Wall Street soared for the second straight day today, rallying in the last hour of trading after a rebound in financial stocks and optimism about private sector jobs helped investors brush off a sharp jump in oil prices.

Wall Street pulled back today, with the Dow Jones industrials tumbling more than 100 points as a rush of quarterly results from bellwethers like AT&T, DuPont and McDonald’s failed to impress investors. Oil prices also reached fresh highs, raising concerns about inflation.

Wall Street showed some reassuring signs of stability today, closing mostly higher despite the biggest monthly decline in jobs in five years.

The stock market finished with a sharp loss today after bleak readings on the economy heightened investors’ fears of a recession. The Dow Jones industrial average fell more than 140 points.

Wall Street retreated today after Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke predicted a “sluggish” economy until later in the year and more mortgage-related losses at banks. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 175 points.

Wall Street shot higher in a last-minute advance today after careering through a session made turbulent by ongoing concerns about US home loans and the credit market.

Wall Street reached another milestone during a muted session today, when the Standard & Poor's 500 index briefly passed its record close of 1,527.46 for the first time in more than seven years.

A still skittish Wall Street closed modestly lower today, having clawed its way back from an early-session plunge after upbeat manufacturing data allayed fears about a flagging US economy.

Wall Street closed a volatile week with a mixed performance today after a pair of economic reports dashed hopes for an early interest rate cut. The major indexes were down for the week.

Wall Street resumed its fourth-quarter rally today, pushing the Dow Jones industrials to its first close above 12,400 after a series of strong company earnings and a drop in unemployment claims revived investors’ confidence in the economy.

The Dow Jones industrial average scored its third record high close in a row today, rising modestly on better than expected retail sales and upbeat jobless claims figures.

Wall Street ended a lacklustre session little changed today after a speech by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke failed to give investors any hints about US interest rate policy despite their concerns that the economy might be slowing too fast.

US stocks closed marginally lower today after a session of seesaw trading and profit-taking following a two-day rally.

Wall Street slumped today as investors looked past another round of acquisitions and grew increasingly anxious about the Federal Reserve’s upcoming decision on interest rates. The Dow Jones industrials tumbled more than 120 points.

Wall Street extended its rally to a second session today as investors brushed aside mixed signals on inflation a day after the Federal Reserve said it was concerned about rising prices.

Stocks faced a second day of steep losses today as the dollar weakened and bonds prices fell after data showing higher import prices stoked the market’s inflation worries. The major indexes declined sharply this week.

Stocks in the United States finished a quiet session little changed today as investors’ anticipation of the Federal Reserve’s decision on interest rates muted their reaction to lower oil prices and a trio of acquisitions.

Stocks closed narrowly mixed today as investors looked past rising oil prices and awaited a sample of first-quarter earnings from Alcoa Inc. after the closing bell.

Wall Street rallied today as investors scared off by the Federal Reserve’s assessment of the economy in the previous session regained their confidence and bid stocks higher.

Upbeat reports from the Federal Reserve and DuPont lifted US stocks for a second day in a row today, pushing the Standard & Poor’s 500 past 1,300 for the first time since May 2001.

Nervous investors bid US stocks modestly lower today as disappointing retail sales reports prompted fresh concerns about a slowdown in the economy and a dropoff in corporate revenues. A surge in oil prices also spurred selling.

Stocks in the United States ended a listless session little changed today as cautious investors found few reasons to put money into the market, even as upbeat remarks on Alcoa and General Motors helped prop up the Dow Jones industrials.

The Dow Jones industrial average today closed above 11,000 for the first time since before the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, lifted by a five-day rally that has sent stocks soaring so far in 2006.

Wall Street extended its November rally with modest gains today despite pressure from rising oil prices and a major restructuring plan at General Motors Corp.

Wall Street made a muted advance today but still finished the week lower after a better-than-expected employment report raised hopes about the US economy’s strength despite the recent hurricanes.

Stocks barely moved today as investors wondered whether a welter of weak economic data would end the Federal Reserve’s year-long streak of interest rate rises.

Wall Street finished a disappointing week lower today as a sharp drop in oil prices failed to ease worries about declining consumer confidence.

Wall Street scratched out its third minuscule gain in a row today as investors worried about rising oil prices and disappointing inventory data from the Energy Department.

A surprisingly weak reading on the manufacturing sector sent US stocks mostly lower today as investors feared that the economy has indeed run into a soft patch.

Stocks resumed their slide today as concerns about rising inflation trumped a raft of upbeat quarterly reports, including better-than-expected results from Caterpillar and Intel.

Stocks wobbled to a mixed finish today as dramatically lower oil prices offset a US government report that offered new evidence of rising inflation.

US investors pushed stocks lower today, ending Wall Street’s three-day string of gains.

Wall Street’s 2005 slump extended into a third session today as renewed concerns about inflation and higher interest rates sapped confidence from buyers.

A renewed rise in oil prices stifled a rally on Wall Street today, leaving stocks mixed and investors worrying that costs will climb further despite Saudi Arabia’s vow to boost production.

Wall Street ended a stunning second quarter quietly today as fund managers spent the day repositioning their holdings, but the narrow losses didn’t stop the Standard & Poor’s 500 index from achieving its best quarterly gain since the final three months of 1998.

Powered by a batch of surprisingly good earnings reports, US stocks soared ahead today with the Dow Jones industrials rising more than 375 points for a four-day gain of nearly 1,000.

COMMENTS from Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan took US stocks off their lows at midsession yesterday, with the Dow Jones industrial average losses easing and the Nasdaq composite index holding a solid gain.

Wall Street backed away from a solid rally following four losing days due to concerns about world events.

Investors tried to shake off doubts about a decline in consumer confidence today, but lingering misgivings put an end to a two-day rally as stocks lost ground in largely indecisive trading.