Wednesday--Quarter End

Today, stocks wrapped up a banner quarter with a lackluster session after a grim report on a Chicago factory activity raised concerns that other data could show lingering weakness in the broader economy. The Dow has its best quarterly gain since the fourth quarter of 1998, and its best third quarter since 1939. Over the past two quarters, the Dow has risen 27.6%, its best two-quarter gain since the period ending in March 1987. Stocks also defied tradition and clocked gains for September, historically a bad month on the market. Traders are paying closer attention to every data point as they try to determine whether the market's rally can be sustained. DJIA -29.92 S&P 500 -3.53 NASDAQ -1.62

Wednesday Blues

Today, it is raining here in Mississippi. Also, in the markets, a broad and rapid late afternoon selloff pulled stocks lower despite a brief run-up on the Federal Reserve's decision to leave interest rates steady. In what traders called an optimistic Fed statement, the Federal Open Market Committee said at the conclusion of its two-day policy meeting that "economic activity has picked up following its severe downturn." The central bank's rate-setting panel voted 10-0 to keep the target for it federal-funds rate for interbank lending at a record-low range of zero to 0.25%. We hope tomorrow is a better day! DJIA -81.32 S&P 500 -10.79 NASDAQ -14.88

Tuesday

Today, stocks pushed to the highest levels this year on the backs of financial, energy and material shares, as investors went back to betting on a global recovery after a pullback Monday. The Dow was helped by a gain of 4.3% for JP Morgan and 3.6% for Caterpillar. Among the biggest winners in the financial sector were bond and mortgage insurers. The insurers that rose the most generally had substantial short-seller interest, suggesting that the recent price rise for the group may have put some pressure on short-sellers to cover their positions. DJIA +51.01 S&P 500 +7.00 NASDAQ +8.26

Thursday

Today, stocks fell for just the second time in 10 trading sessions as major indexes took a small breather from this week's rally. Though most economic news has been favorable for stocks lately, the latest data were mixed. Housing starts rose a less-than-expected 1.5% compared to the prior month, the Commerce Department reported, as single-family home construction fell and groundbreakings on new apartment buildings rebounded. On a more promising note, the number of workers filing new claims for jobless benefits fell 12,000 last week to 545,000. Economists had expected an increase. DJIA -7.79 S&P 500 -3.27 NASDAQ -6.4

Wednesday

Today, stocks rose, led by financial shares, as major indexes continued to trade at the best levels since last fall. The Dow was led by a 6.3% jump in General Electric. Also, the blue-chip benchmark has risen for three straight sessions and in eight of the last nine trading days. The Dow opened lower, hit its intraday trough in the first half-hour of trading, and built a fairly steady rally thereafter. We can only hope that the rest of September looks as good as has in the beginning of the month! DJIA +108.3 S&P 500 +16.13 NASDAQ +30.51