Lower oil prices and technology news helped stocks rally today despite a legal dispute that raised questions about Johnson & Johnson’s $25bn acquisition of Guidant Corp.

Stocks plummeted in the United States today as heightened fears of another hurricane hitting the Gulf Coast sent oil prices racing past 67dollars a barrel and investors grew anxious about the Federal Reserve’s upcoming interest-rate meeting.

Wall Street struggled through an indecisive session today, finishing mixed as investors grappled with higher energy costs, the prospect of declining earnings growth and a slower US economy.

Wall Street finished an uninspired session mixed today as a new record high in oil prices was partly offset by a better-than-expected reading of the nation’s industrial activity and strong sales at Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

US Stocks finished mixed today as investors took comfort from the Federal Reserve’s benign view on inflation.

Wall Street shook off concerns about inflation and pushed stocks higher today as a spate of merger news encouraged investors to return to the market. Rising oil prices, however, kept the gains in check.

A fresh wave of worries pushed US stocks lower today as invesors dealt with disappointing earnings in the consumer sector, rising oil prices and the possibility of a nuclear weapon test by North Korea.

Nagging worries about inflation bogged Wall Street down today with investors sending stocks lower as they tried to reconcile solid economic and earnings news, reports of anthrax discovered at the Pentagon, and a gloomy outlook on semiconductor stocks.

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.

Concerns over the economic impact of the Asian earthquake tsunami disasters pushed stocks lower in the United States today, putting Wall Street’s recent rally on hold despite decent holiday sales figures and falling oil prices.

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.

Bargain hunters kept Wall Street mixed today, allowing blue chips to rise despite a new record high for oil prices. But fresh warnings from semiconductor firms sent the tech sector falling, and the three major indexes ended the week substantially lower.

Stocks regained some momentum today as fresh economic data suggested inflation remains well under control, but volatile oil prices gave investors some pause late in the session.

US stocks raced ahead in a late surge of bargain hunting today, as oil prices stepped back from their highs.

Another jump in oil prices pre-empted a strong rally on Wall Street today, though stocks managed to post modest gains on the strength of the latest consumer price report, which put many investors’ inflation fears to rest for the near term.

A weak profit outlook from 3M Co disappointed Wall Street today, leaving stocks mixed as investors grew worried that second-half profits will fall short of expectations.

Wall Street rallied late today for the second day in a row, but the pattern of trading left market-watchers doubtful that the advance would hold ahead of a key Federal Reserve meeting and the handover of power in Iraq next week.

US stocks ended a volatile session mixed today as late-day bargain-hunting erased most of the market’s earlier declines, helping the Dow Jones industrial average recover from a loss at one stage of more than 160 points.

Investors set aside their concerns about Iraq today, sending stocks solidly higher on expectations of companies’ robust first-quarter earnings reports. All three major indexes regained the ground they lost last week.

Disappointing US job growth figures left stocks mixed after a volatile session today, with investors guessing whether the underlying economy was strong enough to warrant current share prices.