Early afternoon on Friday saw the New York equities markets mixed, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq Composite up a bit but the S&P 500 had dropped slightly. The Dow was up 0.1 percent to 11,157.58 and the Nasdaq had added 0.2 percent to 2,344.59. The S&P was down 0.1 percent to 1,299.38. These results put the Dow and the S&P lower for the week by 1.1 percent and 0.3 percent respectively, while the Nasdaq was up 1.4 percent this week. However, all three indices were up over the first quarter, with the Dow and S&P each seeing gains of over 4 percent and the Nasdaq up 6.4 percent on the quarter.

The week was not good for companies sensitive to interest rate concerns after the US Federal Reserve raised interest rates once again and sounded like it was ready to do so again next month. Among those affected were Citigroup, which lost 0.7 percent on the week to $47.48. Homebuilder Toll Brothers was down by 1.7 percent to $34.76. In the utilities sector, Exelon dropped 2.8 percent to $53.27.

General Motors also had a bad week, losing 7.2 percent to $22.65 on the announcement that Delphi, which supplies parts to GM, will try to end some contracts with the carmaker. Additionally, Standard & Poor’s said that it could issue another downgrade to GM’s credit rating.

Computer-related stocks did better on the week. Apple Computer gained 4.9 percent to $62.91 on the assumption that Microsoft’s delay in the release of its new operating system would help sales of Apple’s Macintosh during the fourth quarter. Sun Microsystems added 3.6 percent to $5.15 when Morgan Stanley upgraded its stock from “underweight” to “overweight” on the assumption that the company would restructure soon.

Google gained 6.3 percent as the internet company was added to the S&P 500 on Thursday.

The telecommunications sector also saw gains during the week. Nokia was up 0.9 percent this week to $20.67 after it predicted that worldwide sales of handsets will rise 15 percent this year. The new sales estimate also helped Motorola up by 3.4 percent to $23.10. Texas Instruments, which makes chips for mobile phones, added 5.4 percent to $32.57.

The New York equities markets were mostly down by early afternoon on Thursday despite gains in the telecommunications and metal-mining sectors. The Nasdaq Composite was about even after declines earlier in the day, at 2,338.64. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.6 percent to 11,153.18 on concerns in several sectors over interest rates. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 dropped 0.1 percent after gains earlier in the day to 1,301.15.

When Morgan Stanley upped its forecast on metals prices, miners and metal companies saw gains. Phelps Dodge added 5.4 percent to $81.21 on an upgrade from “equal-weight” to “overweight”. Upgrades also took aluminium companies Alcan and Alcoa up 0.5 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively, with Alcan trading at $46.76 and Alcoa’s shares selling at $30.91.

The mobile phone portion of the telecommunications sector saw advances after Nokia said it believes that global handset sales will go up 15 percent this year. It had previously put the sales estimate at 10 percent. Nokia added 4 percent on the news, to $21.02, while Motorola gained 1.8 percent to $23.17. Texas Instruments, which makes chips for mobile phones, was up 3.1 percent to $32.97. Qualcomm advanced by 0.8 percent to $51.13.

Internet company Google, added to the S&P 500 today, dropped 2.3 percent to $385.88 on the announcement that it will issue 5.3 million new shares in association with its addition to the index. Before today’s losses, Google had added 15.5 percent since Thursday.

After gains early in the day, the New York equities markets retreated on Tuesday after the US Federal Reserve raised interest rates once again, by 25 basis points to 4.75 percent. The statement that came along with the announcement of the hike, while hinting that the series of rate hikes might come to an end at some point in the foreseeable future, still led some analysts to believe that there are more hikes to come before that time comes.

At mid-afternoon, the Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 were both flat on the day, at 2,316.01 and 1,301.67 respectively, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average had dropped by 0.2 percent to 11,226.26.

The pharmaceuticals sector was mixed. Eli Lilly dropped 3.9 percent to $56.36 on a pair of downgrades. Friedman Billings Ramsey cut the drugmaker from “market perform” to “underperform”, while Merrill Lynch reduced its rating from “buy” to “neutral”. Both cited the lack of market share of Lilly’s antidepressent Cymbalta as one reason for the ratings reductions.

Elsewhere in the sector, Immunicon added 9.1 percent to $3.94 after it said it was extending a research and development agreement with Pfizer. Pfizer, meanwhile, was down 1 percent to $25.56 after it was revealed that the company is being sued for fraud over the marketing of its drug Lipitor.

The oil sector saw advances in both companies that produce oil and in those that provide oilfield services. ConocoPhillips gained 2.9 percent to $64.93, while ExxonMobil added 0.7 percent to $61.69. These advances took the Amex oil index up 1.2 percent on the day. Meanwhile, oil service company Halliburton advanced by 3.1 percent to $73.81 and Schlumberger rose 1.8 percent to $125.18.

