Dow at 18-month high

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks gained Monday, with health care shares leading the way as Congressional approval of a sweeping reform bill removed the uncertainty that has surrounded its passage for months.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) rose 44 points, or 0.4%, ending at a fresh 18-month high. The S&P 500 index (SPX) gained 6 points, or 0.5%, and closed just shy of the 18-month high hit last week. The Nasdaq composite (COMP) gained 21 points, or 0.9%, closing at a more than 18-month high.

Stocks fell in the first minutes of the session on renewed questions about Greece's ability to repay its debt. But the market soon erased losses and turned higher as investors began snapping up biotech, health care provider and hospital sector stocks in the wake of the House of Representatives' approval of the health care bill.

Many of those stocks have been stuck in narrow trading ranges over the last year amid questions about the breadth of any bill and whether or not Congress would approve it. But the removal of that uncertainty seemed to help lift the stocks beyond those ranges.

"The bill is being received well so far, but we have to see what comes out of it down the road," said Stephen Carl, head equity trader at Williams Capital Group.

He said it is too soon to determine exactly how it might impact different sectors and groups.

Some concerns about Greece lingered after reports showed that influential member nation Germany might not go along with European Union efforts to help the country cut down its debt. But those concerns were overshadowed by the focus on health care.

Stocks slipped Friday at the end of another up week for stocks. The Dow, Nasdaq and S&P 500 have all advanced in four of the last five weeks. All three major indexes ended at roughly 18-month highs in Thursday's session.

"We're seeing a little euphoria now, but it could level off to the downside in the short term," said Carl. He said that markets will have a better sense of direction after the release of the economic news due later this week, including the existing home sales index on Tuesday and the durable goods orders report on Wednesday.

After the close, the Senate Banking Committee approved a regulatory reform bill put forth by Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., passing it on to the full Senate for the vote.

Health care: After months of contentious debate, the House passed a health care overhaul Sunday night that President Obama is expected to sign into law Tuesday. The Senate already passed the measure late last year.

The broad-based bill will extend coverage to 32 million more people, require all Americans to have coverage, and will prevent companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions. Medicare prescription drug coverage will be expanded and people will be given subsidies to help pay for insurance.

The bill is expected to cost $940 billion over 10 years. (For highlights of the plan, click here.)

Health care stock movers: Hospital operators advanced, as they are seen benefiting from the increased number of customers. Tenet Healthcare (THC, Fortune 500) gained 9% and Community Health Systems (CYH, Fortune 500) rallied 6%

Programs that focus on Medicaid gained as well, with Amerigroup (AGP) gaining 1% and Molina Healthcare (MOH) rising 3.6%.

Among other movers in the sector, insurers Cigna (CI, Fortune 500) and Aetna (AET, Fortune 500) were a bit higher and UnitedHealth (UNH, Fortune 500), WellPoint (WLP, Fortune 500) and Humana (HUM, Fortune 500) were lower.

Dow pharmaceutical stocks Merck (MRK, Fortune 500) and Pfizer (PFE, Fortune 500) both gained. Other Dow gainers included American Express (AXP, Fortune 500), Boeing (BA, Fortune 500), Caterpillar (CAT, Fortune 500), DuPont (DD, Fortune 500), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ, Fortune 500) and McDonald's (MCD, Fortune 500).

Google: The company said Monday that it is redirecting users of its China search engine to its Hong Kong search engine as a means of providing uncensored content.

However, Google said it was going to continue its research and development work in China and maintain its lucrative ad sales business.

The U.S. company said in January that it was no longer willing to censor its Chinese engine and that it would pull out of the country unless a solution could be reached. The announcement followed a cyberattack on e-mail accounts that targeted human rights activists.

Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) shares inched lower Tuesday.

The dollar and commodities: The dollar fell versus the euro and the yen.

U.S. light crude oil for April delivery rose 57 cents to settle at $81.25 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

COMEX gold for April delivery fell $8.10 to settle at $1,099.50 per ounce.

Bonds: Treasury prices rose, lowering the yield on the 10-year note to 3.66% from 3.69% late Friday. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.

