Wall Street was mixed in midday trade after bad news from Boeing, a forecast on home sales for the year that was revised downward, and warnings from more than one company.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.74 percent lower to 14,060.32 as it lost nearly all of the 120 points it gained on Tuesday, while the S&P 500 dropped 0.37 percent to 1,559.4.

On the other hand, the Nasdaq Composite was slightly higher, up just 0.03 percent to 2,804.89.

Aerospace group Boeing (NYSE: BA; TYO: 7661) was $3.10 lower to $98.35 after it said that the first deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner aircraft will be delayed by half a year.

In the oil sector, Chevron (NYSE: CVX) dropped $1.89 to $90.92 after it said profits in the third quarter will be substantially below those in the previous quarter.

International Paper (NYSE: IP) was down 76 cents to $36.30 after it said it won’t earn as much as previously projected from land sales.

As the quarterly reporting period began, Alcoa (NYSE: AA) was fell $1.26 to $38.49 after it said that while profits were up by 3 percent, revenues in the quarter were lower.

There was good news, however, in the retail sector as Costco (NAS: COST) gained $5.26 to $68.70 on results that were better than had been anticipated.

Meanwhile, the National Association of Realtors issued a lowered forecast for the eighth time, saying that existing home sales will be down 10.8 percent from last year.

Wall Street was substantially lower in midday trade Friday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 1.56 percent lower to 13,155.25, while the Nasdaq Composite had dropped 1.86 percent to 2,565.73 and the S&P 500 was down 1.45 percent to 1,457.08.

The decline came after the Labor Department reported that there were 4,000 fewer jobs in August, the first time in 4 years that the number of jobs has dropped.

Some analysts believe that the new data seals the case for a drop in interest rates in September, even though the unemployment rate was reported to have remained at 4.6 percent.

Investors were also worried by comments from former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, who compared the current state of the markets to conditions ahead of the 1987 “Black Monday” crash.

There were declines in a variety of sectors.

General Motors (NYSE: GM) was $1.20 lower to $29.85 after Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) cut the auto maker’s target share price from $42 to $37 reduced its earnings estimates through 2009.

In a related sector, motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG) dropped $5 to $49.09 after it said its earnings will drop by 4 to 6 percent in 2007.

Aluminium producer Alcoa (NYSE: AA) was down $1.55 to $34.95, while chipmaker Intel fell 75 cents to $25.40.

There were some gainers on the session. Citigroup (NYSE: C) was up 19 cents to $45.85. Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) was up 1 cent to $54.67.

Wall Street was mixed in midday trade, with the S&P 500 poised to close at an all-time high.

At mid-session, the S&P was up 0.1 percent to 1,548.47.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was also higher, up 0.1 percent as well to 13,881.64 after going as high as a new record of 13,910.26.

On the other hand, the Nasdaq Composite had dropped 0.2 percent to 2,695.09, but was still up 1.1 percent for the week.

Despite the decline for the Nasdaq, Google (NAS: GOG; LSE: GGEA) and Apple (NAS: AAPL; LSE: ACP; FWB: APC) were both higher on the day, each adding 0.8 percent to $549.88 and $135.14 respectively.

Earlier in the session, both reached new all-time high share prices, with Google rising as high as $552.56 and Apple peaking at $135.46.

Deals in the metals sector sent both Alcoa (NYSE: AA) and Alcan (TSX: AL; NYSE: AL) higher on the week after Alcoa withdrew its bid for Alcan after Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO) submitted a higher bid.

With an announcement that it was resuming its suspended stock buyback program, Alcoa was trading at $47.39 on Friday, up 13.8 percent on the week.

There were also rumors that BHP Billiton (LSE: BLT; ASX: BHP; NYSE: BHP) could be readying a bid for Alcoa.

Meanwhile, Alcan added 12.9 percent on the week to trade at $97.65 at mid-session on Friday.

Manufacturer Energizer (NSYE: ENG) gained 9.7 percent on the week to $109.82 and Playtex (NYSE: PYX) was up 21 percent to $10 after Energizer said it would purchase Playtex, which manufactures consumer goods.

ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) was 4.8 percent higher to $90.57 on higher oil prices after it had set a new record high of $90.77 during the week.

Equities markets in New York saw gains at midday on Thursday.

The Dow Jones Industrial average had added 1.2 percent to 13,739.47 after having reached a new high at 13,744.92 earlier in the session, while the Nasdaq Composite was up 0.9 percent to 2,674.8 and the S&P 500 gained 0.9 percent as well, to 1,532.81.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, Merck (NYSE: MRK) added 2.4 percent to $50.09 on a broker upgrade.

On the other hand, biotechnology group Genentech (NYSE: DNA) dropped 1.9 percent to $74.46 even though it said its earnings were up by 41 percent in the second quarter.

The retail sector was mixed ahead of data on June sales, which will be released on Friday, but most were higher at mid-session.

The main exception was Macy’s (NYSE: M), which dropped 3.5 percent to $39 after it said that sales were slower than had been expected and reduced its earnings outlook for the second quarter.

Elsewhere in the sector, Wal-Mart (NSYE: WMT) added 2.1 percent to $48.70 after it said sales were up by 2.4 percent. JC Penney (NYSE: JCP) gained 3.2 percent to $73.46, while Target (NYSE: TGT) was up 3.7 percent to $68.01.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE: AEO) was 6.2 percent higher to $27.63 on a gain of 5.7 percent in same-store sales in June.

Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF) added 7.5 percent to $74.59.

Alcan (TSX: AL; NYSE: AL) was 10.6 percent higher to $99.05 after miner Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO) offered $38.1 billion in cash for the aluminium producer.

Rival Alcoa (NYSE: AA), which had also bid for Alcan but had that offer rejected, was up 7.4 percent to $45.55.

Bucking the global trend to losses on the session, Wall Street was higher at mid-day.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.46 percent to 13,564.21, while the Nasdaq Composite had added 0.38 percent to 2,649.17 and the S&P 500 gained 0.47 percent to 1,517.15.

Mergers and acquisitions were in focus as rumors surfaced that Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL) could be interested in purchasing Anglo-Dutch consumer goods manufacturer Unilever (NYSE: UN; LSE: ULVR; Euronext: UNA).

Colgate added 19 cents to $65.96, while Unilever was $1.45 higher to $34.56.

Aluminium producer Alcoa (NYSE: AA) added 62 cents to $42.28, the biggest gain on the Dow, on talk that its bid for Alcan (NSYE: AL; TSX: AL) could be challenged by a competing bid from Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO).

Alcan was up to $42.23.

Fast food operator Yum Brands (NYSE: YUM) added $1.37 to $34.17 on an upgrade from “neutral” to “buy” from UBS (NYSE: UBS; SWX: UBSN; TYO: 8657).

Yum was scheduled to release its quarterly results after the close of trade on the day.

Also due to report at the end of the session was Genentech (NYSE: DNA), which was even at $74.85 around mid-session.

In the oil sector, Chevron (NYSE: CVX) added $1.22 to $90.22 after a statement released after Tuesday’s close that it expects its quarterly results to benefit from higher prices and refining margins.

The New York equities markets were higher this week despite declines for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq by afternoon on Friday. The Dow was up 1.3 percent for the week, to 112,748.26, while the Nasdaq had added the same percentage, to 2,490.13 despite dropping 0.2 percent on the session to mid-afternoon. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 was 1.1 percent higher for the week to 1,453.27.

The numbers were helped in the latter half of the week by Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke’s comments before the US Congress, where he said that the nation’s economy continues to grow although at a more modest rate than previously. Investor sentiment took a downturn on Friday, however, after new data showed that fewer new homes were built in January than had been anticipated.

The Commerce Department figures on homebuilding sent the S&P Homebuilders index 0.6 percent lower, and DR Horton saw its shares drop 0.9 percent to $28.04.

The Nasdaq was hurt by comments from Mircosoft chief executive Steve Ballmer that analysts’ estimates of revenues to be gained from its new Windows Vista operating system were “overly aggressive”. Microsoft dropped 2.4 percent to $28.77, having now lost a total of 6.8 percent since Vista was launched.

Alcoa was 6.1 percent higher to $34.56 on the news that BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto were preparing separate bids for the aluminium producer. The news helped rival aluminium group Alcan add 5.3 percent to $54.53.

Bids speculation also helped Anheuser-Busch, which gained 2 percent to $51.04 on a report that it is talking merger with Belgium’s InBev.

The New York equities markets were mixed at midday on Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 were each 0.2 percent lower, to 12,396.81 and 1,409.64 respectively, while the Nasdaq Composite was 0.1 percent higher to 2,445.49.

The oil sector was sent lower by the slide in crude oil prices. Hess dropped 1.1 percent to $47.68, while ExxonMobil fell 1.4 percent to $71.05, and Chevron was 1.7 percent lower to $69.43 after it downgraded its earnings projections for the fourth quarter. ConocoPhillips was down 2.4 percent to $65.89 and Occidental Petroleum fell 3.1 percent to $42.32.

The computer sector was mixed. IBM dropped 1.9 percent to $98.14 on a broker downgrade, but Apple Computer gained 4.6 percent to $97.12 after reaching a new all-time high of $97.80 earlier in the session on excitement about Tuesday’s launch of its new iPhone.

Airlines were higher after US Airways upped its offer for Delta Air Lines to $10.2 billion. US Air added 1.7 percent to $58.86, while Delta was 5.4 percent higher to $1.37.

Aluminium producer Alcoa gained 4.2 percent to $29.71 after its fourth-quarter report showed a profit of 74 cents per share for the quarter, better than earlier estimates of 65 cents per share.

In early afternoon trade on Wall Street on Tuesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.35 percent lower to 12,380.23. The Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 were both lower as well, with the Nasdaq down 0.45 percent to 2,427.34 and the S&P down 0.40 percent to 1,407.12. Investors were worried after warnings from a number of companies that fourth-quarter results will not live up to expectations.

The oil sector was lower as crude prices fell again. ExxonMobil dropped 17 cents to $72.48, while Chevron was 55 cents lower to $70.90 and BP fell $1.83 to $62.46 on a report of falling output and narrower margins.

Alcoa, the world’s largest producer of aluminium, which was scheduled to announce its quarterly results after the close of trade, dropped 3 cents to $28.45 on concerns about the contents of the report, which is expected to show a proft of 66 cents per share.

Sprint Nextel, which said that results for 2007 will not be as high as anticipated, fell $2.03 to $17.61 and was the recipient of lowered recommendations from several brokers.

Apple Computer was $2.55 higher to $88.03 when Steve Jobs announced that its new iPhone will go into production, combining its iPod music player with a mobile telephone.

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 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.