NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- U.S. stocks were set for a mixed open Wednesday as investors digested results from Intel and awaited a wave of economic readings.

At 7:15 a.m. ET, Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor's 500 futures were higher, while the Nasdaq 100 futures were lower as a result of the Intel report.

Futures measure current index values against perceived future performance and give an indication of how markets may open when trading begins in New York.

"Today, all the major focus will be on the economic data," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist for Avalon Partners.

Intel: The chipmaker posted a 55% drop in quarterly profit after U.S. markets closed Tuesday. The results topped Wall Street's estimates, but shares fell in after-hours trading asr Intel (INTC, Fortune 500) chose to not issue a formal sales guidance. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company blamed the weak personal computer market for the decline, but said it sees a bottoming of PC sales.

Economy: Reports on consumer prices and industrial production were due before the opening bell.

The Consumer Price Index is expected to have risen 0.1% in March, according to a consensus of economist forecasts compiled by Briefing.com. CPI was up 0.4% in February.

The core CPI, excluding volatile food and energy prices, is expected to have risen 0.1% in March, according to the Briefing.com consensus, compared to an increase of 0.2% in the prior month.

Industrial production is expected to have dropped 0.9% in March, according to a consensus of economist opinions compiled by Briefing.com. It was down 1.4% in February.

Later in the day, the Federal Reserve will issue its beige book, a gauge of economic conditions around the nation.

Companies: Other stocks to watch include EBay (EBAY, Fortune 500), which said late Tuesday that it would spin off its Skype unit in an initial public offering.

Swiss bank UBS (UBS) warned of a steep quarterly loss and said it would slash nearly 9,000 more jobs.

Earnings are due from Abbott Labs (ABT, Fortune 500), which is slated to post its financial results before the opening bell.

World markets: Stocks in Asia finished mixed. Japan's Nikkei finished lower while shares in Hong Kong ended in positive territory. European markets were modestly lower in morning trading.

Oil and money: The price of oil rose $1.08 a barrel to $50.49. The dollar rose against the yen, but fell versus the euro and the British pound. 

 

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) lost 137 points, or 1.7%. The S&P 500 (SPX) index lost 17 points, or 2%. The Nasdaq composite (COMP) lost 27 points, or 1.7%.

Stocks have been on the rise for five straight weeks on bets that the worst for the economy and financial sector has already happened. But with consumer spending a big driver of the economy, the weak retail sales report caused fresh concern among investors.

"The retail sales report was a factor, but I also just think the market had to breathe a little bit after the run we've seen," said Ron Kiddoo, chief investment officer at Cozad Asset Management.

Stocks were already vulnerable to a retreat after the recent rally lifted the Dow 22%. It was the blue-chip barometer's best five-week run since May 1933, when it gained 31%.

The advance followed a downturn that left the Dow and S&P 500 at more than 12-year lows, as of March 9.

Kiddoo said that those lows will likely withstand further selloff attempts, but that supposed market bottoms made in the fall proved to be false floors.

"It seems like this time is different because you're seeing a little better attitude now," he said. "Most of the people who were going to bail, have bailed already."

In corporate news, Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500) reported a better-than-expected quarterly earnings report late Monday, making it the second financial firm to surprise to the upside. But investors sent shares lower nonetheless, with the stock having spiked 54% year-to-date prior to the Monday announcement.

Last week, Wells Fargo (WFC, Fortune 500) forecast a nearly $3 billion quarterly profit.

Wednesday preview: After the close, Intel (INTC, Fortune 500) reported weaker quarterly sales and earnings that topped expectations. The company's chief executive also said that he thinks PC sales bottomed in the first quarter and that the industry is returning to "normal seasonal patterns."

Wednesday morning brings government reports on consumer prices, industrial production and capacity utilization and weekly energy supplies. In the afternoon, the Fed releases its "Beige Book" a periodic reading on the economy. Wednesday is also the deadline for income tax returns.

Retail sales: Retail sales fell 1.1% in March after rising a revised 0.3% in February. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com thought sales would rise 0.3%. Sales excluding volatile autos rose 0.9% after jumping a revised 1% in the previous month. Economists thought sales would be unchanged.

The retail sales report underscores the volatility of the data right now, said Joshua Shapiro, chief U.S. economist at Maria Fiorini Ramirez Inc.