World markets: In overseas trading, European markets ended little changed. The London FTSE lost a few points, the French CAC 40 added a few points and the German DAX added a few points. In Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 2%; Tokyo was closed for a holiday.

Stocks set to retreat at open

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- U.S. stocks were poised to open significantly lower Monday following the House vote to approve health care reform.

Dow Jones industrial average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures were down ahead of the opening bell.

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

Late Sunday, the House approved a $940 billion health care reform package that will, among other things, require all Americans to have insurance and prevent insurers from denying coverage based on gender or pre-existing conditions. President Obama will sign the measure, which was passed in December by the Senate, into law.

But other factors could weigh on stocks besides health care, including the ongoing concern about Greek debt, following reports that Germany may not support European Union efforts to help resolve the crisis.

Stocks snapped an eight-session winning streak Friday as a strong dollar dragged on commodity prices, giving investors a reason to step back from the recent run up. The Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite had soared to 18-month highs in the previous session.

Economy: In the late afternoon, the Senate Banking Committee will hold a hearing on a financial reform bill proposed by Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn.

World markets: Asian stocks ended mostly lower. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong dropped more than 2%. Japanese markets were closed.

In Europe, Britain's FTSE 100, France's CAC 40 and Germany's DAX were lower in early trading.

The dollar and commodities: The dollar gained against the euro and pound, and was unchanged versus the yen.

Crude oil for April delivery dropped 93 cents to $79.75 a barrel, and the price of gold for April delivery fell $4.30 an ounce to $1,103.30.

Treasurys: The price of the benchmark 10-year note rose, lowering the yield to 3.68%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions. 

STI lower at midday

Stocks rise after Fed holds rates

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks closed higher Tuesday after the Federal Reserve voted to keep interest rates at historic lows and Standard & Poor's did not downgrade Greece's credit rating.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) rose 44 points, or 0.4%. The S&P 500 index (SPX) added 9 points, or 0.8%, to close at a fresh 18-month high. The Nasdaq composite (COMP) gained 16 points, or 0.7%.

Stocks have been grinding higher in recent weeks as traders remain bullish about the economic recovery. But the number of shares trading hands has been relatively low, suggesting that many investors are on the sidelines awaiting more concrete evidence of improvement.

"The market has been in an optimistic mania," said Bruce McCain, chief investment strategist at Key Private Bank. "For whatever reason, investors have cast aside worries and money is flowing into both stocks and bonds."

However, it remains to be seen if the optimism can be sustained.

"We think this is a transition phase for the economy," McCain said. "There are plenty of opportunities for investors to become discouraged."

Looking ahead, investors will take in a report on inflation at the wholesale level Wednesday. Reports on consumer prices and weekly jobless claims will be in focus later this week.

On Monday, stocks closed mixed after Moody's issued a warning about the United States' AAA rating and lawmakers put forward a bank regulation bill.

Fed holds rates: In a widely expected move, the Federal Reserve announced plans to hold its benchmark interest rate at historic lows near zero percent, the level at which the rate has been since December 2008. Echoing past statements, the Fed added that rates will remain "exceptionally low" for an "extended period" of time.

The Fed said economic conditions continue to improve and that the job market is stabilizing. While the Fed expects economic growth to be "moderate" in the short run, the bankers said activity could pick up in the future as inflation remains tame.

As previously announced, the Fed said its plan to buy $1.25 trillion in mortgage-backed securities will end later this month.

"Not a big surprise," Key Private Bank's McCain said of the Fed's announcement. "They have gone out of their way to indicate improvement, while continuing the fight to establish economic growth."

Thomas Hoenig, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, was the one dissenting vote. Hoenig, who was also the sole dissenter at the Fed meeting in January, is concerned that keeping rates low indefinitely could be creating new bubbles in financial markets.

"Even the description of Hoenig's position seems to be a bit more strident," McCain said.

Greece gets a reprieve: Stocks were also supported by news that ratings agency Standard & Poor's did not cut Greece's credit rating after warning last month that a downgrade was possible.

"That's allaying some fears about the potential for the sovereign debt crisis to spread," said Abigail Doolittle, a portfolio manager at Johnson Illington Advisors. However, she added that many large European nations and U.S. states are still facing dire fiscal scenarios.

