Wall Street was flat to slightly lower at mid-session on Tuesday on new data showing that US consumer confidence dropped to 105.4 in October, down from a revised reading of 105.9 in September. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.3 percent lower to 12,048.71, while the Nasdaq Composite was virtually flat after losing only 0.06 points to 2,363.71 and the S&P 500 fell 0.28 percent to 1,374.1.

In the tobacco sector, Altria fell 0.3 percent to $81.43 on the day that its Philip Morris division argues in front of the US Supreme Court in appeal to an $80 million verdict against it in an Oregon case.

Marathon Oil dropped 2.1 percent to $83.49 on profit taking even though it reported that profits were significantly higher in the quarter.

A UBS downgrade to “neutral” sent Verizon 2.6 percent lower to $36.66.

Proctor and Gamble dropped 0.9 percent to $63.21 even though profits were better than expected on improved margins and better sales in its Gillette unit.

Among gainers on the day was DaimlerChrysler, which added 4.1 percent to $57.33 on reports that it could sell its Chrysler division.

Celgene added 6.1 percent to $52.88 after an announcement Monday evening from Standard & Poor’s that the biotechnology company will replace AmSouth Bancorp on the S&P 500 after trade closes at the end of the week.

The New York equities markets were mixed at midday on Thursday on new concerns that the housing market in the United States is continuing to slow. The Dow Jones Industrial Average had dropped 0.1 percent to 12,120.19 and the S&P 500 was 0.02 percent lower to 1,381.98. The Nasdaq Composite was 0.03 percent higher to 2,375.4.

Pulte Homes reflected the slowdown in its report of a significant drop in earnings and a warning that fourth-quarter earnings will be much lower than current estimates. Pulte’s shares were 0.7 percent lower to $31.98 in the wake of new data from the Commerce Department that shows the median price of a new home down 9.7 percent in September.

Stock exchanges were also lower on the session so far. Nasdaq dropped 0.5 percent to $36.80. Meanwhile, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, which has agreed to take over the Chicago Board of Trade, dropped nearly 1 percent to $492.10. The Chicago Board of Trade itself dropped even more, by 1.6 percent to $145.08. The NYSE Group, which owns the New York Stock Exchange, fell 1.7 percent to $74.10 despite reporting third-quarter profits had tripled.

In the oil sector, ExxonMobil added 0.2 percent to $71.15 on operating profits that were at $10.5 billion in the quarter, the second highest quarterly profit ever reported by a US company.

Dow Chemical gained 0.9 percent to $40.52 on higher earnings and a share buyback scheme worth $2 billion.

Among retailers, Wal-Mart also added 0.9 percent to $51.30 on the announcement that it is expanding the $4 generic prescription price it introduced in Florida to 12 more states, bringing the total number of states now included in the program to twenty-seven.

The New York equities markets were mixed in early afternoon trade on Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.02 percent higher to 12,118.91, while the Nasdaq Composite had dropped 0.4 percent to 2,342.22 and the S&P 500 was 0.1 percent lower to 1,375.57. The activity was a result of several factors, including a lack of new economic data, earnings reports that were not up to par, and unwillingness to commit ahead of the Federal Reserve’s newest interest rate decision, due Wednesday.

Texas Instruments dropped 2.9 percent to $30.97 on a quarterly report that did not meet expectations and on a disappointing prediction for fourth quarter results. Kraft Foods likewise issued a quarterly report that did not satisfy, and was in consequence 3.8 percent lower to $34.91. Even though Whirlpool’s earnings were a bit better than had been anticipated, it cut its prediction for unit shipment growth in North America. The appliance maker saw shares fall 3.9 percent to $85.86.

Not all the quarterly reports were disappointing. DuPont produced a good quarterly report and added 1.8 percent to $46.28. Lucent, which is being purchased by French telecommunications equipment maker Alcatel, added 7.7 percent to $2.52 on better than expected earnings.

Qualcomm was 3.1 percent lower to $36.91 on rumors that the patent case it filed against Nokia could be in for another look by the courts. Meanwhile, Intel added 1.1 percent to $21.69.

Amazon.com added 1.8 percent to $33.46 ahead of its quarterly report, due after the close of trade.

The New York equities markets were higher at midday on Monday as earnings reports continue to come in. Over 150 companies listed on the S&P 500 alone are expected to report this week. At mid-session the Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.9 percent higher to 12,114.11, a new high, while the Nasdaq Composite was up 0.7 percent to 2,359.53 and the S&P had added 0.6 percent to 1,377.17.

Internet search engine Google was still benefiting form its earnings report, issued last week, adding 3.8 percent to $477.15, its highest level ever. Meanwhile in other computer-related news, Apple Computer was 2.1 percent higher to $81.65. In the semiconductors sector, Texas Instruments is expected to report after the end of today’s session.