"The consumer fell out of bed at the end of last year, we had a bounce in January, February didn't do much and March was bad," he said. "But why expect the consumer to have suddenly recovered when the economy hasn't yet recovered?"

Economy: In addition to retail sales, reports were released on wholesale inventories and business inventories.

The Producer Price index (PPI) fell 1.2% in March after rising 0.1% in the previous month. Economists expected PPI to be unchanged. The so-called "core" PPI, which strips out volatile food and energy prices, was unchanged after rising 0.2% in the previous month. Economists thought it would increase 0.1%.

February business inventories fell 1.3% after falling 1.3% in the previous month. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com thought inventories would fall 1.2%.

In other news, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Tuesday that there are "tentative signs" that the economy's slide is slowing, but that a full recovery won't come until the financial sector stabilizes.

President Obama spoke Tuesday about his administration's efforts to stabilize and recharge the economy. He warned about unpopular choices when it comes to restructuring the auto industry and American International Group (AIG, Fortune 500).

Results: Goldman Sachs released better-than-expected quarterly profits late Monday, earning $3.39 per share on revenue of $9.43 billion. The company also said it plans to raise $5 billion through a stock offering to be used toward paying back its $10 billion government loan. Shares fell 11.6% Tuesday.

Other financial shares slipped too, sending the KBW Bank (BKX) index down 8.1%.

On Tuesday morning, Dow component Johnson & Johnson (JNJ, Fortune 500) reported weaker quarterly earnings that nonetheless topped estimates. Shares were little changed.

Market breadth was negative. On the New York Stock Exchange, losers beat winners by more than seven to three on volume of 1.75 billion shares. On the Nasdaq, decliners topped advancers two to one on volume of 2.29 billion shares.

Bonds: Treasury prices rose, lowering the yield on the benchmark 10-year note to 2.78% from 2.82% Monday. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.

Other markets: In global trading, Asian markets ended higher, with the exception of the Japanese Nikkei and European markets ended higher.

In currency trading, the dollar gained versus the euro and fell against the yen.

U.S. light crude oil for May delivery fell 64 cents to settle at $49.41 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

COMEX gold for June delivery fell $3.80 to settle at $892 an ounce. 

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks slipped Tuesday morning after a surprise drop in March retail sales reignited worries that the economy is not as close to stabilizing as hoped.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) lost 60 points, or 0.7%, almost two hours into the session. The S&P 500 (SPX) index lost 6 points, or 0.7%. The Nasdaq composite (COMP) lost 9 points, or 0.6%.

Stocks have been on the rise for five straight weeks on bets that the worst for the economy and financial sector has already happened. But with consumer spending being such a big driver of the economy, a weak retail sales report caused fresh concern among investors.

Retail sales fell 1.1% in March after rising a revised 0.3% in February. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com thought sales would rise 0.3%. Sales excluding volatile autos rose 0.9% after jumping a revised 1% in the previous month. Economists thought sales would be unchanged.

On the upside, Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500) reported a better-than-expected quarterly earnings report late Monday, making it the second financial firm to surprise to the upside. Last week, Wells Fargo (WFC, Fortune 500) forecast a nearly $3 billion quarterly profit.

Economy: In addition to retail sales, reports were released on wholesale inventories and business inventories.

The Producer Price index (PPI) fell 1.2% in March after rising 0.1% in the previous month. Economists expected PPI to be unchanged. The so-called "core" PPI, which strips out volatile food and energy prices, was unchanged after rising 0.2% in the previous month. Economists thought it would increase 0.1%.

February business inventories fell 1.3% after falling 1.3% in the previous month. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com thought inventories would fall 1.2%.

In other news, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Tuesday that there are "tentative signs" that the economy's slide is slowing, but that a full recovery won't come until the financial sector stabilizes.

Results: Goldman Sachs released better-than-expected quarterly profits late Monday, earning $3.39 per share on revenue of $9.43 billion. The company also said it plans to raise $5 billion through a stock offering to be used toward paying back its $10 billion government loan. Shares fell 4.7% Tuesday.

On Tuesday morning, Dow component Johnson & Johnson (JNJ, Fortune 500) reported weaker quarterly earnings that nonetheless topped estimates, sending shares 2% higher.

