Investors had a funny way of commemorating the first anniversary of the market's bottom on Tuesday. They rewarded some of the stocks responsible for most of the problems in the first place.

Stocks posted modest gains Wednesday, with the Nasdaq ending at its highest level in more than 18 months, as investors weighed falling oil prices against strength in the financial services sector and an upbeat report on wholesale inventories.

Airline stocks rallied Wednesday, riding a wave of investor sentiment that 2010 is shaping into a profitable year for the industry, experts say.

Treasurys traded lower Wednesday as stocks advanced slightly and a government auction of $21 billion in 10-year notes generated strong demand.

The dollar was mixed against major currencies Wednesday, rising against the yen and pound but giving up gains versus the euro.

The yen rises against the dollar and euro, bouncing back from Thursday?s disappointing Japanese economic-growth revision, after Chinese economic data raised investors? concerns that interest rates would rise.

While financial-services workers in the West are still reeling from the aftermath of the global economic crisis, Hong Kong's finance sector is desperately looking for personnel at all levels.

A top-performing letter refuses to big-think about the stock market. But, hey, it?s sounding optimistic, anyway, writes Peter Brimelow.

A swift, painful correction in Indian sugar stocks over the last few weeks may still have some way to go, as the freefall in sugar prices continues amid an increase in global production.

The Treasury Department missed valuable opportunities to protect taxpayers as part of its $17.2 billion bailout of auto-lending company GMAC, a congressional watchdog group says in its latest report.

Aim for slow and steady gains in year two of this bull market.

Shares of psychiatric health care provider soar on a rumored offer from Bain Capital.

Shares of the racetrack operator slide lower on disappointing earnings and a glum forecast.

Company says it will shell out $450 million in cash for maker of cancer therapies.

Rounding up more than $50 billion in asset sales set off a chain reaction in the insurer's shares.

Three money managers who called the turn in March 2009 see big gains ahead; a fourth dissents

Individual investors have largely stayed on the sidelines of the current rally. What will lure them back?

Investors in search of better returns poured $7.8 billion into high-yield municipal bond funds last year. They may start experiencing losses as early as this year as default risks grow

Buy me while you still can.

Funds sitting on half a trillion dollars committed by investors may need more than a decade to put the money to work if deals continue at the current pace

Stocks are continuing their slow trek higher after the government's report of a drop in companies' inventories during January.


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The number of banks with risky levels of bad loans rose slightly in the latest quarter. Check yours in the BankTracker from msnbc.com and the Investigative Reporting Workshop.

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Unemployment rose in 30 states in January, the Labor Department said Wednesday, evidence that jobs remain scarce in most regions of the country.

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Businesses trimmed inventories at the wholesale level again in January even though sales rose for a 10th consecutive month.



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For ETF traders looking for opportunities to trade in a market that is running away to the upside, these three leveraged exchange-traded funds - all of which have earned high Leveraged ETF PowerRatings - may be just what you are looking for.

From the Larry Connors' Daily Battle Plan, here's a look back at why exiting ETF trades on strength - "selling the buying" - is a smart trading strategy for high probability ETF traders.

This week's most overbought and oversold ETFs for Thursday's trading fall on the heels of another day of gains in U.S. markets. Featured as this issue's most overbought ETF is the PowerShares Wilderhill Clean Energy Portfolio ETF, PBW.

Wednesday was another good day for U.S. markets as they continued their upward price action, leaving the SPDR S&P 500 Trust ETF, SPY and PowerShares QQQ Trust ETF, QQQQ in radically overbought territory.

Want to get a feel of how to trade volatility? Larry Connors shares with you new research to trade the VIX tracking ETN, the VXX.