Stocks are lower as the dollar rises and Wall Street digests a week of mixed economic reports

Overseas markets declined. European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet said the ECB plans to start pulling back some of its stimulus programs as the economy begins to recover.

With little U.S. economic news to help sway the market Friday, the dollar is again pressuring stocks. A strengthening dollar drives down foreign demand for commodities, which are often traded in dollars. It also can depress U.S. exports which become more expensive as the dollar rises.

That can hurt the price of energy and materials stocks that are closely tied to commodities and companies with large operations overseas.

A disappointing earnings report from computer maker Dell Inc. is also weighing on the market. Dell said after the market closed Thursday that sales of its computers to big businesses remain sluggish. Its quarterly revenue and profit missed analysts’ expectations.

As

...

Stocks are lower as an unexpected drop in home construction raised concerns about the pace of the economy’s recovery

The Commerce Department said construction of homes and apartments fell 10.6 percent in October to an annual rate of 529,000, well below the pace of 600,000 that economists polled by Thomson Reuters had predicted.

Building permits, a key indication for future activity, slid 4 percent to an annual rate of 552,000, also below the rate of 580,000 that analysts had forecast.

There was little reaction to a report that found inflation at the retail level remained tame as rising unemployment, nervous consumers and tight credit keep prices stable.

The Labor Department said consumer prices rose 0.3 percent in October, slightly above the 0.2 percent economists expected. Core inflation, which excludes volatile energy and food prices, rose 0.2 percent, compared to expectations of a 0.1 percent rise.

A report released Tuesday on prices at the wholesale

...

Stocks rise on GE upgrade despite weak employment data

U.S. stocks rose on Friday as investors took heart after the government said monthly payroll losses slowed, even as unemployment rose above 10 percent.

General Electric Co shares jumped more than 5 percent after a brokerage upgrade, and helped lead the industrial sector higher.

The market had opened lower after data showed the unemployment rate topped the psychologically key 10 percent level and reached the highest point since April 1983.

U.S. employers cut 190,000 jobs in October and unemployment hit its highest level since 1983. Despite the disturbing headline unemployment number, payroll losses continued to decline, which some investors saw as a mild positive as the hourly work week remained static.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 17.84 points, or 0.18 percent, at 10,023.80. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rose 2.30 points, or 0.22 percent, at 1,068.93. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 7.87

...

Stocks are higher on positive employment data

Encouraging news on the labor market buoyed stocks in early trading Wednesday as investors waited for the Federal Reserve to weigh in on the economy.

The ADP National Employment Report said 203,000 private sector jobs were lost in October, down from the 227,000 jobs lost in September. It was the seventh straight month of declining job losses.

That stirred hopes for a better-than-expected employment report from the Labor Department on Friday — the month’s most important piece of economic data.

Later Wednesday morning, the Institute for Supply Management will give an update on activity in the service sector. Growth in the service industry would add significant jobs to the economy.

The market’s main focus though is the Federal Reserve and what it has to say about the economy when it wraps up a two-day meeting on interest rates Wednesday afternoon.

Policy makers aren’t expected to raise the Fed’s

...

Stocks are lower as a weaker U.S. dollar help lift commodity prices and Johnson & Johnson’s third-quarter sales figures disappointed investors

Stocks fell on Tuesday after disappointing quarterly sales figures from economic bellwether Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) sparked worries about consumer spending, offsetting a lift from higher commodity prices.

The Nasdaq gave up its initial gains at the open.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down 53.66 points, or 0.54 percent, at 9,832.14. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was down 7.19 points, or 0.67 percent, at 1,069.00. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 5.16 points, or 0.24 percent, at 2,133.98.

Yesterday’s Top Performing Small Cap Stock:

GWS Technologies, Inc, (OTC BB: GWSC) was a SmallCapVoice.com top performer yesterday closing up over 8% on trading volume of 19,747 shares.

GWS stands for GreenWindSolar. GWSC is a renewable energy technology company developing and marketing solar and wind-powered renewable energy products and solutions. Our

...

A surprising decline in home sales and another sharp drop in oil prices are driving investors to sell stocks.

