New York markets were higher at midday on Monday on investor hopes that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates again when it meets later this week.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.31 percent higher at mid-session, at 13,849.45, while the Nasdaq Composite was up 0.23 percent to 2,810.73 and the S&P 500 had added 0.24 percent to 1,538.95.

The oil sector was also higher after crude oil hit a new record high at $93.20 early in the session.

Chevron (NYSE: CVX) was up 1.6 percent to $93.11, while ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) gained almost 2 percent to $93.91.

Gains in oil prices also sent shares in solar power-related companies higher.

China Sunergy was up 21 percent to $11.07, while Suntech Power Holdings (NYSE: STP) gained 9.1 percent to $60.16 and LDK Solar (NYSE: LDK) was up 8.4 percent to $41.08.

In the computers sector , Dell (NAS: DELL) added 2.6 percent to $29.72 on an upgrade from Goldman Sachs.

In the retail sector, consumer electronics chain Radio Shack (NYSE: RSH) was up 5.8 percent to $20.75 after reporting a profit in the most recent quarter.

Wall Street was lower at midday on Friday as quarterly reports from various sectors disappointed.

The Dow Jones Industrial average was down 1.27 percent to 13,713.05, while the Nasdaq Composite had fallen 1.14 percent to 2,767.32 and the S&P 500 was down 1.12 percent to 1,522.82.

The exception to the generally poor quarterly reports was Google (NAS: GOOG; LSE: GGEA), which added $11.72 to $651.34 after it said profits were up by 46 percent in the third quarter.

Elsewhere, manufacturer 3M (NYSE: MMM) dropped $6.25 to $88.48 even though profits were up 7 percent in the quarter and it raised its full-year forecast after sales did not live up to expectations.

Construction equipment manufacturer Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) was down $2.85 to $74.81 after it lowered its full-year outlook even though profits were up 21 percent in the quarter.

In the banking sector, Wachovia (NYSE: WB) reported that profits were down 10 percent in the third quarter, sending shares 83 cents lower to $47.31 at mid-session.

ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) was down 1.1 percent to $93.99.

Stocks were higher on Wall Street in midday trade as the Commerce Department reported that the US trade deficit dropped 2.4 percent in August to $57.6 billion from its July level.

In addition, the Labor Department said that new unemployment claims fell to 308,000 last week, a drop of 12,000 from the previous week.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.53 percent higher at mid-session to 14,152.99 after rising to a new record of 14,181.36.

The Nasdaq Composite was 0.56 percent higher to 2,827.37, while the S&P 500 was up 0.59 percent to 1,751.71 after rising to a record 1,573.47.

In the retail sector, Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) added $1.61 to $47.20 after it issued an improved earnings estimate for the third quarter, saying it will record earnings of between 66 and 69 cents per share, from an earlier prediction of 62 to 65 cents per share.

With a gain in same-store sales, clothing retailer Aeropostale (NYSE: ARO) gained $2.11 to $22.02, while TJX Companies (NYSE: TJX), which owns T. J. Maxx and Marshalls stores, was $1.63 higher to $31.29 after it said same-store sales were up 2 percent in September.

Limited Brands (NYSE: LTD) added 76 cents to $22.34 even though it said it suffered a drop of 4 percent in same-store sales in September.

J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP) dropped $3.22 to $64.78 on same-store sales that were much worse than had been anticipated, causing the clothing retailer to reduce its third quarter estimate.

Elsewhere, the oil sector saw gains after prices rose on a report that crude oil stockpiles dropped more than expected last week.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) was up 44 cents to $87.17, while ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) added 80 cents to $93.93.

Wall Street was lower in midday trade on light action due to the Columbus Day holiday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.4 percent to 14,015.77, while the Nasdaq Composite was down 0.3 percent to 2,772.26 and the S&P 500 fell 0.5 percent to 1,549.37 ahead of third-quarter results reporting, which begins Tuesday.

Aluminium group Alcoa (NYSE: AA) is scheduled to report first.

ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) was down 1.1 percent to $90.39 after crude oil prices fell nearly $2 per barrel in morning trade, while Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY) was $1.22 lower to $65.19 on an analyst downgrade.