The New York equities markets were mixed in mid-afternoon trading on Monday. While the telecommunications equipment sector helped the Nasdaq Composite add 0.2 percent to 2,316.74, both the Down Joines Industrial Average and the S&P 500 were down on the day. The Dow had lost 0.3 percent at mid-afternoon, to 11,248.67, while the S&P was down by 0.1 percent to 1,301.31.

The telecommunications equipment makers were still being helped by the possibility of a merger between Lucent and Alcatel of France. Prudential Equity reiterated its rating of “overweight” on Lucent, which added 1.3 percent to $3.10. This advance was on top of an 8.5 percent gain Friday. Elsewhere in the sector, Qualcomm was up 1.1 percent to $49.91, while Ciena gained 1.8 percent to $55.24 and JDS Uniphase added 0.3 percent to $4.04.

The home construction sector was also up during the day. Toll Brothers gained 3.9 percent to $35.69 on an upgrade from “market perform” to “outperform” from Wachovia. Among other homebuilders, Ryland was up 1.6 percent to $71.96, while Lennar added 0.9 percent to $60.44.

The pharmaceuticals sector was mixed, as Santarus gained 5.9 percent to $6.62 on a report that the FDA had approved a new form of its heartburn drug Zegerid. On the other hand, Encysive Pharmaceuticals dropped 46.8 percent to $4.83 after the FDA asked for more trials on Encysive’s high blood pressure drug Thelin.

Elsewhere, consumer electronics retailer Circuit City received an upgrade from Lehman Brothers, sending its shares up 1.5 percent to $24.62.

The New York equities markets were mixed for the week, but new home sales data on Friday that raised hopes that interest rates might peak sooner than has been anticipated sent the indexes up on the day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.3 for the day to 11,297.98, but only managed an 0.2 percent gain for the week. The Nasdaq Composite gained 0.4 percent on Friday and rose 0.2 percent for the week, to 2,309.98. The S&P 500 added 0.2 percent on Friday to close at 1,304.22, but declined by 0.2 percent for the week.

In the oil sector, the Amex Oil index was down 0.5 percent for the week as crude oil prices rose and fell. Despite the ups and downs, several oil companies saw gains. Marathon Oil added 1.9 percent to $77.79, while ConocoPhillips advanced by 1.4 percent to $62.20. Gains in both companies came after upgrades by Prudential Equity Group.

In computer-related sectors, Microsoft shook things up when it said Tuesday that it will not release its new Vista operating system until next year. It was another in a series of delays for the new system. Microsoft dropped 2.1 percent for the week to $26.92. Computer makers Gateway and Hewlett-Packard both saw declines as well. Hewlett-Packard lost 2.6 percent to $33.27 and Gateway declined by 1.7 percent to $2.38. On the other hand, Dell gained 4.4 percent on the week to $30.34 after it predicted that its sales will increase due to Asian expansion.

Internet search engines did well on the week. Google added 8.2 percent to $367.65 as the S&P 500 added it to its index. Yahoo gained 5.7 percent to $31.78 after an upgrade from UBS.

Wall Street was down at mid-session on Thursday as profit-taking and renewed worries about higher interest rates took their toll after new data showed that existing home sales in the US were up 5.2 percent in February. Higher crude oil prices also hurt buyer sentiment.

By midday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had dropped 0.4 percent to 11,272.93, the Nasdaq Composite was down 0.3 percent to 2,296.35, and the S&P 500 was also 0.3 percent lower to 1,301.03.

Oil companies were higher on higher crude prices as well as on upgrades within the sector from Prudential Equity Group. Marathon Oil gained 1.6 percent to $77.49 and ConocoPhillips added 1.9 percent to $61.65.

Computer related sectors were mixed. Software maker Adobe Systems lost 2.6 percent to $35.66 after it said that earnings this quarter will be below predictions. Computer maker Dell added 0.2 percent to $30.46 on the news that it will purchase Alienware, which makes gaming computers. That news helped chip maker Advanced Micro Devices to gain 3.6 percent to $35.62. Search engine Yahoo was up 3.1 percent to $42 on positive comments from UBS.

General Motors added 0.8 percent to $22.19 after the majority stake in its financing arm was purchased by an investor group.

In the foods sector, General Mills gained 0.5 percent to $50.21 on a 7 percent rise in profits in the third quarter. ConAgra added 1.1 percent to $20.48 even though it announced losses in its third quarter due to one-time restructuring and legal costs.

The New York equities markets were up at midday on Tuesday despite comments on Monday night from the new chairman of the US Federal Reserve which indicated to most analysts that interest rates are likely to keep rising in the near term.

By the middle of the session, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.4 percent to 11,320.23, the Nasdaq Composite was 0.8 percent higher to 2,331.57, and the S&P 500 had added 0.3 percent to 1,309.33.

The Nasdaq was helped by computer related stocks for the second day in a row. Software maker Oracle added 0.5 percent to $13.79 despite a disappointing quarterly earnings report issued after Monday’s close. Dell Computer was up 3 percent to $30.65 on comments that it believes sales growth will be higher than the industry average this year due to expansion in Asia.

