Stocks Markets

Wall St extends losses, S&P off 1 percent (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks fell on Tuesday after data showed a sharp drop in consumer confidence, heightening worries about economic growth. Financial stocks were among the top decliners, with the SP financial index (.GSPF) down 1.4 percent. Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) dropped 2.4 percent to $8.19 and JPMorgan Chase Co (JPM.N) was...
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Plunge in consumer confidence sends stocks lower (AP)

NEW YORK – Stocks are falling after consumer confidence dropped in August to its lowest level since April 2009. The Conference Board, a private research group, said Tuesday that its Consumer Confidence Index fell 15 points to 44.5. That was far lower than economists had predicted. Wild swings in the stock market this month...
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European stocks hurt by downbeat economic report (AP)

LONDON – European stocks were hurt Tuesday by a report showing economic sentiment in the eurozone was souring due to uncertainties about the future of the global economic recovery and the region’s festering debt crisis. The European Union’s economic sentiment index fell by a greater-than-expected 4.7 points to 98.3 — the sixth consecutive decline,...
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Asian stocks rise as US consumers spending grows (AP)

BANGKOK – Asian stock markets advanced Tuesday as investors took heart from strong consumer spending in the U.S. and a deal to combine two major banks in debt-stricken Greece. Oil prices hovered above $87 a barrel in Asia while the dollar weakened against the yen and the euro. The Nikkei 225 index in Tokyo...
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Gold and silver fall as stock market rallies (AP)

Metals prices closed lower Monday as increasingly confident investors move money out of hard assets and into stocks. Gold and silver fell as the Standard Poor’s 500 index rose 2.8 percent. Investors often buy gold as a last resort when they’re fearful of holding stocks. The reverse also holds true: investors often dump gold...
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Stock index futures signal lower open (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) – Stock index futures pointed to a weaker open for equities on Wall Street on Tuesday after steep gains in the previous session, with futures for the SP 500, for the Dow Jones and for the Nasdaq 100 down 0.2 to 0.3 percent. The Conference Board releases August consumer confidence at 1400...
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Insurers drive stocks higher; Dow gains 254 (AP)

NEW YORK – So much for Irene. Stocks rose broadly Monday, led by insurance companies, after it became clear that the tropical storm caused far less damage than many had feared. An increase in U.S. consumer spending also helped, as did as did a rare piece of good news from Greece: a merger of...
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