Wal-Mart gained 3.2 percent to $50.95 after its chief financial officer said that it was planning on slowing capital spending to 2 to 4 percent in fiscal 2008, from 15 to 20 percent this year.

Chewing-gum maker Wrigley gained 14.2 percent to $53.48 on a report that earnings per share in the quarter were above predictions and that its new chief executive will be the first in the company’s history from outside the Wrigley family.

Construction machinery manufacturer Caterpillar added 2.2 percent to $60.30 after having lost 14 percent in Friday’s session on a disappointing quarterly report.

Ford Motor dropped 1.5 percent to $7.89 after it reported that it has lost 62 cents per share in the third quarter, about what had been expected by analysts.

The New York equities markets were mixed at midday on Thursday on news from corporate earnings reports and new data from the Philadelphia Fed that showed its manufacturing index down 0.7 percent in October when an advance had been predicted. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.15 percent higher to 12,011, while the Nasdaq Composite was down 0.1 percent to 2,339.57 and the S&P 500 was just 0.01 percent lower to 1,365.

Among gainers on the day were Apple Computer, which added 6.35 percent to $79.26 on higher net income on sales of both Macintosh computers and iPod music players. Also up were Yahoo, 1.1 percent higher to $23.24 and UPS, which added 4.23 percent to $75.54 on higher earnings. AT&T was up 2.9 percent to $33.89 on an upgrade from Lehman Brothers.

The semiconductors sector was significantly lower. Cypress Semiconductor was 9.1 percent lower to $17.24 on the announcement that is no longer thinking of selling. Advanced Micro Devices dropped 10.4 percent to $21.72 after it said Wednesday that its gross margins were down. AMD added, however, that it expects higher demand and sales in the fourth quarter. Intel declined a lesser 1.1 percent to $20.88 on quarterly earnings that were lower.

Other losers on the session included McDonalds, down 1.4 percent to $40.90 despite meeting its revised guidance. Citigroup dropped 0.8 percent to $49.79 on lower net income in its third quarter. In addition, General Electric was down 0.9 percent to $35.56 on the news that its NBC Universal entertainment unit will make cost-cutting moves.

There was good news and bad news on Wall Street on Wednesday. The good news was that the Dow Jones Industrial Average went above 12,000 for the first time in history, early in the session, before dropping back to end the day 0.36 percent higher to 11,992.68. The bad news was that it could not hold above 12,000 due to unfavorable earnings reports from the Apollo Group and Motorola. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite ended the session 0.3 percent lower to 2,337.15, while the S&P 500 closed at 1,365.96, a gain of 0.1 percent.

Motorola dropped 4.9 percent to $23.64 after it reported that its third quarter revenues were 17 percent higher to $10.6 billion. The decline was attributed revenues not reaching levels anticipated by analysts and in-company estimates.

Apollo Group reported that quarterly earnings were down and said that an investigation into how it grants stock options had found problems. The news sent the for-profit education company’s shares 22.9 percent lower to $37.55.

The semiconductors sector saw declines, as well. The exception was Intel, which added 1 percent to $21.11 even though it reported that quarterly earnings were down. Despite the decline, earnings did better than had been anticipated. Elsewhere in the sector, Analog Devices was 3.6 percent lower to $29.68, while EMC dropped 4.1 percent to $12.18 on a decline in quarterly profits and Applied Materials was 4.6 percent lower to $17.82.

IBM did better, adding 3.3 percent to $89.82 on better earnings than had been predicted. Also helping the computer maker higher was an upgrade from “neutral” to “buy” from Goldman Sachs.

Yahoo was instrumental in the day’s decline for the Nasdaq, dropping 4.8 percent to $22.99 on a quarterly report that did not meet expectations and which brought a downgrade from “outperform” to “market perform” from Piper Jaffray.

Higher than expected core wholesale price inflation and bigger declines in industrial production in September weighed more than bids rumors and earnings reports in New York on Tuesday, sending equities markets lower at midday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.57 percent lower to 11,912.08, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.2 percent to 2,336.02 and the S&P 500 fell 0.7 percent to 1,359.91.

Both the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade saw gains on news of the planned merger of the two exchanges, which will create the biggest futures and options exchange in the world. CME added 2.21 percent to $514.35, while CBOT jumped 12.82 percent to $151.76 as shareholders learned that the merger would net them $8 billion worth of CME stock.

In financial sectors, Merrill Lynch dropped 0.08 percent to $84.04 even though its third-quarter earnings were up from $1.4 billion to $1.9 billion, even without what it gained in the sale of its asset management unit. Financial services group State Street was a decline of 2.2 percent to $62.94 despite of an increase of 93 percent in the third quarter over the same period last year.