Chipmaker Nvidia was up 6.3 percent to $51.43 on an upgrade from Lehman Brothers. An upgrade and increased target share price from Merrill Lynch lifted video game maker Electronic Arts by 4.4 percent to $55.00.

Elsewhere, Bally Total Fitness jumped 18.6 percent to $9.30 on talk that Sir Richard Branson might be interested in buying out the fitness club.

In the retail clothing sector, Jones Apparel gained 13.6 percent to $35.01. Jones owns Barneys department stores and the Nine West label.

The New York equities markets were mixed on Monday after last week’s gains and ahead of remarks to be delivered by US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to the Economic Club of New York later in the evening.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.1 percent to 11,274.53 and the S&P 500 declined by 0.2 percent to 1,305.08, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.3 percent to 2,314.11 on strength in the technology sector.

Software maker Oracle gained 0.9 percent to $13.72 in anticipation of an earnings report due after the close of trade. Elsewhere in the sector, Adobe was up 1.6 percent to $36.55. Adobe is scheduled to release its earnings report on Wednesday.

Another company that helped the Nasdaq to gains on the day was computer maker Dell, which gained 2.3 percent to $29.76 on the announcement that it will increase its number of employees in India to a total of 20,000 within the next three years. Other computer-related stocks were up on the day as well. Microsoft gained 1.4 percent to $27.89, while search engine Google added 2.5 percent to $348.19.

Sirius Satellite Radio gained 4.5 percent to $5.11 on the news that it has now signed up 4 million subscribers and predicted that the number will rise to over 6 million by the end of the year.

In the retail sector, Wal-Mart added 2.3 percent to $47.76 on the report that it will expand its China operations. One company executive said that it will open 20 new stores in the Asian nation this year and could hire as many as 150,000 Chinese employees in the next five years.

Wall Street was up at midday on Thursday after new data showed the Consumer Price Index up 0.1 percent in February, around what was expected, with the core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, also up 0.1 percent, less than had been predicted. These numbers raised speculation that the Federal Reserve might end its series of interest rate hikes sooner than anticipated.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.4 percent at mid-session, to 11,256.84, while the Nasdaq Composite had gained 0.2 percent to 2,316.44 and the S&P 500 had added 0.3 percent to 1,307.29.

Banks continued to issue quarterly earnings results. Bear Stearns said that it’s first quarter profits were up 36 percent to $514 million, up from $379 million in the same quarter last year. However, it had lost 0.4 percent by the middle of the day to $133.66. Elsewhere in the sector, Morgan Stanley was up 1.2 percent to $60.38 ahead of its earnings report, due next week.

In the automobile manufacturing sector, Ford Motors dropped 0.5 percent to $7.81 on a ratings downgrade from “overweight” to “underweight” from JP Morgan, which cited increasing competition from General Motors as its rationale for cutting Ford’s rating.

Upgrades helped out other companies in other sectors. In the telecommunications sector, Qualcomm added 2.3 percent to $50.97 on an upgrade from “neutral” to “buy” from Merrill Lynch. Among other companies that benefited from upgrades were food packaging manufacturer Bemis, which gained 6.6 percent to $33.11 and chipmaker LSI Logic, up 5.9 percent to $11.45. American Power Conversion, which makes computer parts, added 6.9 percent to $22.36.

Bookseller Barnes & Noble advanced by 11.3 percent to $48.11 after it’s fourth quarter profits beat expectations on Christmas sales.

There was little movement in New York equities markets by midday on Wednesday on continuing concerns that interest rates will continue to rise. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.1 percent higher to 11,156.78, while the Nasdaq Composite was slightly lower at 2,295.83 and the S&P 500 had dropped 0.1 percent to 1,296.31.

Banks were struggling as quarterly reports continued to come in or be due soon. Lehman Brothers said their first quarter earnings were up 24 percent but still lost 0.7 percent early and struggled to stay even by midday at $145.28. Bear Stearns, due to report Thursday, was down 0.5 percent to $133.88 and Goldman Sachs dropped 1.1 percent to $147.71 on profit-taking.

Sears Holdings, which owns not only Sears but K-Mart, gained 10.1 percent to $130.04 on its earnings reports, which came in much higher than had been expected. Elsewhere in the retail sector, drugstore chain CVS dropped 2.7 percent to $29.74 on the report that the Securities and Exchange Commission has begun an informal inquiry into the company’s accounting practices.

An investigation into alleged wrongdoing also hurt tax preparer H&R Block, which lost 4.3 percent to $21.05. New York State Attorney Eliot Spitzer announced that his office is looking into charges that the company has urged clients to invest their tax refunds in retirement accounts that do not generate enough interest to cover account fees.

Railroads did well on the day after increased price estimates from Merrill Lynch when Union Pacific upped its estimate of first-quarter profits by 20 percent. Union Pacific was up 5.3 percent to $89.76. Among other railroads, Burlington Northern Santa Fe advanced 4.9 percent to $80.24 and Norfolk Southern gained 3.3 percent to $53.21.