Stocks

Another morning of rising stock prices, another day of debating whether the recent stock rally has gone too far. Stocks have started the week on an up note thanks to the Greek Parliament's decision to move forward with a plan that will cut more from the budget in order to win the country more aid from the international community. The benchmark Standard & Poor's 500 index is up 0.6% or 7.23 points to 1,349.94 this morning. The rise comes after U.S. markets experienced their worst day of the year to close out last week.

The stock market is getting a lift Thursday thanks to the Federal Reserve's latest attempt to spur the economy. The Dow Jones industrial average was up more than 150 points by late morning Pacific time, with most of the gain coming immediately after the central bank unveiled its newest stimulus effort. Treasury bonds, however, were thrashing about as bond traders frentically tried to assess what the plan means for them. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note was up slightly, to 1.78% from 1.76% on Wednesday.

Major U.S. stock indexes edged higher after the federal government reported an uptick last month in consumer spending, a major driver of the economy. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 26 points, or 0.2%, to 13,196 shortly after the opening bell on Wall Street. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 3 points, or 0.2%, to 1,407. The Nasdaq was up 7 points, or 0.2%, to 3,029. Consumer spending increased in July, the U.S. Census Bureau reported. U.S. retail and food-services sales increased 0.8% last month from June, the agency said.

General Electric delivered a shot of confidence to investors when it raised its dividend on Friday, pushing U.S. stocks higher and adding to optimism from another round of strong earnings. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 102.32 points, or 0.99 percent, at 10,424.62. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 8.99 points, or 0.82 percent, at 1,102.66. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 23.58 points, or 1.05 percent, at 2,269.47.

Stocks ended mixed Tuesday after a rally in bank shares offset drops in some technology names. The Dow Jones industrials edged down 3 points, while broader indexes rose. For a second day, the Dow got within about a dozen points of the 11,000 level. Stocks got a brief bounce late in the day when the Federal Reserve released meeting minutes suggesting that policymakers were growing more upbeat about the economy but weren't prepared yet to raise interest rates. Financial stocks led the market higher on upbeat comments by analysts about regional banks.

Associated Press U.S. stocks are opening mixed. The Dow Jones industrial average is down four points to 12,867. The Standard & Poor's 500 is up less than a point at 1,366. The Nasdaq composite index is up less than half a point at 2,951. Investors expect a quiet day. Trading will end early, at 1 p.m. EDT, ahead of the July Fourth holiday. Auto companies are reporting June car sales throughout the day. Chrysler says its sales jumped 20 percent. Later in the morning, the government will release data on U.S. factory orders for May. Otherwise, investors are waiting for Friday's jobs report and next week's kickoff to earnings season.

The Dow got shellacked Tuesday as a number of companies reported disappointing earnings. We took a look at the market action during today's KTLA-TV Channel 5 Consumer Confidential segment. We also looked at the growing number of U.S. workers who say they expect to remain on the job into their 80s, and the eerily accurate use of Halloween masks to determine the outcome of the presidential election.  

Stocks edged lower in early trading Wednesday ahead of the potentially big news coming later: the Federal Reserve may announce new steps to boost the economy. The Dow Jones industrial average was down 18 points, or 0.1%, to 12,819 shortly after the opening bell. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 was down 2 points, or 0.2%, to 1,356. The tech-focused Nasdaq was essentially flat, down less than a point at 2,929. Also weighing on the market was a downbeat forecast for consumer products giant Procter & Gamble, which reported slowing sales growth.

Stock are higher a few minutes after the opening bell as investors welcomed the results of stress tanks of Spanish banks, as well as other positive news about Europe's economy. The Dow Jones industrial average is up 72 points to 13,427. The Standard & Poor's 500 index is up eight points to 1,449. The Nasdaq is up 14 points to 3,130. Monday is the first day of trading of the fourth quarter. Markets around Europe rose. However, credit rating agency Moody's might downgrade Spain's debt to junk status this week.

NEW YORK -- Stocks soared more than 1.3% on signs of last-minute progress in negotiations between President Obama and Congress to avoid the looming "fiscal cliff. " The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 166 points, or 1.3%, closing out 2012 at 13,104. The blue chip index finished the year up 7.3%. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 24 points, or 1.7%, closing at 1,426. The benchmark index ended the year up 13.3%. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index shot up 59 points, or 2%, to 3,020.