Semiconductors declined as well. Intel was 3.4 percent lower to $20.88 ahead of its earnings report, due later in the day, on a downgrade from Goldman Sachs. Meanwhile Broadcom dropped 4.83 percent to $29.33.

The New York equities markets were mixed at midday on Wednesday after the release of some mixed earnings reports. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 were each 0.2 percent lower, to 11,842.04 and 1,351.44, while the Nasdaq Composite was 0.1 percent higher to 2,316.78.

Alcoa dropped 5.7 percent to $26.69 after it said Tuesday evening that profits were up 86 percent in the third quarter, a significant gain but much less than had been expected. The results were put to lower prices for aluminium and declines in automobile manufacturing and homebuilding.

Fund manager Legg Mason was 17.3 percent lower on a warning that earnings in its second quarter would be substantially lower than has been estimated. Merrill Lynch cut its recommendation on Legg from “buy” to “sell”. The news, coupled with an offer from Bank of America that gives 30 free trades per month to customers with $25,000 in bank deposits with BofA, sent other brokerages lower. Charles Schwab dropped 5 percent to $17.16, while E*trade declined 10 percent to $22.05 and TD Ameritrade was 10.6 percent lower to $17.07.

Ag biotech and fertilizer group Monsanto was 5.1 percent lower to $44.05 on the news that its losses in the third quarter were greater than had been expected. It also said that next year’s earnings would be lower than earlier estimated.

Among gainers, drug retailer CVS added 4.2 percent to $30.97 on a preliminary third-quarter earnings report that was better than had been forecast. Insurance provider Progressive, meanwhile, was 2.8 percent higher to $25.40 on a third quarter report that showed earnings up by 34 percent in the quarter.

The New York equities markets were mixed but close to unchanged at midday on Tuesday as investors waited for the earnings season to get serious. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.1 percent lower to 11,851.89, while the Nasdaq Compsite was nearly flat - up only 0.52 of a point - to 2,312.29 and the S&P 500 had added just 0.1 percent to 1,351.50.

Homebuilders were up as JP Morgan issued upgrades on DR Horton and Toll Brothers. Horton added 5 percent to $25.04 even though it said that new home orders were down by 25 percent in its fourth quarter after JP Morgan raised its recommendation from “neutral” to “overweight”. The broker upgraded Toll Brothers from “underweight” to “neutral”, sending the homebuilder 5.5 percent higher to $30.40. The upgrades also helped KB Home, which gained 3.7 percent to $46.44 despite warning that profits in the third quarter would likely drop by 32 percent.

Supermarkets were higher as well. Safeway added 2.9 percent to $29.59, while Supervalu was 4.6 percent higher to $32.42 on better than expected third-quarters earnings and an upgraded full-year earnings forecast.

With oil prices dropping again, ethanol manufacturer Archer Daniels Midland dropped 2.3 percent to $37.60. On the other hand, Nabors Industries, the oil services group, added 5.4 percent to $29.59 on rumors that it was a buyout target.

In the semiconductors sector, Qualcomm dropped 2.8 percent to $37.27 on a ruling from a judge at the International Trade Commission that it had violated Broadcom patents on a chip and a phone. The judge did not, however, ban import of the phone as Broadcom had requested.

The New York markets were quiet on Monday due to the Columbus Day holiday, and results were mixed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.1 percent lower at midday to 11,843.72, while the Nasdaq Composite had added 0.4 percent to 2,308.90 and the S&P 500 was virtually flat, up just half a point to 1,350.08. Besides the effect of the holiday, many investors were waiting for new earnings data to come in before committing themselves.

Chicago exchanges were mixed on the day. While the Chicago Mercantile Exchange added 4.5 percent to $513.05 on reports that it was looking at a possible deal with Deutsche Borse, the Chicago Board of Trade dropped 2.7 percent to $134.03 after the London Metal Exchange denied that the two are in discussions about a takeover of the LME.

Commodities stocks were higher. With crude oil prices up, Noble was 2.1 percent higher to $63.17 and Occidental Petroleum gained 1.5 percent to $46.25. Among companies dealing in metals, Alcoa added 2.1 percent to $28.31, while Freeport McMoran was up 2.8 percent to $54.28.

In a related sector, steel makers were up enough to take the S&P Steel Index to its highest level in three months. Nucor added 6 percent to $54.16, while US Steel gained 6.6 percent to $64.52.

In computer-related sectors, internet search engine Google was 1.9 percent higher to $428.64 on an agreement with Sony BMG and Warner Music to stream music videos. Meanwhile, chipmaker Nvidia added 5 percent to $32.48 to take its gains since July to 80 percent.