Stock Market Today

Quarterly results: Dow component Caterpillar (CAT, Fortune 500) reported higher quarterly sales and earnings that topped estimates due to better sales of gear for the mining, infrastructure and energy industries. Caterpillar also boosted its 2010 profit forecast. Shares gained 1.7%. Fellow Dow component 3M (MMM, Fortune 500) reported higher quarterly sales and earnings and said [...]

Housing: Sales of existing home sales fell 5.1% in June from May levels, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors released Thursday. But the drop was smaller than expected. Sales rose nearly 10% from a year earlier. Jobs: The House voted to extend jobless claims benefits until November, ending a seven-week old [...]

U.S. labor market has shown modest improvement in the first half of 2010, but the pace of hiring to date has not been sufficient to bring about a significant reduction in the unemployment rate, the Federal Reserve said on Wednesday. “On average, private-sector employment rose 100,000 per month over the first half of 2010, with [...]

The U.S. Senate voted on Wednesday to extend unemployment benefits for millions of Americans who are out of work for more than six months. The Senate approved the bill by a vote of 59 to 39, with two Republicans breaking the party line to vote for the measure. The bill, with a price tag of [...]

Early part of the Dow rose 35 points, down nearly 113 points at noon, or 106 points to 10,123 points, the Nasdaq fell 25 points to 2197 points, S & P 500 index fell 11 points to 1071 points; Britain, France shares rise between 0.4 to 1.5 percent, 10-year U.S. bond yield fell to 2.92 [...]