Oil Stocks

NEW YORK -- Stocks gained yesterday after the Labor Department reported that producer prices were unchanged last month, a sign that inflation was under control.The Dow Jones industrial average rose 13.29 points, to 3,505.01. The Dow's rise was restrained by declines in Texaco Inc., Exxon Corp. and Chevron Corp. For the week, the Dow was down 40.13.Oil stocks slumped as crude prices fell below $19 a barrel for the first time since early January. The decline in oil prices was prompted by Kuwait's rejection of an OPEC agreement to maintain a current ceiling on oil production.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks climbed yesterday as Exxon Corp., Mobil Corp. and other oil shares rallied to records on expectations of robust profits next year.Frigid temperatures in the Midwest and Northeast briefly sent the price of oil past $19 a barrel to a six-month high. The weather, coupled with the companies' above-average dividends, suggested oil stocks may outpace other issues this winter.The Dow Jones industrial average rose 27.46 points, to 5,184.32, recovering from two days of losses that drove it from a record close of 5,199.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks closed mixed yesterday in sluggish trading as trepidation about the outcome of this week's Federal Reserve policy meeting and Friday's release of the June employment report kept traders from making any big bets."

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks rose yesterday for the second time in three days amid optimism that the economy won't slow enough to hurt corporate profits. Oil issues led the advance."

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks closed mixed yesterday as a slid in international oil shares offset gains in the banking sector.The Dow Jones industrial average closed 3.79 points higher, at 3274.91, led by a late flurry of computer-driven buy orders.Advancing common stocks roughly equaled the number of declining issues on the New York Stock Exchange. Trading was active considering many investors took the day off to observe the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. About 198 million shares traded on the Big Board.

NEW YORK -- Stocks closed mixed yesterday as a rebound in oil stocks and reports of growing economic strength offset the negative effects of higher interest rates.Stocks rallied after the Conference Board said its consumer confidence index jumped well above economists' expectations, to 71.2, from a revised 60.5 in October. Separately, the Chicago Purchasing Managers index of manufacturing conditions rose to 65.3 in November, from 57 in October.A rally in oil stocks pushed the Dow Jones industrial average up 6.15 points, to 3,683.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks snapped a four-day slide yesterday as oil stocks rallied amid tensions in the Middle East and International Business Machines Corp. climbed to a two-year high.U.S. bonds also rallied for the first time in four days after the September jobs report eased concern about inflation, rebounding from a dip that pushed yields to 8 percent for the first time in more than two years.The Labor Department's report wasn't strong enough to prompt an immediate rise in interest rates by the Federal Reserve, although many still expect rates to rise for a sixth time this year within a few weeks.

Have too much already. Don't need any more, thanks.Those worldwide sentiments about crude oil have dropped its price below $15 a barrel in 1994, to about the same inflation-adjusted level as before the first Arab oil embargo.While oil companies' strong dividend yields and acceptable earnings are keeping many stock investors in the fold, worry continues about the uncertainty that surrounds oil pricing.Saudi Arabia, despite declining global consumption, keeps producing 8 million barrels of crude oil a day to maintain its market share.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks advanced yesterday, led by a rally in the shares of international oil companies and optimism tied to a decline in long-term interest rates."

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks closed mixed yesterday as strong third-quarter earnings and rallies in International Paper Co. and Bethlehem Steel Corp. offset declines in the dollar.The Dow Jones industrial average gained for the third straight day, rising 13.46, to 3,923.93. International Paper, Bethlehem Steel Corp. and Philip Morris Cos. led the rise, outweighing losses in Eastman Kodak Co. and General Motors Corp."The earnings are coming in with enough momentum that they could propel us to new ground," said Ronald Doran, head of institutional equities trading at C. L. King & Associates Inc. "I think we have a shot at getting to 4,000" on the Dow industrials.