At midday, the Dow Jones industrials fell 46.02, or 0.5 percent, to 9,702.53. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 9.32, or 0.9 percent, to 1,051.55, and the Nasdaq composite index fell 25.19, or 1.2 percent, to 2,106.23.

Today’s midday market mover is Vivakor, Inc. (OTC BB: VIVK):

Shares of VIVK are under heavy accumulation today as more than 85,000 shares have traded at midday as compared to its 10-day average of only 5,500 shares.

Vivakor an up and coming biomedical/biotechnology company with trans-disciplinary research that develops and acquires products in the fields of molecular medicine, electro-optics, biological handling and natural and formulary compounds, that extend or improve life.

The R&D Core at Vivakor (the idea hub) innovates, develops and validates biomedical devices and biotechnologies. Commercialization of Vivakor technologies is accomplished through partnerships with

...

MVTG has been a SmallCapVoice.com top performer over the last 30 days closing up over 19% on steadily increasing trading volume.

The market seems to be very interested in the emerging sustainable energy sector. Solid performances and progress like that being reported by MVTG is being met with a favorable response on Wall Street.

Mantra, through its group of sustainable energy, carbon reduction and consumer product subsidiaries, is active in the green technology marketplace with an innovative, multi-faceted approach focused on profitability through sustainability. By aggressively seeking out new technologies and innovating solutions for a cleaner earth for everyone, Mantra intends to provide a highly profitable and environmentally responsible investment for its shareholders.

Top 10 Reasons To Keep an Eye on Mantra Venture Group Diversified technologies within Green Environment – currently CO2 reduction (ERC) and water treatment/purification Technologies applicable to multiple industries: steel plants (steel pickling), coal plants, mining, ...

GWS Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: GWSC), an alternative energy company developing renewable energy solutions, stands to benefit from a recent EPA ruling and proposed climate bill.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman has proposed a climate bill that would require businesses to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by twenty percent by 2020. The bill will begin its opening round of debate in Congress this week. The hearings will follow the Environmental Protection Agency’s ruling last week that greenhouse gases pose a danger to the public, a finding that opens the way for new regulation of cars, power plants and factories.

Mr. Waxman also stated that he believes that most of the estimated $646 billion in revenue raised from carbon permits under the proposed cap-and-trade system should be spent on green technologies.

These developments make the recent announcement from GWSC that it has teamed with Sustainable Eco-Green Development Co. to develop

...

GWS Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: GWSC), an alternative energy company developing renewable energy solutions, today received national media coverage in an article written by Commercial Property News and produced by Neilson Business Media, a part of the Nielsen Company.

The article focuses on GWSC’s alternative energy-themed industrial park in Arizona and highlights the innovative ways in which developers are finding to give industrial development a green twist.

On April 2, GWS Technologies Inc. and Sustainable Eco-Green Development Co. announced that they are teaming up to develop the project next to the Phoenix-Mesa-Gateway Airport in Mesa as part of a 900-acre parcel owned by Paragon Properties. A signature element of the GWS Technologies-SEDCO park will be solar power provided by an on-site plant, and the developers plan to make the park a hub for alternative energy companies.

GWS Technologies and SEDCO are banking on the growing interest in sustainability to attract a variety

...

Stocks extend gains following upbeat economic data

Stocks are extending their gains after getting another better-than-expected report on the housing market.

The government has reported that new home sales rose 4.7 percent in February. The report is encouraging because economists had expected sales to fall.

Stocks were already rising Wednesday on a report that demand for big-ticket manufactured goods rose in February rather than fell as economists had predicted. The home sales report added momentum to the buying.

The Dow Jones industrial average is up 160 at 7,820. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index is up 17 at 823, while the Nasdaq composite index is up 35 at 1,552.

Yesterday’s Top Performing SmallCapVoice.com stock:

Defense Solutions Holding, Inc. (OTC BB: DFSH) was a SmallCapVoice.com top performer moving up over 22% on trading volume of 108,980 shares.

Defense Solutions Holding, Inc. commented today on recent developments in Iraq, specifically in reference to the Iraqi budget that was passed …