Stocks Muster Gains; Nasdaq at 18-month High - CNNMoney.com -- Stocks managed gains Tuesday at the end of a choppy session as investors mulled the latest corporate deal and profit news on the anniversary of the bear-market bottom.

The Dow Jones industrial average added nearly 12 points, or 0.1%. The S&P 500 index added less than two points. Both closed at 6-week highs. A stock advance fizzled out Tuesday, one year after what many consider to be the bottom of the bear market.

Commercial and Multifamily Mortgages Outperforming Overall Bank Holdings -  Commercial and multifamily mortgages continue to have the lowest rates of charge-offs of any loan types at banks and thrifts and perform better than the overall loan portfolios at those institutions according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA).

The report states that 56 percent of the assets held by banks and thrifts at the end of 2009 consisted of loans and leases, a category that includes 1-4 family mortgages, home equity loans, credit cards and other consumer loans, commercial mortgages, multifamily mortgages, construction loans, and commercial and industrial loans.  One to four family residential loans constitute the largest part of this category of bank holdings at $1.9 trillion or 26 percent of the total; commercial and commercial mortgages represent another $1.1 trillion or 15 percent, and commercial and industrial loans $1.2 trillion or 17 percent.  Multifamily mortgages are a much smaller component at $211 billion or 3 percent of the portfolios but these are the only category of loan to have grown over the last year. 

Nasdaq at 18-Month Highs - CNNMoney.com -- Stocks ended little changed Monday, although the Nasdaq managed to close at an 18-month high, as investors weighed corporate deals, a stronger dollar and weaker commodity prices ahead of key economic news due later this week.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 14 points, or 0.1%. The S&P 500 index was little changed. Both ended the previous session at their highest levels since Jan. 20.
Stocks rallied Friday after a government report showed the economy lost fewer jobs in February than economists had expected.

But stocks drifted Monday as investors looked to a host of economic news due later in the week, including reports on state-by-state unemployment Wednesday, weekly jobless claims Thursday and retail sales Friday.

Treasurys Retreat in Wake of Supply Wave - CNNMoney.com -- Treasurys continued in a downward trend Monday as investors anticipate a major boost in supply this week. The government will launch multibillion-dollar auctions of Treasurys starting Tuesday.
What prices are doing: The benchmark 10-year note fell 9/32 to 99-9/32 and its yield rose to 3.72%. Bond prices and yields move in opposite directions.

The 30-year bond fell 18/32 to 99-4/32 and its yield rose to 4.68%. The 2-year note remained flat at 99-31/32 with a yield of 0.90%. The 5-year note fell 3/32 to 100-2/32 with a yield of 2.365%.

Dow Positive For 2010 - CNNMoney.com -- Stocks ended a volatile session higher Thursday as investors welcomed improved retail sales and a report showing that the pace of job losses is slowing, ahead of Friday's big government employment report.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 47 points, or 0.5%. The S&P 500 index added 4 points or 0.4% and the Nasdaq composite gained 11 points or 0.5%.

The strong dollar dragged on dollar-traded commodities as well as on shares of companies that do a lot of business overseas, and therefore benefit from a weaker dollar.

Treasurys Mixed Ahead of Jobs Report - CNNMoney.com -- Investors shifted money from short-term to longer term Treasurys Thursday as they digested a mildly positive report on unemployment claims and tensions eased over Greece's debt.

What prices are doing: The benchmark 10-year note was up 5/32 to 100-6/32 and its yield fell to 3.60% from 3.62%. Showing even stronger growth than the 10-year note, the 30-year bond rose 17/32 to 101-5/32 and its yield dropped to 4.56%.

Bond prices and yields move in opposite directions.

Meanwhile, notes at the shorter end of the curve dropped. The 2-year note fell 3/32 to 100-1/32 with a yield of 2.28%. The 5-year note fell 1/32 to 100-16/32 with a yield of 2.28%

Unemployment Claims Drop - The number of Americans filing for initial unemployment insurance fell last week, the government said Thursday.

There were 469,000 initial jobless claims filed in the week ended Feb. 27, the lowest level since Jan. 9 and down 29,000 from a revised 498,000 the previous week, the Labor Department said in a weekly report.

A consensus estimate of economists surveyed by Briefing.com expected new claims to drop to 470,000.

The 4-week moving average of initial claims was 470,750, down 3,500 from the previous week's revised average of 474,250.