In the mining sector, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (NYSE: FCX) dropped $3.36 to $107.30 on declining copper prices.

In the financial services sector, Merrill Lynch (NYSE: MER) fell $2.07 to $74.60 after it said it lost $5 billion on investments related to mortgages and buyout financing, earning it downgrades to “neutral” from both JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM; TYO: 8634) and Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS; SWX: CSGN).

Google (NAS: GOOG; LSE: GGEA) was up 1 percent to $599.80 after reaching a new record of $601.45 earlier in the session.

Wall Street was lower in early afternoon trade on Friday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.1 percent lower to 13,898.88 at just past 1 p.m. in New York, while the Nasdaq Composite had dropped 0.22 percent to 2,703.63 and the S&P 500 was down 0.23 percent to 1,527.89.

The Commerce department reported that personal spending was up 0.6 percent in August, more than expected even though incomes were only 0.3 percent higher, less than had been anticipated.

Banks saw declines after the overnight rate banks charge each other to borrow money increased.

Citigroup (NYSE: C) fell 21 cents to $46.67, while Bank of America (NYSE: BAC; TYO: 8648) was down 37 cents to $50.23 and JP Morgan Chase (NYSE: JPM; TYO: 8634) was 53 percent lower to $45.68.

The oil sector also saw losses.

ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) dropped 24 cents to $92.73, while ConocoPhillips and Chevron each fell 32 cents, to $87.64 and $93.21 respectively.

The retail sector was mixed.

While discount retailer Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) added 17 cents to $43.78, home improvement retailer Home Depot (NYSE: HD) dropped 18 cents to $32.58.

Consumer electronics retailer Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) was down 36 cents to $45.84, while closeouts and overstocks retailer Big Lots (NYSE: BIG) was $1.16 lower to $29.94.

New York markets were higher just after noon on Friday, helped by news from the tech and oil sectors.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.79 percent higher to 13,874.90, while the Nasdaq Composite had added 0.92 percent to 2,678.64 and the S&P 500 had gained 0.8 percent to 1,530.89.

Trade was light as some were celebrating the Yom Kippur holiday. Software maker Oracle (NAS: ORCL) was up 89 cents to $21.93, it’s best in six and a half years, on a report that profits were up by 25 percent in its fiscal first quarter and the sale of new software licenses had risen by 35 percent.

In the semiconductors sector, Texas Instruments (NSYE: TXN) gained $1.23 to $37 on an increased dividend and expanded share buyback program.

Internet search engine Google (NAS: GOOG; LSE: GGEA) added $7.96 to $560.79, a new record high.

Persistently high oil prices sent shares in oil companies higher.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP), was 63 cents higher to $89.03, while Chevron (NYSE: CVX) gained 91 cents to $95.07 and ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) added 93 cents to $93.02.

The New York markets were up in early afternoon trade.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.52 percent higher to 13,374.73, while the Nasdaq Composite had added 0.23 percent to 2,612.03 and the S&P 500 was 0.33 percent higher to 1,477.21.

Retailers were higher after Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), JC Penney (NYSE: JCP), and Target (NYSE: TGT) all said sales were higher than had been expected.

Wal-Mart added 1 percent to $42.86, while JC Penney gained 0.64 percent to $65.99 and Target was 2.13 percent higher to $63.20.

The pharmaceuticals/biotechnology sector was up on new figures and a court ruling.

Merck (NYSE: MRK) added 2.2 percent to $50.50 after the New Jersey Supreme Court reversed a lower court ruling that allowed insurers looking for reimbursement for past spending on Vioxx to claim class-action status.

Meanwhile Biogen Idec (NAS: BIIB) was 7 percent higher to $67.26 on a long-term earnings forecast that was higher than analysts had anticipated.

The oil sector was mixed even though crude oil prices were higher. ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) added 1 percent to $88.07 and ConocoPhillips was up 1.8 percent to $83.62, but Valero Energy (NYSE: VLO) dropped 1.25 percent to $70.09 a day after it said it would raise capital spending in order to make improvements at several refineries in the United States and Canada.

