4:19:22 PM Wall Street experienced another rough trading session on Wednesday, as fears that problems in the credit and housing markets will spread to other areas of the economy plagued investors. Financial stocks have been under selling pressure in the last several sessions, as mortgage defaults continue to rise. The losses were extended in today's session after Freddie Mac (FRE) said it might have to raise $6 billion to bolster its capital due to the slumping housing market. Energy stocks also led the markets lower today, as investors reacted to a sharp decline in the price of oil and fears that a slowdown in America's economy will cause energy demand to decline. The Dow saw yet another triple digit decline, falling 211.10 points, or 1.62 percent, to end the session at 12,799.04. The Nasdaq briefly reached positive territory in afternoon trading before tumbling lower to end at 2,562.15, a loss of 34.66 points, or 1.33 percent. The S&P 500 fell into negative territory for the year with a loss of 22.93 points, or 1.59 percent, to end the session at 1,416.77. Dow Components The Dow spent the entire session in negative territory on Wednesday, with only a few of its thirty components failing to post a sharp loss. American Insurance Group (AIG) turned in the worst performance within the Dow, declining for a sixth consecutive session with a 5.7 percent loss. Shares of the insurance company fell to their lowest level in six months on the loss. American Express (AXP) also posted a substantial loss after an analyst at Morgan Stanley downgraded the credit card company's stock to Underweight from Equal weight. The downgrade was due to the company's exposure to the consumer credit market. Intel (INTC) was another Dow component that declined sharply, with its shares falling 3.5 percent. The weakness came after a Robert Baird & Co. analyst began coverage of the company with a neutral rating and set a price target of $30. Additionally, Merck (MRK) experienced selling pressure after the company suspended mid-stage trails on one of its drugs pending a full analysis of all efficacy and safety data. Shares of the pharmaceutical giant fell 2.4 percent. Other Dow components that fell sharply on the day include Verizon (VZ), United Technologies (UTX), JP Morgan (JPM), General Electric (GE), and Citigroup (C). On the upside, General Motors (GM) was the only Dow component to finish with a gain, as its shares rose 0.4 percent. The auto-manufacturer saw strength after the Wall Street Journal reported that the company is exploring the sale of certain parts of its Residential Capital lending arm. Sector News The vast majority of sectors ended the day in negative territory, as investors worried that weakness in the housing and credit markets would spread to broader areas of the markets. Housing stocks turned in some of the weakest performances on the day, driving the Philadelphia Housing Sector Index to a sixth consecutive loss with a 3.6 percent decline. The continued weakness in the sector reflects the concerns about the outlook for the U.S. economy, with a report from the Mortgage Bankers Association showing a 3.6 percent drop in mortgage applications in the week ended November 16 also contributing to the weakness. The steel sector was also negatively impacted by worries about the strength of the economy, with the Amex Steel Index falling 2.8 percent. Investors are worried that a slowdown in the U.S. economy will depress demand for steel. Wireless stocks also experienced significant selling pressure, leading the Amex Wireless Index to a 2.9 percent decline. Among wireless stocks, Ericsson (ERIC) contributed the most to the weakness after the company warned that its fourth-quarter income will be at the low end of an already disappointing forecast. Oil related stocks were also on the decline, reacting to a sharp fall in the price of oil. Oil fell after a reported issued by the Energy Information Administration showed that stockpiles a key oil terminal in Cushing, Oklahoma were higher than expected. Other sectors that declined on the day include the chemical, brokerage, networking, telecommunication, and computer hardware sectors. On the other hand, the airline sector was the only major area of the market to finish in positive territory, with the Amex Airline Index closing up 0.8 percent. The sector benefited from the decline in oil prices. Other Markets In overseas trading, European shares were once again lower, with exporters seeing the greatest weakness due to a further decline in the dollar. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 fell 2.5 percent. Asian stocks also suffered broad weakness on fears that America's economy will experience a slowdown. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 4.1 percent. The bond market saw its fifth consecutive multi-year closing high Wednesday, its strongest close since June 2005. The market had an early close due to the Thanksgiving holiday. For Wednesday, the yield on the benchmark 10-year note closed down 3.0 basis points at 4.024 percent. Oil was down on Wednesday in a volatile trading session in U.S. trading. Light sweet crude for January finished at $97.29 a barrel, down 74 cents on the day. Gold moved higher for the second straight session on Wednesday. December gold closed the day at $798.60 an ounce, up $7.20 on the session. The precious metal climbed as high as $808.00, a six-day intraday high. Looking Ahead The markets will be closed on Thursday for the Thanksgiving Day holiday and will only be open for a half day on Friday. Investors will be focused on the amount of retail shopping done on black Friday, hoping to get a gauge on the strength of the upcoming holiday shopping season.
Stocks Fall, Sending The S&P Into Negative Territory For The Year - U.S. Commentary []

European Markets Fall On Disappointing Earnings, Weak Oils - European Commentary []
The European markets fell for the first time in four days on Thursday, as disappointing earnings from companies such as SABMiller, Sodexho Alliance and Credit Agricole dampened investor sentiments and heavily weighted energy stocks came under pressure following a drop in crude oil prices.