Bonds: Treasury prices rose, lowering the yield on the benchmark 10-year note to 2.82% from 2.84% Monday. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.

Other markets: In global trading, Asian markets ended higher, with the exception of the Japanese Nikkei and European markets climbed in afternoon trading.

In currency trading, the dollar gained versus the euro and fell against the yen.

U.S. light crude oil for May delivery fell 25 cents to $49.80 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

COMEX gold for June delivery fell $6.30 to $889.50 an ounce

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) lost 25 points or 0.3%. The S&P 500 (SPX) index added 2 points or 0.2%. The Nasdaq composite (COMP) was little changed.

Wall Street had tumbled through the afternoon, but managed to trim losses by the close.

After the close, Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500) released better-than-expected quarterly results a day ahead of schedule. The bank earned $3.39 per share on revenue of $9.43 billion, topping forecasts.

Goldman said it plans to raise $5 billion through a stock offering, to be used toward paying back its government loan. Shares were little changed in extended-hours trading after rising 4.7% during the session.

Stocks gained last week, rising Thursday after Wells Fargo (WFC, Fortune 500) forecast a nearly $3 billion quarterly profit, raising hopes that the bank sector is stabilizing. Financial markets were closed for Good Friday.

"There's some anxiety about the first-quarter numbers, but if we get some positive surprises, that could help," said Dave Hinnenkamp, CEO at KDV Wealth Management.

This week brings quarterly results from a number of financial companies, including Citigroup (C, Fortune 500) and JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500). Intel (INTC, Fortune 500), Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) and General Electric (GE, Fortune 500) are among the other big names due to release quarterly results.

On Tuesday morning, Dow component Johnson & Johnson (JNJ, Fortune 500) is expected to report. The consumer products company is expected to have earned $1.22 per share versus $1.26 a year ago, according to a consensus of analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters.

Economic reports are due Tuesday morning on wholesale inflation, retail sales and business inventories.

Stocks have been on the rise for five straight weeks on bets that the worst for the economy and financial sector has already happened. The run boosted the Dow 22%, giving it its best five-week run since May 1933, when it rose 31%.

Quarterly results: Profits from S&P 500 companies are expected to have dropped nearly 38% in the first quarter, according to the latest figures from Thomson Reuters. Another quarter of shrinking profits would bring Wall Street's losing streak to seven in a row, the worst run since Thomson started tracking results in 1998.

Wall Streeters are anticipating poor first-quarter results, said Gary Flam, portfolio manager at Bel Air Investment Advisors. But they are also expecting a better outlook, particularly after many companies failed to provide any outlook last quarter.

"The fourth quarter was expected to be poor, but management also said 'we have no visibility, things are too uncertain,'" he said. "This quarter, visibility and stabilization will be the keywords that people listen for on the conference calls."

General Motors: Shares of the automaker plunged 16% on a New York Times report Sunday that said the Obama administration has instructed the company to start preparing for a bankruptcy filing by June 1.

GM (GM, Fortune 500), like Chrysler, has been given billions in loans as the carmaker has struggled to remain solvent in the face of the recession and a slowdown in auto sales. GM has been given until June 1 to gain further concessions from its union and bondholders or face bankruptcy.

On the move: Boeing (BA, Fortune 500) slumped 5% after the company warned late Thursday that first-quarter profit would be hit by weaker-than-expected airplane prices and production cuts on its wide body planes. Markets were closed Friday, making Monday the first day the stock was trading on the news.

In other news, Express Scripts (ESRX, Fortune 500) has agreed to buy WellPoint (WLP, Fortune 500)'s pharmacy benefits management unit in a $4.68 billion deal. Express shares gained 15.5%, while WellPoint shares rose 8%.

Market breadth was mixed. On the New York Stock Exchange, losers topped winners three to two on volume of 1.48 billion shares. On the Nasdaq, decliners and advancers were narrowly mixed on volume of 1.84 billion shares.

Bonds: Treasury prices rose, lowering the yield on the benchmark 10-year note to 2.84% from 2.92% Thursday. Markets were closed for Good Friday. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.

Other markets: In global trading, Asian markets ended mixed and European markets ended higher.

In currency trading, the dollar gained versus the euro and fell against the yen.