Wall Street was higher in early afternoon trade Wednesday as investors hunted bargains after Tuesday’s big declines.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.85 percent to 13,152.73, while the Nasdaq Composite was 1.03 percent higher to 2,526.49 and the S&P 500 gained 0.94 percent to 1,445.83.

The oil sector was higher after the US Energy Information Administration reported that crude oil and gasoline inventories both fell more last week than had been anticipated.

ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) was $1.25 higher to $84.25, while ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) added $1.63 to $80.44 and Chevron (NYSE: CVX) gained $1.77 to $86.07.

The retail sector also saw gains after companies at both ends of the spectrum revised their outlooks in a positive direction.

Closeout and overstock retailer Big Lots (NYSE: BIG) was up $2 to $28.30, while upscale housewares, cooking utensils and food retailer Williams Sonoma (NYSE: WSM) gained $2.58 percent to $32.15.

Elsewhere among retailers, discount retailer Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) added 27 cents to $43.67, while home improvement retailer Home Depot (NYSE: HD) was $1.13 higher to $36.18.

Fabrics and crafts retailer Jo-Ann Stores (NYSE: JAS) was up $2.16 to $24.40.

The New York equities markets were up in midday trade.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.51 percent higher to 13,302.95, while the Nasdaq had added 0.55 percent to 2,555.8 and the S&P 500 was up 0.51 percent as well, to 1,469.92.

With crude oil prices higher, the oil sector saw gains.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) was 87 cents higher to $80.27, while ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) added $1.24 to $84.99, Chevron (NYSE: CVX) was up $1.41 to $86.89 and Valero Energy (NYSE: VLO) had gained $1.60 to $67.87.

New data on new home sales left the house building sector mixed. The Commerce Department reported that new home sales were up 2.8 percent in July after having dropped by 4 percent in June.

While the report seemed to ease fears that the housing slump could send the US economy into a recession, the fact remained that the sale of new homes was still 10.2 percent behind July sales last year.

Centex Corp (NYSE: CTX) added 16 cents to $32.02 after the report was issued, but Lennar (NYSE: LEN) dropped 3 cents to $29.96, Beazer (NYSE: BZH) was down 14 cents to $10.10 and Pulte Homes (NYSE: PHM) fell 23 cents to $17.36.

Clothing retailers were mixed on quarterly reports.

Gap (NYSE: GPS) added $1.03 to $18.43 after it said its earnings were up 19 percent and announced a share buyback worth $1.5 billion, but Aeropostale (NYSE: ARO) dropped 66 cents to $22.46 after its results didn’t meet analyst expectations.

Wall Street was higher in early afternoon trade Tuesday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.04 percent higher to 13,126.39, while the Nasdaq Composite had added 0.48 percent to 2,520.55 and the S&P 500 was up 0.25 percent to 1,449.22.

The oil sector declined as oil prices fell below $70 per barrel in New York as Hurricane Dean weakened with no lasting damage to oil production facilities in the Gulf of Mexico.

Chevron (NYSE: CVX) was 20 cents lower to $84.69, while ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) dropped $1.21 to $78.65 and ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) fell $1.28 to $83.25.

The declining oil prices sent AMR (NYSE: AMR), the parent company of American Airlines, $1.34 higher to $23.55.

Most banks were higher after Senate Banking Committee Chairman and Democratic presidential candidate Christopher Dodd said after a meeting with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson that that Mr. Bernanke said that he was willing to do whatever necessary to calm the markets.

This led some analysts to speculate that there will soon be a cut in US interest rates.

While JP Morgan Chase (NYSE: JPM; TYO: 8634) was 1 cent lower to $46.48, Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) had added 31 cents to $62.97, Merrill Lynch (NYSE: MER; TYO: 8675) was up 74 cents to $75.64 and Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) had gained $3.74 to $176.50.

The telecommunications sector was also higher.

Sprint-Nextel (NYSE: S) was 15 cents higher to $18.41, while AT&T (NYSE: T) had added 46 cents to $39.11.