Stocks End a Touch Higher

Updated from 4:16 p.m. EST

Stocks in the U.S. seesawed for most of Thursday's session and closed just slightly to the upside as weakness in retailers and financials canceled out strength in the energy sector.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average tacked on 22.28 points, or 0.17%, to 13,311.73. The S&P 500 was up 0.70 point, or 0.05%, to 1469.72. The Nasdaq Composite finished ahead by 5.22 points, or 0.2%, to 2668.13.

Despite the fact that the market strung together its first three-day winning streak since September, breadth was weak. On the New York Stock Exchange 3.48 billion shares changed hands, as decliners topping advancers by nearly a 6-to-5 margin. Volume on the Nasdaq reached 2.11 billion shares, with losers beating winners 8 to 7.

On the corporate front, the news was mixed. Sears Holdings (SHLD Quote - Cramer on SHLD - Stock Picks) was one of the drags after it posted a third-quarter profit that plummeted 99% from a year ago to a penny a share.

Results fell well short of estimates, and shares tumbled 10.5% to close at $104.09. Following Sears' earnings, the S&P Retail Index slumped nearly 1%.

On the plus side, another financial name was getting a helping hand, as word came down that E*Trade (ETFC Quote - Cramer on ETFC - Stock Picks) would get a $2.55 billion investment from Citadel Investment Group and that CEO Mitch Caplan would resign. Shares started in positive territory but ultimately ended down 8.7% to $4.82.

« Previous Page

1 2 3

Next Page »