New York, NY, United States (AHN) – Stocks fell Friday morning on reports that several euro-region countries may face credit downgrades by Standard & Poor’s and of JP Morgan’s less than impressive earnings.

Just after 10 a.m. on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average slumped 107 points, the Standard & Poor’s 500 fell 10 points and the NASDAQ dropped 17 points.

Weighing on stocks in the U.S. was an earnings report from bellwether JP Morgan that showed earnings inline with expectations, but revenues that fell short.

Also dragging stocks lower was a release that revealed the U.S. trade deficit widened more than forecast in November as Americans exports declined and companies stepped up imports of crude oil and automobiles.

Downgrades in the credit ratings of a number of European governments as early as Friday could come from Standard & Poor’s. The rumors sent overseas stocks down.

European markets across the board were lower in afternoon trading and Asian stocks ended mixed.

In commodities, oil dropped 72 cents to $98.25 a barrel and gold lost $6 to $1,640.40 a troy ounce.

U.S. stock markets will be closed Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Day.

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New York, NY, United States (AHN) – U.S. stocks slumped on the open Thursday on continued worries about the eurozone’s sovereign debt crisis. Investors shrugged off encouraging news on the unemployment front and sold into the previous two-day rally.

Just after 9:30 a.m. on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 107 points, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index dropped 11 points and the NASDAQ gave back 13 points.

Reports that private sector employment climbed 325,000 in December, and that the number of planned layoffs at U.S. firms fell 1.6 percent last month, its lowest level since June 2010, did little to buoy U.S. equities.

Weighing on markets was a less-than-impressive French debt offering, a falling euro, and a tepid German bond auction on Wednesday.

In U.S. corporate news, retailers Macy’s, Limited and Zumiez all posted solid same-store sales results and boosted their future earnings guidance higher.

Pepsi fell after reports that the soft drink maker is mulling cutting 4,000 employees and lowering pension contributions in an effort to raise earnings. Shares were trading lower by 32 cents to $66.41 per share.

Eastman Kodak continued to fall on reports the iconic company may be on the verge of filing bankruptcy. The firm has already been warned about possible delisting from the New York Stock Exchange. Shares of EK were last quoted at just 42 cents.

In commodities, gold was lower by $13.60 to $1,599 a troy ounce, silver was off 28 cents to $28.91 and oil was down 70 cents to $102.49 a barrel.

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New York, NY, United States (AHN) – U.S. stocks rose Thursday following news that the number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits hit a 3 1/2-year low.

Just after the opening bell on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 40 points, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rose 6 points and the NASDAQ advanced 18 points.

Initial jobless claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 4,000 to a seasonally adjusted 364,000, the Labor Department reported, reaching the lowest level since April 2008.

The data shows that the labor market is showing strong signs of gains. The improving jobless situation softened the blow from a separate report from the Commerce Department revealing that gross domestic product grew at a 1.8 percent annual rate in the third quarter. Growth had previously been reported to have expanded at a 2 percent pace.

Despite the tepid pace of economic growth in the third quarter, it is a step up from the April-June period’s 1.3 percent pace.

Additionally, although the rest of the world is slowing down and a mild recession is forecast in Europe next year, the U.S. economy remains resilient. Households continue to spend, home building is picking up and factory output is expanding, putting the U.S. economy on course for at least a 3 percent growth pace in the fourth quarter. That would be the fastest pace in 18 months.

Commodities were mixed in morning trading. Oil was up 47 cents at $99.14 a barrel and gold was down $3.80 at $1,609 a troy ounce.

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New York, NY, United States (AHN) – Wall Street stocks fell on the open Monday as doubts continued to linger that a deal over economic integration in Europe will not be enough to keep the region’s two-year sovereign debt crisis from spreading farther.

Last week’s summit in Brussels did not produce decisive initiatives, leaving the eurozone, and the rest of the world, prone to more shocks to already shaky financial systems.

Last week, Standard & Poor’s put 15 eurozone countries on a credit watch for a potential downgrade. The European Union had agreed to set stricter budget rules for the eurozone area and to provide up to €200 billion in bilateral loans to the International Monetary Fund in response to the crisis. But many still believe it is too little too late.

