Wall Street was lower after the Institute of Supply Management’s non-manufacturing index, which fell from 55.8 in August to 54.8 last month, showed that the service sector’s expansion slowed in September.

In addition, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported that applications for mortgages were down by 2.7 percent in the week ending 28 September.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.29 percent to 14,006.67 in early afternoon trade, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.16 percent to 2,742.6 and the S&P 500 fell 0.2 percent to 1,543.46.

The airlines sector saw gains as crude oil prices hovered around the $80 per barrel level.

UAL Corp. (NAS: UAUA), the parent company of United Airlines, was up 83 cents to $49.62, while Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) was 51 cents higher to $35.73 and Northwest Airlines (NYSE: NWA) added 35 cents to $18.49 after Bear Stearns (NYSE: BSC) rated it at “outperform” and assigned a target share price of $23 by the end of next year.

Automakers were mixed after September sales numbers were down over the sector.

General Motors (NYSE: GM) added 80 cents to $37.85 after it said sales were flat last month.

Ford Motor (NYSE: F) dropped 1 cent to $8.56 on its report that sales were down by 21 percent in September, mostly due to a large cut in the number of cars it sold to car rental agencies.

US-listed shares of Toyota Motor (TYO: 7203.T; NYSE: TM; LSE: TYT) were $2.03 lower to $116.20 as its sales were down by 4 percent in September.

Wall Street was higher in midday trade as investors remained enthusiastic about the interest rate cut issued by the Federal Reserve last week and ahead of home sales data and a regional manufacturing survey due later in the week.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.14 percent to 13,839.94, while the Nasdaq Composite had added 0.53 percent to 2,685.51 and the S&P 500 was 0.71 percent higher to 1,526.46.

Carmakers were higher even though the United Auto Workers initiated a strike against General Motors (NYSE: GM).

GM gained 17 cents to $35.10, while Ford Motor (NYSE: F) was up 22 cents to $8.45 after its CEO said that it is talking with possible buyers for its Land Rover and Jaguar brands.

Technology shares were higher.

Apple (NAS: AAPL; LSE: ACP; FWB: APC) hit an all-time high of $149.85 and was trading $4.85 higher to $149 just past midday.

Internet search engine Google (NAS: GOOG; LSE: GGEA) also reached a new record high share price of $571.46 and was trading at $567.96 later in the session, a gain of $7.86.

Microsoft, meanwhile, was 83 cents higher to $29.48 ahead of the release of its “Halo 3” video game, due Tuesday.

Shares of solar power-related companies were higher as a solar power conference opened in Long Beach, California.

SunPower Corp (NAS: SPWR) added $2.14 to $86.01 on positive comment, while Power-One Inc. (NAS: PWER) gained 25 cents to $4.92 after it introduced a new photovoltaic inverter for large commercial solar systems.

New York markets were higher at midday on Thursday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 1.09 percent higher to 13,436.59, while the Nasdaq Composite had added 0.48 percent to 2,604.51 and the S&P 500 had gained 0.96 percent to 1,485.69.

Investor confidence was enhanced after Countrywide Financial (NSYE: CFC) said it has managed to secure $12 billion in credit, making it less likely that it would fall to the subprime crisis.

The Dow was up on gains in the fast food and automobile manufacturing sectors.

General Motors (NYSE: GM) and Ford Motor (NYSE: F) were both up after United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger said he might okay a union-run trust fund for employee health care.

Ford added 34 cents to $7.85, while GM gained $2.38 to $32.62.

In the retail sector, Target (NYSE: TGT) was $1.37 higher to $64.09 after it said it would look at whether it will keep $7 billion in credit card receivables.

Fast food chain McDonald’s was up $2.94 to $54.14 after it said it would up its dividend by 50 percent.

Decliners on the day included chipmaker Intel (NAS: INTC; SEHK: 4335), which dropped 12 cents to $25.34 and media empire Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS), down 5 cents to $33.67.

The New York markets were up in early afternoon trade on Tuesday.

At just past 1 p.m. local time the Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.43 percent higher to 13,415.21, while the Nasdaq Composite ha added 1.2 percent to 2,627.62 and the S&P 500 was up 0.9 percent to 1,4878.2.

The automobile manufacturing sector was higher even though Ford Motor (NYSE: F) said that sales were 14.4 percent lower in August, worse than the 13.2 percent decline that analysts had anticipated.

Car sales were down 33.7 percent while truck sales were 2.4 percent lower overall.

Still, Ford was up 9 cents to $7.90, while General Motors added 40 cents to $31.14.

