Nasdaq Composite

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks tumbled for a second day yesterday, as J. P. Morgan Securities Inc. advised clients to reduce their holdings of stocks because earnings won't grow as fast as some investors expect. Microsoft Corp. led the decline."We don't think the wonderful bull market is over, but we think we're in for a pause," said Douglas Cliggott, J. P. Morgan's chief investment strategist. "First-quarter earnings are coming in above deflated expectations, but only slightly higher than year-earlier levels."

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks rose yesterday for the first time in three days, after the Commerce Department said inflation remains tame. Banks such as J. P. Morgan & Co. led the advance.The Dow Jones industrial average gained 103.38 to 8,994.86. The Standard & Poor's 500 index climbed 9.02 to 1,110.67, and the Nasdaq composite index rose 13.23 to 1,820.24.Among other broad market indexes, the Russell 2,000 index of small capitalization stocks rose 4.71 to 480.04; the Wilshire 5,000 index climbed 84.52 to 10,571.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks rose further yesterday, pushing the Dow Jones industrial average above 8,900 for the first time, as money managers rushed to buy shares before the end of the quarter.The Dow rose 103.38 to 8,906.43. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 9.42 to a record 1,099.16. The Nasdaq composite index fell 10.82 to 1,789.16, as the computer-related shares that dominate the index declined on signs that Asia's slowdown is hurting sales.The stock market is getting a boost as individual investors turn to mutual funds.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks fell yesterday for the fifth day in a row, battered by the worsening economic crisis in Korea, as plunging technology shares sent the Nasdaq composite index to its worst weekly decline in seven years.Cisco Systems Inc. and Microsoft Corp. led the drop."There's no doubt about it, technology is in a bear market," said Robert Streed, a money manager with Northern Trust Co. in Chicago, which oversees $130 billion, referring to a sustained period of stock market declines.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks fell for a third day yesterday, led by computer shares, as investors fretted that Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan might roil the market when he speaks to Congress today.Microsoft Corp. led the decline for a second session, after warning that revenue growth is slowing and that its stock has risen too high to buy back.Boeing Co. reported earnings below expectations, intensifying concern that stocks are higher than justified by the outlook for profits, even in a low-inflation, steadily growing economy.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks rose to records yesterday after Federal Reserve policy-makers left interest rates unchanged, supporting investors' expectations for growing corporate profits.Banking and computer shares gained, along with stocks such as auto parts maker AlliedSignal Inc. that do best in a growing economy. The Fed's decision, which was widely expected, helps ensure that the nation's steady economic expansion will continue, investors said.Stocks are expected to extend their gains in coming trading sessions now that concern about the Fed has subsided.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks set records yesterday for a fourth day as investors speculated that demand for shares of market leaders such as Exxon Corp. will grow as prospects for corporate earnings brighten.Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co., American International Group Inc. and DuPont Co. -- all leaders in their industries -- rose amid a favorable backdrop of meager inflation and stable interest rates."If corporate profits continue to expand at above-average rates and inflation stays low, all systems are go," said Charles Henderson, chief investment officer at Chicago Trust Co., which oversees $7 billion.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks rose yesterday as a rally in bonds lifted bank shares and the plunging dollar boosted exporters.The Dow Jones industrial average gained 32.91 to 7,169.53 and was up 1.4 percent for the week.Caterpillar Inc. led the Dow higher. NationsBank Corp. boosted regional banks, the top-performing industry group in the Standard & Poor's 500 index.A declining dollar "would help the earnings of a company like Caterpillar that does a lot of exporting, particularly to Japan," said Robert Brody, who runs the American Growth fund with $100 million in assets.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks fell again yesterday as shares of Intel Corp., Microsoft Corp. and other computer-related issues slumped on concern that 1997 profits won't match estimates. The Nasdaq composite index fell to a four-month low.The drop in software, semiconductor and computer shares came after the heads of computer networking companies Cisco Systems Inc. and 3Com Corp. said business deteriorated in the first three months of the year. After reaching all-time highs in mid-January, many of the stocks have lost a quarter or more of their value.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks rebounded yesterday from Thursday's tumble, after an encouraging inflation report quelled concern that the Federal Reserve will boost interest rates this month. Shares of Oracle Corp. and Procter & Gamble Co. rallied.The Labor Department said prices paid to U.S. factories and other producers unexpectedly fell 0.4 percent last month, the second straight drop. Investors said stable interest rates would brighten the outlook for corporate profits and share prices this year.