Stock Market

If you had told investors what was going to happen in 2012 - U.S. economic growth at stall speed, an intensifying European debt crisis, a slowdown in China, fiscal deadlock in Washington, decelerating corporate-earnings growth - and asked how the stock market would perform, few would have predicted a good year. But that's just what they got. The markets all ended the year substantially higher, despite losing ground in the final days as fiscal-cliff concerns mounted. The Dow ended 2012 with a 7.3 percent increase, its fourth yearly gain in a row, having started the year at 12,217.

If all the Beanie Babies currently were on a cruise together, it would be aboard a liner that just struck an iceberg the size of the one that doomed the Titanic, says a leading collectibles expert. "The ship is slowly sinking on Beanie Babies. A year from now there will be no Beanie Babies market, except for one in its last stages of life," says Harry L. Rinker, publisher of "Harry L. Rinker: Official Guide to Collectibles. " "Unload them if you have them. After that, buy a crying towel," he advises collectors of these trendy plush toys.

NEW YORK - Wall Street's wildest week since 2008 careened into another 400-plus point move for the Dow yesterday. This time, stocks shot up after investors saw small signs that the economy might not be headed into another recession. Fewer Americans joined the unemployment line last week, and a technology bellwether said that revenue could grow faster this quarter than analysts expected. The news pushed prices on long-term Treasuries down, and gold fell from its record high. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 423.37 points.

NEW YORK - Faced with Facebook, Starbucks and Angela Merkel, the market chose to focus on Merkel. For a second day, the U.S. stock market powered higher after European leaders, including German Chancellor Merkel, pledged to protect the union of 17 countries that use the euro. The Dow Jones industrial average blew past 13,000, a marker that it hadn't hit since early May. It wasn't that there weren't troubling signs about the economy. In fact, they abounded: U.S. economic growth was anemic in the second quarter.

President Bush said today the United States remains the best place for investment despite signs of weakness in the economy and attractive interest rates abroad. "I think people see the United States still, regardless of what's temporary out there, as the safest haven for investment anywhere in the world," Bush told a news conference amid news that stock prices were tumbling across the world and fears of another drop in U.S. markets today. The Dow-Jones Industrial Average was falling in opening trading even as Bush spoke.

At Hatboro-Horsham High School, some students have made a killing on the stock market. "We have made almost $8,000 in nine weeks," boasted Tammy Schmitt, a member of a ninth-grade group. "We bought Amoco stock at $72 and sold it at $84," said Mike Lassoff, a member of a second group of ninth graders. Too bad it was only a game. The 10-week game, which ends today, was called - appropriately enough - The Stock Market Game. It was all part of a plan by Hatboro-Horsham social studies teachers Dan Maley and Tom Richards to teach their ninth- and 12th-grade social studies classes how to buy and sell stocks and how to calculate interest rates and brokers' fees.

So Wall Street laid an egg yesterday, to paraphrase Variety's famous headline on the 1929 stock market crash. Don't panic. It wasn't that bad, and if you read, watch or listen to financial news, you knew that some kind of major, ahem, correction was expected. Still, far more Americans than ever before are invested in stocks these days, especially because of the rise of individual-directed retirement plans such as the 401(k). So the lessons that longtime and long-term investors learn are new to many, at least emotionally.

The shell-shocked stock market basked in relative stability this morning after two disastrous Mondays, and the volatile Dow Jones industrial average stayed within a narrow range. The key index of the nation's 30 prime industrial corporations fell more than 20 points at the opening but quickly recouped and flirted with the 2,000 level. By noon the Dow Jones average totaled 1,996.02 up 2.48 with a volume of 115,702,220. Broader market barometers were mixed. Market analysts said the market mood remained cautious but appeared to be improving, marked by the slow return of large institutional investors who had panicked after the historic Oct. 19 crash.

Stocks and bonds turned in another banner year in 1986, with the stock market up about 20 percent and many bonds providing investors with total returns of 10 percent or more. Can they do it again in 1987? Probably, say investment advisers. Although there are more clouds on the horizon than there were at this time last year, and a few strategists are waving yellow caution flags, the consensus is that the savvy investor stands to make a chunk of money this year. Two big questions hang over the investment outlook for the year: After four years of a bull market, how much longer and how much further can stock prices rise?