A little earlier, at midday, the semiconductors sector was up on an upgrade for Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) and on a report from the Semiconductor Industry Association that said global chip sales were up 2.2 percent in July.

AMD was 29 cents higher to $13.29 after Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS; NYSE: CSGN) raised its recommendation on the chipmaker from “underperform“ to “neutral“.

Intel (NAS: INTC; SEHK: 4335) had gained 55 cents to $26.30, while Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) added $1.14 to $35.38.

Apple (NAS: AAPL) added $4.96 to $143.44 on a report that its iPhone sold better than all other smart phones in the US in July.

In the internet sector, Yahoo (NAS: YHOO) was up $1.31 to $24.04 after Bear Stearns (NYSE: BSC) named it a top pick.

Wall Street was mixed in early afternoon trade in New York Tuesday as investors waited for the US Federal Reserve to issue its latest decision on interest rates before committing to anything serious.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.03 percent lower to 13,464.88, while the Nasdaq Composite had dropped 0.09 percent to 2,544.98 but the S&P 500 had added 0.19 percent to 1,470.52.

In addition to the expected rate decision, investors were also looking at new data from the Labor Department that showed productivity was up by 1.8 percent on an annualized basis in the spring quarter.

Among those reporting quarterly results, Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) added 40 cents to $18.30 even though it said profits were down in the second quarter.

Cisco Systems (NAS: CSCO; SEHK: 4333) dropped 13 cents to $29.37 ahead of a quarterly report that was due after the close of trade on the session.

Hurting the Dow were Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT), which was 42 cents lower to $80.58 and aerospace group Boeing (NYSE: BA), which fell $1.32 to $103.02.

Carmakers saw gains.

Ford Motor (NYSE: F) had added 6 cents to $8.25, while General Motors (NYSE: GM) was up 58 cents to $33.03.

Financial services were higher. Citigroup (NYSE: C) was 15 cents higher to $48.50 and Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) added 40 cents to $48.56, while Merrill Lynch (NYSE: MER; TYO: 8675) gained $1.28 to $75.83 and Goldman Sachs was $3.42 higher to $75.83.

Trading was volatile on Wall Street during the session on Wednesday.

At just past midday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 were all slightly higher, but by just before 2 p.m. New York time the Nasdaq Composite was down 0.32 percent to 2,538.06 and the S&P 500 had dropped 0.18 percent to 1,452.71.

The Dow remained slightly higher, up 0.14 percent to 13,229.95.

At one point, home builder Beazer Homes (NYSE: BZH) had dropped over 40 percent to $8.24 on reports that it had or would shortly file for bankruptcy.

Even though Beazer denied the rumors, it remained 16.37 percent lower to $11.65 in early afternoon trade.

The reports hurt other homebuilders as well and at one point WCI Communities (NYSE: WCI) had dropped 14 percent to $7.59 and Hovnanian Enterprises (NYSE: HOV) was 16 percent lower to $11.12.

In the automobile manufacturing sector, Ford Motor (NYSE: F) was 1.3 percent lower to $8.39 after it said that sales in the US dropped in July.

Even though it reported higher profits in the most recent quarter, Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT) fell 0.9 percent to $32.45.

On the other hand, quarterly results that were better than expected when they were announced after trade closed on Tuesday sent Whole Foods (NAS: WFMI) 7.4 percent higher to $39.77.

Wall Street suffered big losses in early afternoon trade on Thursday.

At just past 1:30 p.m. in New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 290 points, or 2.11 percent, to 13,494.46, while the Nasdaq Composite had lost 2.32 percent to 2,586.65 and the S&P 500 was 2.35 percent lower to 1,482.47.

The declines were largely fallout from more bad news on the housing market and on higher oil prices.

The Commerce Department released new data showing that new home sales were down 6.6 percent in June to an annualized rate of 834,000 units.

Homebuilders declined on the new figures.

DR Horton (NYSE: DHI) was 3.03 percent lower to $16.95, while Beazer Homes (NYSE: BZH) was down 11.21 percent to $15.13 and WCI Communities Inc (NYSE: WCI) had fallen 20.67 per cent to $8.98 by early afternoon.

Banks were also lower, feeling the effect of the ongoing concerns over the subprime mortgage sector.

Bank of America (NYSE: BAC; TYO: 8648) was down 80 cents to $47.13, while JP Morgan Chase (NYSE: JPM; TYO: 8634) dropped $1.51 to $43.76, Citigroup (NYSE: C) was $1.95 lower to $47.26 and Merrill Lynch (NYSE: MER; TYO: 8675) fell $3.57 to $74.53.

At the same time of day there were a few gainers.

