Investors push higher despite weak reports on home prices, employment, consumer confidence and corporate profits.
PhotosAssociates at Bingham McCutchen take home an average $256,312 total compensation annually. See which other Best Companies to Work For offer big paychecks. NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks struggled to rise Tuesday morning as Tim Geithner's confirmation as Treasury secretary vied with gloomy reports on home prices, employment, consumer confidence and corporate profits.
The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) gained 14 points, or 0.2%, around 90 minutes into the session. The Standard & Poor's 500 (SPX) index added 4 points, or 0.5%. The Nasdaq composite (COMP) added 8 points or 0.5%.
Pfizer's $68 billion purchase of fellow drugmaker Wyeth lifted stocks Monday, but gains were limited after corporations announced 71,400 job cuts.
Stocks struggled for direction Tuesday morning after reports showed plunging home prices and consumer confidence at an all-time low.
Investors also sorted through earnings reports from Dow components DuPont, Verizon and American Express, as well as a number of other corporations.
Economy: Home prices in 20 major cities plunged at a record annual pace in November, falling to levels not seen since 2004, according to a report released Tuesday.
A separate report showed that consumer confidence fell to an all-time low in January. The Conference Board, a research group, said its consumer index fell to 37.7 from a revised 38.6 in December, missing economists' forecasts. It was the lowest level on record since the group began tracking confidence in 1967.
A government report showed that unemployment spiked in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in December, as companies cut thousands of positions in the wake of the recession.
The Federal Reserve begins its two-day policy setting meeting Tuesday, with an announcement expected Wednesday afternoon.
Quarterly results: Dow component DuPont (DD, Fortune 500) reported a wider quarterly loss that was worse than expected and also cut its 2009 earnings forecast. Shares fell 2.6%.
Dow component Verizon Communications (VZ, Fortune 500)reported higher quarterly sales and earnings, but said that growth in its mobile phone business slowed and traditional land line customers continued to drop out. Verizon also warned that pension and other retirement costs would hurt earnings in 2009. Shares fell 6%.
Dow component American Express (AXP, Fortune 500)reported results late Monday. The financial services firm reported lower quarterly sales and earnings that missed expectations. Despite that, shares gained 4% Tuesday morning.
Texas Instruments (TXN, Fortune 500) reported a smaller-than-expected drop in quarterly profit after the close Monday and also said after that it was cutting 3,400 jobs due to weakening demand in a sluggish economy. Shares gained almost 5% Tuesday morning.
Bonds: Treasury prices rose, lowering the yield on the benchmark 10-year note to 2.61% from 2.63% Monday. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions. Yields on the 2-year, 10-year and 30-year Treasurys all hit record lows last month.
Lending rates were mixed. The 3-month Libor rate held steady at 1.18%, according to Bloomberg.com. Overnight Libor fell to 0.22% from 0.23% Monday. Libor is a bank-to-bank lending rate.
Other markets: In global trading, the Japanese Nikkei closed down 0.8%, while many other markets in Asia were closed for lunar new year celebrations. Most European markets rose in the afternoon.
The dollar fell versus the euro and the yen.
U.S. light crude oil for March delivery fell $2.18 to $43.55 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
COMEX gold for April delivery fell $9.60 to $901.10 an ounce.
Gasoline prices fell two-tenths of a cent to a national average of $1.84 a gallon, according to a survey of credit-card swipes released Tuesday by motorist group AAA.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks struggled to rise Tuesday morning as Tim Geithner's confirmation as Treasury secretary vied with gloomy reports on home prices, employment, consumer confidence and corporate profits.
The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) gained 14 points, or 0.2%, around 90 minutes into the session. The Standard & Poor's 500 (SPX) index added 4 points, or 0.5%. The Nasdaq composite (COMP) added 8 points or 0.5%.
Pfizer's $68 billion purchase of fellow drugmaker Wyeth lifted stocks Monday, but gains were limited after corporations announced 71,400 job cuts.
Stocks struggled for direction Tuesday morning after reports showed plunging home prices and consumer confidence at an all-time low.
Investors also sorted through earnings reports from Dow components DuPont, Verizon and American Express, as well as a number of other corporations.
Economy: Home prices in 20 major cities plunged at a record annual pace in November, falling to levels not seen since 2004, according to a report released Tuesday.
A separate report showed that consumer confidence fell to an all-time low in January. The Conference Board, a research group, said its consumer index fell to 37.7 from a revised 38.6 in December, missing economists' forecasts. It was the lowest level on record since the group began tracking confidence in 1967.
A government report showed that unemployment spiked in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in December, as companies cut thousands of positions in the wake of the recession.
The Federal Reserve begins its two-day policy setting meeting Tuesday, with an announcement expected Wednesday afternoon.
Quarterly results: Dow component DuPont (DD, Fortune 500) reported a wider quarterly loss that was worse than expected and also cut its 2009 earnings forecast. Shares fell 2.6%.
Dow component Verizon Communications (VZ, Fortune 500)reported higher quarterly sales and earnings, but said that growth in its mobile phone business slowed and traditional land line customers continued to drop out. Verizon also warned that pension and other retirement costs would hurt earnings in 2009. Shares fell 6%.
Dow component American Express (AXP, Fortune 500)reported results late Monday. The financial services firm reported lower quarterly sales and earnings that missed expectations. Despite that, shares gained 4% Tuesday morning.
Texas Instruments (TXN, Fortune 500) reported a smaller-than-expected drop in quarterly profit after the close Monday and also said after that it was cutting 3,400 jobs due to weakening demand in a sluggish economy. Shares gained almost 5% Tuesday morning.
Bonds: Treasury prices rose, lowering the yield on the benchmark 10-year note to 2.61% from 2.63% Monday. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions. Yields on the 2-year, 10-year and 30-year Treasurys all hit record lows last month.
Lending rates were mixed. The 3-month Libor rate held steady at 1.18%, according to Bloomberg.com. Overnight Libor fell to 0.22% from 0.23% Monday. Libor is a bank-to-bank lending rate.
Other markets: In global trading, the Japanese Nikkei closed down 0.8%, while many other markets in Asia were closed for lunar new year celebrations. Most European markets rose in the afternoon.
The dollar fell versus the euro and the yen.
U.S. light crude oil for March delivery fell $2.18 to $43.55 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
COMEX gold for April delivery fell $9.60 to $901.10 an ounce.
Gasoline prices fell two-tenths of a cent to a national average of $1.84 a gallon, according to a survey of credit-card swipes released Tuesday by motorist group AAA.
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