S&P said its decision was based on deficit reduction measures Greek policy makers introduced in March, which aim to reduce the nation's budget deficit to 8.7% of gross domestic product this year.

"We view the government's fiscal consolidation program as supportive of the ratings at their current level," said Standard & Poor's credit analyst Marko Mrsnik.

Still, the agency said the outlook for the debt-stricken nation remains negative.

Economy: New home construction fell 5.9% to an annual rate of 575,000 in February, according to a government report, from an upwardly revised 622,000 during the previous month.

Economists surveyed by Briefing.com expected housing starts to have fallen to an annual rate of 570,000 during the month.

The report said building permits slipped 1.6% to an annual rate of 612,000 in February. They were expected to have fallen to an annual rate of 601,000 during the month.

A separate reading showed import prices slipped 0.3% in February, posting the first decline since July 2009. Excluding fuel, import prices gained 0.2%. Import prices in January were revised to a 1.3% increase.

Export prices slipped 0.5% last month, following a revised 0.7% rise in January.

Companies: Intel (INTC, Fortune 500) jumped 4% after the chip maker unveiled new processors it says can deliver up to 60% greater performance than the previous generation processor.

Shares of General Electric (GE, Fortune 500) rose 4.5% after the conglomerate said during a conference with analysts that it expects higher profits and dividend payments in 2011.

Boston Scientific (BSX, Fortune 500) recovered from a drubbing in the previous session to trade 4.3% higher. Shares of the medical device maker fell 16% Monday after the company halted delivery on some implantable defibrillators because it neglected to notify federal regulators of a manufacturing change.

Sony (SNE) and the estate of Michael Jackson have signed a landmark music deal for 10 albums over seven years. The deal is said to be worth as much as $250 million.

Lehman Brothers Holdings submitted a proposal to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York to resolve the biggest Chapter 11 filing in Wall Street history.

The defunct brokerage, which collapsed in September 2008, would form a subsidiary called LAMCO to oversee its remaining assets, which include commercial real estate, residential mortgages and derivatives.

The dollar and commodities: The dollar slipped versus the euro, the pound, and the yen.

U.S. light crude for April delivery rose $1.90 to settle at $81.70 a barrel.

The price of gold rose $17.10 per ounce to settle at $1122.50.

Bonds: The price of the 10-year note fell, boosting the yield to 3.65%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.

World markets: European markets rose. The CAC 40 in France and Germany's DAX both gained about 1.4%, while Britain's FTSE 100 advanced 0.6%.

European finance ministers said late Monday that euro area countries have developed a mechanism to help Greece if it determines that the debt-stricken country needs to be rescued.

In Asia, the Hang Seng in Hong Kong and Japan's benchmark Nikkei index both lost about 0.3%. 

Mixed finish for stocks

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks ended mixed Monday, fighting back from big losses, as investors weighed Moody's warning about the United States' AAA rating and a proposed bank regulation bill ahead of Tuesday's Federal Reserve meeting.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) added 17 points, or 0.1%. The S&P 500 index (SPX) ended just above unchanged, eking out a fresh 18-month high. The Nasdaq composite (COMP) slid 5 points, or 0.2% after ending Friday's session at an 18-month high.

Stocks had tumbled through the early afternoon, but managed to trim losses by the close.

Comments by Moody's that the United States and Britain are more likely to see a downgrade than rivals Germany and France initially soured investor sentiment.

However, the ratings agency was quick to note that there is no imminent rating pressure for the United States or the other countries, even amid extensive spending in the aftermath of the global recession.

Moody's raising the warning on U.S. debt was unsurprising and not a cause for alarm, said Matt King, chief investment officer at Bell Investment Advisors.

"The risk of the U.S. defaulting on its debt is nil and there's no cause for immediate concern," he said. "Longer term, it means that we'll see rising rates."

He said that stocks are in a quiet period right now in terms of news flow, making continued market choppiness likely, until the next unemployment report is released and the first-quarter reporting period gets underway.

Stocks may see volatility this week in the aftermath of an advance that propelled the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq higher in four of the last five weeks. The rally left the Nasdaq and S&P 500 at the highest point since September 2008 and the Dow just below those levels.