Ford Motor (NYSE: F) had added 25 cents to $8.22 on a report that it had returned to profit in the second quarter, while consumer goods group Procter & Gamble (NSYE: PG) was 52 cents higher to $63.50.

On the Nasdaq, Amazon.com (NAS: AMZN) was 16 cents higher to $86.34, while Apple (NAS: AAPL) had gained $8.09 to $145.35.

Because of the big losses on the day, the New York Stock Exchange imposed trading curbs aimed at stopping large-block sales when shares are falling.

Wall Street was lower in midday trade on Tuesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average 0.22 percent lower to 13,619.81.

The Nasdaq Composite had dropped 0.36 percent to 2,660.48, while the S&P 500 was down 0.44 percent to 1,525.12.

An already unsettled market was looking forward to a speech by Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke, in which he was expected to make comments that could indicate a coming rise in interest rates based on concerns about inflation.

In addition, the dollar hit a new historic low against the euro. Several companies issued outlooks that were less than comforting.

For example, Home Depot (NYSE: HD) said that its earnings will be lower than had been hoped this year, at least partly due to slowdowns in the housing market.

Despite that negative report, Home Depot added 44 cents to $40.67.

Sears (NAS: SHLD) was not so lucky, dropping $15.09 to $156.32 after it said that sales have been weak in appliances as well as for other products.

Elsewhere in the retail sector, discount retailer Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) fell 84 cents to $47.66.

Among house builders, DR Horton (NYSE: DHR) was 52 cents lower to $19.27 after it said that orders were down in its fiscal third quarter from the same period a year ago and that it expects the market to “remain challenging”.

Gainers on the day included Pepsi Bottling Group (NYSE: PBG), which saw share prices rise $1.71 to $36.14 after it raised its full-year outlook.

Carmakers were also higher after JP Morgan (NYSE: JPM; TYO: 8634) issued upgrades to both Ford (NYSE: F) and General Motors (NYSE: GM).

Ford added 16 cents to $9.24, while GM was 91 cents higher to $37.68.

On Wall Street on Tuesday markets were higher ahead of the Independence Day holiday. At mid-session, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had added 0.27 percent to 13,571.45, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.35 percent to 2,641.41 and the S&P 500 was 0.26 percent higher to 1,523.43.

New data from the Commerce Department showed that factory orders were down only 0.5 percent in May, less than the 1 percent drop that had been expected by most analysts.

Carmakers were lower, however, after Ford Motor (NSYE: F) said that sales had dropped in June on less demand for cars. Sales were down for cars, while light truck sales were up slightly. Ford was down 23 cents to $9.41. General Motors (NYSE: GM) was also lower, falling 22 cents to $37.80.

In a related sector, Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT), which makes heavy equipment for construction and agriculture, was down $2.60 to $77.85 on a broker downgrade.

Elsewhere, food processor Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT) dropped 85 cents to $34.68 after it said that it had offered for part of French food group Groupe Danone.

Computer makers were mixed. Apple (NAS: APPL; LSE: ACP; FWB: APC) added $5.26 to $126.52, while Dell (NAS: DELL; SEHK: 4331) dropped 28 cents to $28.65.

Wall Street was lower in early afternoon trade on Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.21 percent to 12,133.64, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.16 percent to 2,375 and the S&P 500 was 0.15 percent lower to 1,390.15. All three indices were headed for losses on the week, as well. Much of the heavy trade volumes had to do with the quarterly expiration of stock index and single stock futures as well as stock index and stock options.

Investment banks took losses on the week even though they have recently reported results that are better than had been anticipated. Lehman Brothers (NYSE: LEH), hurt by its exposure to the subprime mortgage sector, looked to be ready to end the week 5.8 percent lower to $71.44 after being down by 10 percent at one point on Tuesday. Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) was 1.2 percent lower to $199.21.

Retailers were down on the week, as well. Wal-Mart (NYSE WMT) dropped 2.7 percent to $46.13 as it withdrew its application to operate a bank. Target (NYSE: TGT) fell 3.9 percent to $59.49.

US carmakers also saw declines. Ford Motor was 4.7 percent lower to $7.56, while General Motors (NYSE: GM) dropped 4.8 percent to $29.50. GM’s decline came despite fourth quarter profits and revenues, as investors worried about how a possible slowdown in the economy would affect sales.

Dow Chemical (NYSE: DOW) added 5 percent to $45.17 on rumors that it was looking to enter a joint venture with Reliance Industries (NSE: RELIANCE) of India.

The Chicago Board of Trade (NYSE: BOT) was up 12.8 percent to $190.50 after the Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE) made an unsolicited bid just as CBOT was about to complete a merger with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (NYSE: CME).