Financial Market News

A sharp drop at Salesforce.com sparked a slump across the stocks of other corporate-software vendors on Friday and led the broader tech sector into the red.

US stocks closed flat Friday, reeling in early losses but showing caution following Japan's Thursday 7.3 per cent plunge and ahead of the three-day US Memorial Day holiday weekend.

North American markets were slightly lower Friday following better-than-expected durable goods orders in April that suggested encouraging news for U.S. manufacturers.

Growth stocks, neglected at the start of the year, are starting to get a bit of love from investors again.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index was down three points at 1,647, a slip of 0.2 percent, as of 1:30 p.m. Eastern time.

US stock index futures fell on Friday, setting up Wall Street for its first weekly decline since mid April, amid concern the central bank may scale back its support to the economy.

Investors are facing a quiet Friday ahead of the holiday weekend as stock markets regain their poise after a fright the previous session.

Municipal bonds continue to provide a reliable refuge from stock market volatility and a steady source of tax-free income.

Asian stock markets staged a mild recovery Friday, a day after being routed by unexpectedly weak Chinese manufacturing and fears the Federal Reserve will start withdrawing its monetary stimulus.

Stocks tumbled hard in early trading on Thursday, but recovered most of their losses by the closing bell.

The run-up in stock prices this year could tempt even the most hands-off investor to wade into their 401 and make some changes.

Yet almost lost in the anxiety that gripped the stock market this week is that whenever the Fed slows its drive to keep interest rates low, it will be cause for celebration: It would mean policymakers think the economy is strong enough to accelerate with less help from the Fed.

The price of oil fell Thursday as weak manufacturing data from China raised questions about the strength of oil demand in the world's No.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down 50 points at 15,256 as of 10:28 a.m., a decline of 0.3 percent.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 0.6% at the opening bell. The S&P 500 fell more than 1%. The Nasdaq sank 0.9% Meanwhile, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note nudged back up near 2%, as investors sought safety in government-backed bonds.

Wall Street may be in for a wild ride Thursday after a sharp retreat for stocks in Japan.

The momentum of a late sell-off on Wall Street carried over into a second day, sending U.S. futures and global stock markets into retreat.

Yields on 10-year Japanese government bonds briefly topped 1 percent for the first time in a year on Thursday, unnerving some investors at a time when Japan's already overburdened government finances are vulnerable to rises in interest rates.

Reassuring comments from a Federal Reserve official and better earnings from two big retailers helped push the stock market higher Tuesday.

U.S. stocks fell, with benchmark indexes retreating from record highs, as concern grew that the Federal Reserve will scale back its stimulus efforts if the labor market continues to improve.