Since bottoming at a 12-year low on March 9 of last year, the Dow has gained 62% and the S&P 500 has gained 70% as of Monday's close. Since bottoming at a 6-year low on the same day, the Nasdaq has gained 87%.

Company news: Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) is reportedly close to shutting down its Chinese search engine, amid strict government monitoring and a recent targeted cyber attack. Shares fell 4% and the weakness dragged on other tech stocks.

Philips-Van Heusen (PFH), the owner of Calvin Klein, will buy fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger from Apax Partners in a cash-and-stock deal worth $3 billion. Shares of Philips-Van Heusen rose 9.8% in Monday trading.

Chordiant Software (CHRD) shares rallied 30% in unusually active trading after the maker of customer service management software agreed to be bought by Pegasystems (PEGA) for $161.5 million in cash. Chordiant shares rallied 31%. Pegasystems shares gained 6.7%.

Boston Scientific (BSX, Fortune 500) said it is halting sales of its heart-shocking defibrillator implants after it neglected to tell regulators about two production changes in the manufacturing of the product. Shares fell 13% in active New York Stock Exchange trading.

Wal-Mart Stores (WMT, Fortune 500) rose 2.8% after Citigroup upgraded it to "buy" from "hold" and raised its price target to $65 from $54, saying the company is getting more competitive in the "modern day price war in food retail in 2010."

AIG: Troubled financial firm AIG (AIG, Fortune 500) said it will withhold $21 million in bonuses that are due to former and current staff of its Financial Products unit, the unit most directly responsible for its almost-collapse 18 months ago. AIG will pay out $46 million to other employees of that unit.

Financial reform: Roughly 18 months after the collapse of Lehman Brothers, Senate Banking chief Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., released a draft bill of broad regulatory changes aimed at preventing another financial crisis.

The bill calls for a new consumer protection bureau within the Federal Reserve that would regulate all lending transactions. It would also set up a new process to put struggling firms under government control and break up large companies if they pose a major threat to the stability of the system.

The bill does not go as far as what President Obama has proposed, nor does it go as far as similar legislation already passed in the House. Still, getting it passed will be an uphill battle in the Senate.

Economy: Industrial production and capacity utilization, which measure factory output, both rose more than expected last month, according to a Federal Reserve report released Monday.

Industrial production rose 0.1% in February, after rising 0.9% in January. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com thought industrial production would be unchanged, according to a consensus of economists surveyed by Briefing.com.

Capacity utilization rose to 72.7% from 72.5% in January, versus forecasts for an unchanged reading.

The Empire manufacturing survey, a regional reading on manufacturing, fell to 22.86 in March from 24.91 in February, a little stronger than the 22 level expected by economists.

Fed meeting looms: On Tuesday, the focus turns to the Federal Reserve, meeting to discuss interest rates. The central bank is widely expected to hold the fed funds rate, a key overnight banking rate, steady at historic lows near zero. However, what the bankers say in the statement about the economic outlook and the future of Fed policy will be critical.

The dollar and commodities: The dollar gained versus the euro and fell versus the yen.

U.S. light crude oil for April delivery fell $1.44 to settle at $79.80 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

COMEX gold for April delivery rose $3.70 to settle at $1,1105.40 per ounce.

Bonds: Treasury prices rose, lowering the yield on the 10-year note to 3.7% from 3.71% late Friday. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.

World markets: In overseas trading, European markets fell. The London FTSE lost 0.6%, the French CAC 40 fell 0.9% and the German DAX lost 0.7%. Asian markets were mixed, with Japan's Nikkei little changed and the Hong Kong Hang Seng lower.

Market breadth was negative. On the New York Stock Exchange, losers beat winners four to three on volume of 930 million shares. On the Nasdaq, decliners beat advancers by five to four on volume of 1.91 billion shares. 

Stocks post modest gains

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks rose Wednesday, with the Nasdaq ending at its highest level in more than 18 months, on strength in the financial services sector and an upbeat report on wholesale inventories.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) rose 3 points, or less than 0.1%, at 10,567, according to early tallies. The S&P 500 index (SPX) added 5 points, or 0.5%, to 1,145.

