U.S. stock futures were under pressure ahead of the open of European markets on Thursday, as Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average sank 7.3%, the biggest one-day plunge since March 2011. An extremely volatile session in Japan was spurred by a surge in bond yields in that country, mirroring action seen in the U.S. a day prior on worries the Federal Reserve could begin tapering its bond buys in the coming months. The Bank of Japan announced a fund-supplying operated in reaction to recent turbulence in the bond market. European stock markets were also setting up for heavy losses after U.S. stocks slid on reaction to testimony by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and minutes of the latest central-bank meeting. In addition, data from China showed manufacturing swinging to contraction. Futures for the Dow industrials fell 116 points, or 0.8%, to 15,181, while those for the Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 17.7 points, or 1%, to 1,637.90. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index dropped 30 points, or 1%, to 2,971. More»

With the broad S&P 500 Index .SPX gliding once again into uncharted territory and posting four straight weeks of gains, the talk of Wall Street's rally inevitably hitting a ceiling is starting to get old. Concerns about a technical correction have been a hot topic for weeks, especially as the rally accelerated in May - the S&P 500 is up 4.4 percent so far this month and up nearly 17 percent for the year. But as the three major U.S. stock indexes inch higher and higher to set record after record, many analysts are shrugging off the pullback worries. "There isn't a technical level that we have in mind at this point when making decisions. The momentum is really strong, and riding along that momentum is what we should have in mind at this point," said Cam Albright, director of asset allocation at Wilmington Trust Investment Advisors in Wilmington, Delaware. The S&P 500, which rose above the 1,600 level only about two weeks ago, is now less than 40 points away from 1,700. As the market continues its upward move, some market participants are beginning to believe that the rally is not a bubble but rather the start of a new bull market. Others argue, meanwhile, that the strong momentum is not based on fundamentals like economic data or corporate earnings but is relying heavily on easy monetary policy from global central banks. More»

U.S. stocks finished little changed on Monday as investors mulled when the Federal Reserve may begin to scale back its $85-billion-a-month bond-buying program. The S&P 500 index finished marginally higher at 1,633.77 compared with 1,633.70 on Friday, marking an all-time closing high. The Nasdaq Composite index gained 2.21 points to 3,438.79. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 26.81 points to 15,091.68, as aluminum producer Alcoa Inc. declined 2%. More»

U.S. stocks rose Wednesday, with the S&P 500 extending record gains into a fifth session, after companies including Electronic Arts Inc. projected earnings that beat estimates. A day after closing above 15,000 for the first time, The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 48.92 points to 15,105.12, its second straight record close. Closing with a fifth consecutive record, the S&P 500 index gained 6.72 points to 1,632.68. Materials and technology fed sector gains, while utilities led losses among the S&P 500’s 10 major industry groups. “The baton seems to be getting passed from defensive names like utilities to consumer discretionary, industrial and energy names,” noted Dave Gedeon, managing director at Nasdaq OMX Global Indexes. More»