Falling oil prices and a broker upgrade of the semiconductor sector pushed stocks higher today, enticing buyers back into the market after the previous session’s losses.

A better-than-expected reading of the United States’ gross domestic product sent stocks substantially higher for the third straight session today, with the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor’s 500 index each posting its best close of the year.

A sharp rise in wholesale prices intensified fears about inflation today, sending stocks to a mixed finish and bond prices falling.

A surge in oil prices sent the major stock indexes to their lowest level of the year today as investors overlooked a strong earnings report and a bullish outlook from General Electric Co. All three indexes fell for the third straight week.

Investors pushed stocks substantially higher today as Wall Street greeted the Oracle-PeopleSoft merger and a climb in retail sales as signs of continued economic improvement.

THE idea that there are companies generating more wealth than Ireland has been debunked by the United Nations.