The Nasdaq composite (COMP) rose 18 points, or 0.8%, to 2,358. The tech-heavy index closed at its highest level since August 2008. Wednesday marked the 10th anniversary of the Nasdaq's all-time closing high of 5,048.62 at the peak of the dot-com bubble.

Bank stocks advanced on upbeat analyst comments and bullish statements from some executives. Citibank (C, Fortune 500) rose 3.6% after the company priced a $2 billion offering of trust-preferred securities. Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500) gained nearly 2%.

American International Group (AIG, Fortune 500) soared over 10% as investors cheered the insurance giant's recent asset sales. Fannie Mae (FNM, Fortune 500) and Freddie Mac (FRE, Fortune 500) also gained significant ground.

Technology stocks also posted strong gains. The Sox (SOX), an index of semiconductor shares, gained about 2%.

However, traders said volumes have been declining this week as many market participants move to the sidelines amid a lack of market-moving economic reports.

"There are no buyers to get us over the next hump," said Dave Rovelli, managing director of U.S. equity trading at Canaccord Adams. He said the market has stalled, with the S&P 500 struggling to push past its Jan. 19 high of 1,150. "Until that happens, the market is just going to drift."

Shares of energy producers weakened as oil prices pared earlier gains. Oil briefly traded above $83 a barrel after the government reported a smaller-than-expected increase in oil supplies and a dip in gasoline inventory but ended 60 cents higher to settle at $82.09 a barrel. Gold prices fell.

Stocks managed slight gains Tuesday, which was the one-year anniversary of what many consider to be the bottom of the bear market.

Looking ahead, investors will turn Thursday to the government's weekly report on initial claims for unemployment benefits. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com expect claims to have risen last week by 9,000 to 460,000.

The Census Bureau's report on the January trade gap is also due out Thursday.

Economy: The U.S. Commerce Department said wholesale inventories fell 0.2% in January, after a 1% drop the month before, raising expectations that consumer demand is strengthening.

"It's not that inventories are rebuilding, but the declines are waning," said Bruce McCain, chief investment strategist at Key Private Bank. "Sooner or later, businesses will have to begin producing more."

Separately, the Labor Department said fewer states reported increases in unemployment in January.

The Treasury Department said the government suffered a record $220.9 billion budget deficit in February, after a shortfall of $42.6 billion in January. It was the 17th consecutive monthly deficit and was slightly smaller than the $221 billion shortfall economists had forecast.

Company news: Shares of Facet Biotech (FACT) surged 66% after Abbott Labs (ABT, Fortune 500) announced plans to acquire the company for $27 a share. Abbott gained about 0.7%.

Airline stocks rallied on growing expectations that 2010 is shaping into a profitable year for the industry. Shares of UAL (UAUA, Fortune 500), holding company for United Airlines, and Continental Airlines (CAL, Fortune 500) surged about 5%.

World markets: European markets posted solid gains, while Asian shares ended the session flat.

China reported a 46% increase in exports during February. The rise was due in part to stronger demand from consumers in the United States and Europe, analysts said.

The dollar and commodities: The dollar slipped versus the euro but rose against the yen and the pound.

The price of oil rose 60 cents to settle at $82.09 after hitting a high of $83.03 earlier in the session.

Meanwhile, the price of gold fell $14.20 to close at $1,108.10 an ounce.

Bonds: The price of the 10-year note fell, pushing up the yield to 3.71%. The government sold $21 billion worth of reopened 10-year notes Wednesday as part of a $74 billion offering of U.S. debt this week.

Market breadth was positive. On the New York Stock Exchange, winners beat losers by two to one on volume of 961 million shares. On the Nasdaq, advancers topped decliners by just under two to one on volume of 2.2 billion shares. 

Stocks muster gains; Nasdaq at 18-month high

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks managed gains Tuesday at the end of a choppy session as investors mulled the latest corporate deal and profit news on the anniversary of the bear-market bottom.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) added nearly 12 points, or 0.1%. The S&P 500 index (SPX) added less than two points. Both closed at 6-week highs.

The Nasdaq composite (COMP) gained 8 points, or 0.4%, ending at a fresh 18-month high.