Just after 9:30 a.m., the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 70 points, the Standard and Poor’s 500 Index dropped 8 points and the NASDAQ was off 31 points. Financials, oils and commodity related equities all tumbled.

Commodities also fell hard. Oil was down $1.43 to $97.95 a barrel, and gold was down $42. 80 in heavy selling to $1,674 a troy ounce.

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New York, NY, United States (AHN) – U.S. stocks slid on the open Wednesday as worries over Europe’s debt crisis persisted.

Just after 9:30 a.m., the Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 120 points, the Standard and Poor’s 500 Index lost 11 points and the NASDAQ fell 18.

Also dragging stocks lower was a report that showed the Consumer Price Index edged down 0.1 percent in October. Analysts had expected the level to remain constant after increasing 0.3 percent in September.

While the index shows little signs of inflation, giving the Federal Reserve more leeway to further stimulate the economy if needed, the data did little to sway confidence in the market. The focus remains on Europe.

Italy’s Prime Minister-designate, Mario Monte, said he will meet with President Giorgio Napolitano Wednesday to present his cabinet. Investors view the meeting as bringing Italy a step closer toward welcoming a new government. However, Italy needs to show much more political willpower than a shift in leadership to avoid a potential default.

U.S. markets have whipsawed on fears that the eurozone sovereign debt crisis will result in defaults by Greece and Italy, and the worldwide ripple effect that would follow. Recent economic news and earnings here in the States have had little impact. Stocks are now reacting to uncertainties, not fundamentals.

Gold for December delivery was down $11 to trade at $1,762 a troy once, and oil was up $1.67 to break the $100 mark, last trading at $101.16 a barrel.

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New York, NY, United States (AHN) – U.S. stocks rallied Friday morning on the heels of strong gains in Europe. Investors were buoyant and hopeful this weekend’s European Summit would lead to some sort of resolve to stem the region’s threatening sovereign debt crisis.

By 11 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up about 200 points, the Standard and Poor’s 500 Index rose almost 20 points, and the recently battered NASDAQ climbed 40 points.

Overseas, Europe was widely higher overall as the Stoxx Europe 600 jumped 1.9 percent. Even though an agreement to expand the euro zone’s bailout fund will not be reached by Sunday as was previously believed, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy issued a joint statement promising to produce a comprehensive plan by Wednesday.

Both U.S. markets and those abroad have been hinging on any news regarding the euro zone bailout, and with no economic news releases set for Friday, stocks reacted strongly to the hope of some sort of resolution overseas.

Gold futures glittered, climbing over $30 an ounce and oil advanced by $2.40 to $88.47 a barrel.

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New York, NY, United States (AHN) – European stocks rose Tuesday from a two-year low while U.S. stocks showed little change in morning trades as investors look for any signs of progress in dealing with the euro-debt crisis.

Stocks were rattled worldwide Monday on reports that the chance of a Greek default has risen to 98 percent. In addition, most market watchers anticipate a European rescission in the next year, according to Bank of America’s survey of institutional investors in the region. Debt woes continues to push the euro lower.

Stocks in the U.S. were modestly higher before noon on Tuesday. Eyes are still focused on development overseas. Shares of Best Buy fell almost 7 percent on a steeper than expected 30 percent slide in fiscal second quarter sales.

Bank and tech shares gained in early trading and consumer staples slipped. Oil rose for the second day and gold was up about $2.

Uncertainty here and abroad has many investors sitting on the sidelines in a wait and see mode.

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LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) — Japanese stocks traded sharply lower late Friday, as major banks saw their shares hit by possible haircuts on loans to troubled utility Tokyo Electric Power Co. . Less then half an hour from the close of trade, the Nikkei Stock Average was down 1.2% at 9,602.54, while the Topix fell 1.6% to 835.95. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Tepco’s creditors should make efforts to ease the debt burden on the operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant before the government offers its financial assistance, according to Kyodo News. Shares of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. fell 3.1%, while Mizuho Financial Group Inc. lost 3.7%, and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. dropped 4.2%. Shares of Tepco tumbled 5.6%. Meanwhile, a weakening of crude-oil prices sent Inpex Corp. down 4.4%, and Japan Petroleum Exploration Co. lower by 3.9%.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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