U.S. light crude oil for May delivery fell $2.19 to settle at $50.05 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

COMEX gold for June delivery rose $11.40 to settle at $894.70 an ounce. 

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- A rally in financial shares helped stocks cut losses Monday at the end of a choppy session following a five-week advance and ahead of a barrage of quarterly results.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) lost 25 points or 0.3%. The S&P 500 (SPX) index added 2 points or 0.2%. The Nasdaq composite (COMP) was little changed.

Wall Street had tumbled through the afternoon, but managed to trim losses by the close.

After the close, Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500) released better-than-expected quarterly results a day ahead of schedule. The bank earned $3.39 per share on revenue of $9.43 billion, topping forecasts.

Goldman said it plans to raise $5 billion through a stock offering, to be used toward paying back its government loan. Shares were little changed in extended-hours trading after rising 4.7% during the session.

Stocks gained last week, rising Thursday after Wells Fargo (WFC, Fortune 500) forecast a nearly $3 billion quarterly profit, raising hopes that the bank sector is stabilizing. Financial markets were closed for Good Friday.

"There's some anxiety about the first-quarter numbers, but if we get some positive surprises, that could help," said Dave Hinnenkamp, CEO at KDV Wealth Management.

This week brings quarterly results from a number of financial companies, including Citigroup (C, Fortune 500) and JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500). Intel (INTC, Fortune 500), Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) and General Electric (GE, Fortune 500) are among the other big names due to release quarterly results.

On Tuesday morning, Dow component Johnson & Johnson (JNJ, Fortune 500) is expected to report. The consumer products company is expected to have earned $1.22 per share versus $1.26 a year ago, according to a consensus of analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters.

Economic reports are due Tuesday morning on wholesale inflation, retail sales and business inventories.

Stocks have been on the rise for five straight weeks on bets that the worst for the economy and financial sector has already happened. The run boosted the Dow 22%, giving it its best five-week run since May 1933, when it rose 31%.

Quarterly results: Profits from S&P 500 companies are expected to have dropped nearly 38% in the first quarter, according to the latest figures from Thomson Reuters. Another quarter of shrinking profits would bring Wall Street's losing streak to seven in a row, the worst run since Thomson started tracking results in 1998.

Wall Streeters are anticipating poor first-quarter results, said Gary Flam, portfolio manager at Bel Air Investment Advisors. But they are also expecting a better outlook, particularly after many companies failed to provide any outlook last quarter.

"The fourth quarter was expected to be poor, but management also said 'we have no visibility, things are too uncertain,'" he said. "This quarter, visibility and stabilization will be the keywords that people listen for on the conference calls."

General Motors: Shares of the automaker plunged 16% on a New York Times report Sunday that said the Obama administration has instructed the company to start preparing for a bankruptcy filing by June 1.

GM (GM, Fortune 500), like Chrysler, has been given billions in loans as the carmaker has struggled to remain solvent in the face of the recession and a slowdown in auto sales. GM has been given until June 1 to gain further concessions from its union and bondholders or face bankruptcy.

On the move: Boeing (BA, Fortune 500) slumped 5% after the company warned late Thursday that first-quarter profit would be hit by weaker-than-expected airplane prices and production cuts on its wide body planes. Markets were closed Friday, making Monday the first day the stock was trading on the news.

In other news, Express Scripts (ESRX, Fortune 500) has agreed to buy WellPoint (WLP, Fortune 500)'s pharmacy benefits management unit in a $4.68 billion deal. Express shares gained 15.5%, while WellPoint shares rose 8%.

Market breadth was mixed. On the New York Stock Exchange, losers topped winners three to two on volume of 1.48 billion shares. On the Nasdaq, decliners and advancers were narrowly mixed on volume of 1.84 billion shares.

Bonds: Treasury prices rose, lowering the yield on the benchmark 10-year note to 2.84% from 2.92% Thursday. Markets were closed for Good Friday. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.

Other markets: In global trading, Asian markets ended mixed and European markets ended higher.

In currency trading, the dollar gained versus the euro and fell against the yen.

U.S. light crude oil for May delivery fell $2.19 to settle at $50.05 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

COMEX gold for June delivery rose $11.40 to settle at $894.70 an ounce.