Paul Shread

Tech stocks rose on deal speculation Wednesday, but blue chips ended the day modestly lower on the latest trouble in the financial sector. In deal news, Verizon (NYSE: VZ) slipped 1% on reports that it could buy Alltel for about $27 billion. And Yahoo (NASDAQ: YHOO) gained 2.7% after the company said it is still […]

An early rally in tech stocks came undone Tuesday by yet another bout of selling in financial stocks. A rumor that Lehman Brothers (NYSE: LEH) was seeking emergency funding from the Federal Reserve sparked the selling. Stocks recovered somewhat after Lehman denied the rumors, but Lehman still ended the day nearly 10% lower and the […]

The Nasdaq (first chart below) remains the strongest index here, which is good sign for the market in general, but blue chips will have to catch a bid for the current downtrend to end. The Nasdaq is barely hanging onto its uptrend here; that line will be at 2470 and rising tomorrow. If that goes, […]

Another round of downgrades and turmoil in the financial sector sent stocks tumbling on Monday, while Jabil Circuit (NYSE: JBL) was a bright spot in the tech sector. Despite losses of more than 1% in the major averages, Jabil shares rocketed 9% after a Raymond James analyst upgraded the stock to “strong buy” on an […]

Tech stocks rallied Friday on better than expected quarterly results from Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) and Marvell (NASDAQ: MRVL). The Nasdaq ended the week 3.2% higher and the month 4.6% higher, its third straight monthly gain. The Dow and S&P were mixed for the week and month. Dell shares surged 5.7% and was the Nasdaq’s most […]

Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) shares soared 10% in after-hours trading Thursday after the company reversed its recent slide with much better than expected quarterly results. Dell shares had gained 17% this month ahead of the report, and the results showed that investors’ confidence was well placed. After closing the day at $21.81 a share, Dell shares […]

Shares of Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) have gained more than 16% this month, as investors have been betting on a strong quarter for the company, which reports earnings tomorrow night. Now can Dell deliver? Analysts are looking for a 7.1% increase in April quarter sales to $15.66 billion and earnings of 33 cents a share, according […]

The major indexes are struggling to form a bottom here, with the S&P (first chart below) trying to lead the way. 1370-1373 looks like pretty good support on the index, covering both its 50-day average and last August’s low. A good place for the bulls to make a stand — and they have end of […]

Stocks made another attempt to bottom Tuesday from their sharp one-week decline, as falling oil prices and stronger than expected new home sales encouraged buyers. The tech sector led the way higher, with the Nasdaq rising 1.5%. The Dow and S&P were up about 0.6% each. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL), Applied Materials (NASDAQ: […]

After getting a one-day reprieve from rising oil prices, stocks were back on the defensive again on Friday. In midday trade, the Dow, S&P and Nasdaq were all down around 1% on light pre-holiday trading volume, and breadth and volume were decidedly to the downside. Rising oil prices, another drop in the dollar and rising […]

Stocks rebounded from a two-day drubbing Thursday on strong earnings reports from the tech sector. Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM), Computer Sciences Corp. (NYSE: CSC) and Synopsis (NASDAQ: SNPS) were among the stocks propelling the Nasdaq to a 0.67% gain, more than twice the advance recorded by the Dow and S&P. Salesforce shares rose 5.8% after the […]

Stocks tumbled for a second day Wednesday after another record high in oil prices and Federal Reserve meeting minutes raised the specter of stagflation: a stagnant economy and rising inflation. Crude prices spiked more than $5 to $134 a barrel, and the Fed said it is done cutting interest rates unless the economy slows considerably […]