NEW YORK - Encouraging news about the U.S. economy extended the stock market's rally Friday. A gauge of future economic activity rose more than analysts had expected, as did a measure of consumer confidence, adding to evidence that the economy is steadily recovering. Stocks closed higher for a fourth straight week. Indexes are at record levels after surging this year on optimism about the economy and record corporate earnings. The market is also being supported by ongoing stimulus from the Federal Reserve, which is keeping long-term borrowing costs at historically low levels.

NEW YORK - Signs of a slowing economy combined with comments from a Federal Reserve official helped pull the stock market down Thursday. The news on the U.S. economy gave investors little to get excited about. Applications for unemployment benefits rose last week and manufacturing slowed in the mid-Atlantic region. Wal-Mart sank after warning of weaker earnings ahead. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 42.47 points to 15,233.22, a loss of 0.3 percent. The Standard & Poor's 500 index dropped 8.31 points to 1,650.47, or 0.5 percent.

NEW YORK - The stock market marched back into record territory as investors seized on the latest encouraging news about the economy. On Tuesday, it was a report on the health of small businesses. Small business owners were slightly more optimistic in April, according to a survey by the National Federation of Independent Business. That helped push the Russell 2000, an index of small-company stocks, up 1.3 percent. The Russell index is 16.1 percent higher since the start of the year, and is up more than the Standard & Poor's 500 index, which includes larger, global companies.

NEW YORK - The stock market pulled back from record levels Thursday as investors became harder to please. Even a decline in the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits failed to give stock prices a boost. The Dow fell 22.5 points, or 0.2 percent, to 15,082.62. The S&P 500 index dropped 6.02 points, or 0.4 percent, to 1,626.67. The Nasdaq composite index, which is heavily weighted with technology stocks, fell 4.10 points, or 0.1 percent, to 3,409.17. Unemployment claims for last week dropped by 4,000 to 323,000 - a five-year low, the Labor Department reported early Thursday.

NEW YORK - Bank of America led a rally in big-bank stocks in mostly quiet trading Monday. Stock indexes ended little changed following a record-setting run last week. News that Bank of America and MBIA, a bond-insurance company, had reached a settlement over a long-running dispute propelled both companies' stocks. BofA will pay $1.7 billion to MBIA and extend the troubled company a credit line. MBIA soared 45 percent, or $4.46, to $14.29. Bank of America gained 5 percent, or 64 cents, to $12.88, making it the leading company in the Dow Jones industrial average.

The stock market is in a groove. The Standard & Poor's 500 has climbed six months in a row and finished the week at a record high. Sounds good, right? A qualified "yes" may be the best answer, considering that in the last three years, stocks began to tumble in May, and rallies turned to routs by midsummer. Recent history doesn't necessarily suggest another market decline, but some flash points that triggered the previous routs are still with us. The global economy can't seem to break out of slow-growth mode.

NEW YORK - The stock market is all about jobs this week. Stocks rose Thursday after unemployment claims fell to a five-year low. A day earlier, it was just the opposite - the market slumped after companies added just 119,000 jobs in April, the fewest in seven months, according to payroll processor ADP. And stocks could swing again Friday when the government's closely watched monthly employment report is released. "Everyone is looking to the April jobs numbers," said Tyler Vernon, chief investment officer at Biltmore Capital.

NEW YORK - Signs of a slowing economy dragged down the stock market Wednesday. Even the prospect of continued stimulus from the Federal Reserve didn't help. Major market indexes fell by 0.9 percent, their worst decline in two weeks. Small-company stocks fell even more, 2.5 percent, as investors shunned risk. The yield on the benchmark U.S. government bond fell to its lowest of the year as investors sought safety. Stocks opened lower and kept sagging throughout the day, hurt by reports of a slowdown in hiring and manufacturing last month.

NEW YORK - News that IBM will buy back more stock and raise its dividend helped pull major stock indexes out of a morning slump Tuesday. IBM and other tech stocks led the Standard & Poor's 500 index to a record. The broad-market measure ended April with a 1.8 percent gain, the sixth month in a row the index has climbed higher. Worries about slower economic growth have rattled the stock market this month, but it has consistently bounced back. Brad Sorensen, director of market research at the brokerage Charles Schwab, said that's a result of investors having few alternatives.

NEW YORK - The engines driving the stock market were more tired than turbocharged Thursday, but they were enough to help stocks rise for a fifth straight day. The three major U.S. indexes all closed higher as good news on the job market and healthy earnings from companies like Royal Caribbean and Harley-Davidson encouraged investors. Still, after rising as much as 91 points, the Dow Jones industrial average gave up most of that gain as investors were underwhelmed by what ultimately proved a mixed bag on earnings.