The FHFA Housing price index for April is also due in the morning, but is not typically a market mover.

wednesday: The May new home sales index from the Census Bureau is due shortly after the start of trading. The index is expected to have fallen to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 427,000 units, from a 504,000 unit rate in the previous month.

The weekly crude oil inventories report from the government is also due in the morning.

Thursday: The Commerce Department releases the durable goods orders report for May in the morning. Orders are expected to have fallen 1.4% after rising 2.8% in April. Orders excluding transportation are expected to have risen 1.25% after falling 1.1% last month.

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment is expected to have fallen to 458,000 last week from 472,000 the previous week. Continuing claims, a measure of Americans who have been receiving benefits for a week or more, are expected to have risen to 4,580,000, from 4,571,000 last week.

Oracle (ORCL, Fortune 500) reports quarterly results Thursday evening. The software maker is expected to report earnings of 54 cents per share, up 17% from a year ago, and revenue of $9.5 billion, up 38% from a year ago.

Friday: The revised reading on gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the first quarter is due in the morning. GDP is expected to have grown at a 3% annualized rate, unchanged from the previous reading.

The University of Michigan’s final reading on consumer sentiment in June is due in the morning. It’s expected to hold steady at 75.5, unchanged from the last reading. To top of page

Investors weighed news that Moody’s has downgraded its debt by three notches, but still kept it at investment grade. Fellow ratings agency Standard & Poor’s cut BP’s debt Thursday as the oil firm continues to struggle in the aftermath of the Gulf spill.

On Thursday, BP’s CEO Tony Hayward was grilled by U.S. lawmakers who lambasted him for being oblivious to the risks that led to the spill and for not cooperating fully with investigators in its aftermath.

Earlier this week, BP said it was canceling its quarterly dividend and agreed with President Obama’s request that it establish a $20 billion fund to cover Gulf damages.

On the move: Gains petered out with just select shares rising. Among the Dow’s movers, Boeing (BA, Fortune 500), Caterpillar (CAT, Fortune 500), JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500) and Wal-Mart Stores (WMT, Fortune 500) all gained.

Market breadth was mixed. On the New York Stock Exchange, winners beat losers eight to seven on volume of 1.77 billion shares. On the Nasdaq, advancers beat decliners seven to six on volume of 1.56 billion shares.

Euro: The euro was barely changed versus the dollar, which fell 0.4% against the yen.

World markets: European markets were little changed. Britain’s FTSE 100 ended just below unchanged, Germany’s DAX lost 0.1% and France’s CAC 40 climbed 0.1%.

Asian markets were mixed. Japan’s Nikkei was little changed, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.7%, China’s Shanghai Composite lost 1.8%.

Commodities: U.S. light crude oil for July delivery rose 39 cents to settle at $77.18 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Bonds: Treasury prices tumbled, raising the yield on the 10-year note to 3.22% from 3.19% late Thursday. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions. To top of page

ET at 16 o’clock on the June 16, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 4.69 points to close at 10,409.46 points, or 0.05%; the Nasdaq composite index rose 0.05 points to close at 2,305.93 points, or 0.00%; Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 0.62 points to close at 1,114.61 points, down 0.06%.

By the effect of Spain’s debt crisis, U.S. stocks opened lower Wednesday. However, It promoted energy sector in general rose by the omformation that BP agreed to set up 20 billion U.S. dollars the Gulf of Mexico oil spill compensation fund, the main stock index was flat at the level of  close range-bound