A stock advance fizzled out Tuesday, one year after what many consider to be the bottom of the bear market.

On March 9, 2009, the Dow ended at a 12-year low of 6,547.05, as months of stock weakness in response to the financial market crisis pushed the blue-chip average to its nadir. Since then, the Dow has gained 61.2% through Monday's close, ending at 10,552.52.

In the same time period, the S&P 500 gained 68%, bouncing off of 12-1/2 year lows. The Nasdaq's gain of 84% was off of six-year lows. The gains were fueled by bets on an economic recovery and the impact of trillions of dollars of government stimulus injected into the system.

But the pace of the advance has slowed this year, as investors have gone from pricing in an economic recovery to waiting for evidence that the recovery has legs. A still-abysmal job market and ongoing weakness in housing and consumer spending have dragged on sentiment.

Worries about a European debt crisis and the impact of China slowing its growth have also been in play.

But the ongoing skepticism of the so-called average investor, or retail investor, continues to give the market some support.

"You've seen this massive rally over the last year, but it hasn't coincided with the retail investor really participating," said Larry Glazer, managing director at Mayflower Advisors.

He pointed to mutual fund flow information that shows investors are still pouring substantially more money into lower-yielding bond funds than stock funds, a trend that was evident throughout the rally last year. Also, nervous investors who dump stocks for cash or cash equivalents are getting minimal or non-existent returns, he said.

"The retail investor skepticism could prolong the market advance because there is so much potential that they haven't tapped into yet," he said.

Stocks ended little changed Monday after AIG (AIG, Fortune 500) sold its American Life Insurance unit to MetLife (MET, Fortune 500) in a $15.5 billion cash-and-stock deal. Typically, such deals would spark a bigger stock market advance, but investors were wary after pushing stocks higher for three of the last four weeks.

Corporate news: AIG (AIG, Fortune 500) shares rallied for a second day in a row. Other financial gainers included Citigroup (C, Fortune 500), Fannie Mae (FNM, Fortune 500) and Freddie Mac (FNM, Fortune 500).

Cisco Systems (CSCO, Fortune 500) said it is introducing a new Internet router that will power the most heavily-trafficked parts of the web at twelve times the speed of its competitors. Cisco shares were little changed on the news, but the stock was heavily traded, with over $150 million shares changing hands.

Texas Instruments (TXN, Fortune 500) updated its first-quarter profit estimates late Monday, saying it expects to earn between 48 cents and 52 cents per share on revenue of $3.07 billion to $3.19 billion.

The new forecast was an improvement over the chipmaker's earlier forecast, but investors took a "sell the news" approach, sending shares 2% lower.

Northrop Grumman (NOC, Fortune 500) dropped out of the competition late Monday to build tanker planes for the U.S. Air Force, leaving Boeing (BA, Fortune 500) the only bidder in a contract that could be worth as much as $50 billion.

Merck (MRK, Fortune 500) and Sanofi-Aventis (SNY) said they are combining their animal health care businesses to create one of the biggest in the world. The combined business will have about a 29% market share in a global market worth around $19 billion. Merck shares fell and Sanofi-Aventis shares were little changed.

World Markets: In overseas trading, European markets ended mixed, with London's FTSE 100 down 0.1%, Germany's DAX up 0.2% and France's CAC 40 up 0.2%. Most Asian markets ended higher, with the exception of Japan's Nikkei, which finished lower.

The dollar and commodities: The dollar gained versus the euro and fell versus the yen.

U.S. light crude oil for April delivery dipped 38 cents to settle at $81.49 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

COMEX gold for May delivery fell $1.70 to settle at $1,122.90 per ounce.

Bonds: Treasury prices rose, lowering the yield on the 10-year note to 3.69% from 3.71% late Monday. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.

Market breadth was positive. On the New York Stock Exchange, winners beat losers by nine to seven on volume of 1.12 billion shares. On the Nasdaq, advancers topped decliners by seven to six on volume of 2.57 billion shares. 

I find their weekly reporting is damn meaningless and waste of time.(well, i can choose not to read).  I think true/professional traders dont even bother to read anything.........hahaha!    They are like reporting 'true story of real fake'...