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A down day for stocks Monday, sparked by the disappointing start in holiday sales. All the major markets finished lower with the Nasdaq dropping to the most, ending its winning streak. Oil prices finally snapped their losing streak and were up big in today's trading. Crude futures rose more than 4% to settle at $69 a barrel. The rally in oil leaked over to other commodities. Gold futures reclaimed the $1200 mark for the first time in more than a year. Moody's downgrade of Japan added to the demand for the safe haven. Stocks related to the precious metal shined. Goldcorp (GG), Barrick Gold (ABX) and Newmont Mining (NEM) were all big gainers in the session. Best Buy (BBY) was just one of the many retailers that investors punished for a lackluster kick-off to the holiday shopping season. Shares were down about 5.5%. Telsa (TSLA) was down more than 5% on reports BMW is not interested in buying a stake in the electric car maker.

Stocks were off their lows but still treading lower in midday trading Monday on the worrisome start to the holiday shopping season. The ISM index showed factory activity in the U.S. slowed in November coming in slightly below expectations. Amazon (AMZN) is being closely watched as it trades lower on this Cyber Monday. Big box retailers like Walmart (WMT) and Target (TGT) are both in the red as they try to make up online what they missed in Black Friday sales. Shares of department stores are also declining led by JC Penney (JCP), which is down more than 5%. Kohl's (KSS) and Macy's (M) are following the trend across the retail industry. Apple (AAPL) is dropping, which could be a concern of a weak start in the holiday shopping season. The tech giant is also dealing with hundreds of iPhone 6 customers experiencing their phone's front-facing 'selfie' camera not working properly.

Traders are back from the Thanksgiving holiday and in a selling mood at the opening bell on this Monday. Stock were lower after being hit with a slew of negative data including slowing factory activity in China. More bad news came from Asia when Moody's cut Japan's credit rating. The agency says it doubts if Japan will be able to meet its economic goals. This cyber Monday is expected to have fewer online shoppers. Storefront retailers had a lackluster Thanksgiving shopping weekend. The National Retail Federation says retail spending fell 11% for the second straight year. Stocks are also sliding on dropping oil prices. OPEC's decision to keep production levels is weighing on the already pressured commodity.

Stocks held at the flatline in midday trading Wednesday with no big moves being made on Wall Street. Trading is at light volume as investors head into the Thanksgiving holiday. The University of Michigan sentiment index was up in October from the month before but still came in below expectations at 88.8. Pending home sales surprisingly dropped 1.1% percent in October. Sales of new single-family homes rose for a third straight month but still came in below expectations at 458,000 units. Shares of Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) are soaring above 4%, a day after it reported Q4 sales declined. Deere (DE) is slightly lower on disappointing sales projections for its farm-equipment. Hertz (HTZ) is giving up earlier gains. The stock spiked on Carl Icahn raising his stake in the car rental company. The activist investor was pleased with the moves at the top tweeting, 'the company hired an excellent CEO.'

U.S. stocks are pretty much flat at the opening bell on this Wednesday. Investors are chewing on a ton of fresh economic data this morning ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. The number of people filing for initial unemployment benefits rose above 300,000 for the first time since early September hitting 313,000. Continuing claims fell to a near 14-year low at 2.32 million for the week ended November 15. Durable goods orders unexpectedly rose in October. Orders for items meant to last at least three years increased 0.4% in October. Consumer spending also rebounded last month. Personal spending and income both rose 0.2%. Mortgage activity slowed last week. The Mortgage Bankers Association said total applications dropped 4.3%. Refinancing fell 4% and purchasing loans was down 5% from the previous week.

The Dow Jones Industrial and S&P 500 slipped to close slightly lower but still near record highs Tuesday. Already falling oil prices dropped another 2.2%. Crude futures for January delivery settled just above $74 a barrel. Energy was by far the worst performing sector. Exxon (XOM) and Chevron (CVX) both weighed on the blue chips. Airlines rose on falling fuel prices. Delta (DAL) and American Airlines (AAL) both gained in the session. Investors walked away from Sotheby's (BID) after finding out the auctioneer's outgoing CEO is eligible for a $4 million severance payment. But luxury jeweler Tiffany (TIF) sparkled. Shares rose nearly 2.5% despite missing earnings. Investors focused more on its same-store sales growth beating expectations.

After a strong open on an upward GDP surprise, U.S. stocks scaled back and dipped in and out of the red in midday trading Tuesday. Investors are tempering their earlier excitement on the economy after the latest reading on consumer confidence declined to 88.7 in November from 94.1. Tech stocks are making moves in the session including BlackBerry (BBRY). Shares are up more than 1% as the company goes directly after Apple's iPhone. BlackBerry is offering up to $550 dollars to iPhone 6 users, who trade-in their devices for a Passport. Apple's (AAPL) market cap broke $700 billion, doubling under CEO Tim Cook. But another tech executive is under fire for misfiring a tweet and blasting it for all to see. Twitter's (TWTR) CFO Anthony Noto tweeted, 'I still think we should buy them. He is on your schedule for Dec 15 or 16 -- we still need to sell him. I have a plan.' He quickly deleted the tweet. No word on who the message was meant for and what deal they are hoping to seal.

Stocks were higher at the opening bell on this Tuesday after Q3 GDP posted a surprise jump to 3.9% from an initial reading of 3.5%. Home prices decelerated in September. The S&P/Case-Shiller index was up 4.9%, down from 5.9% in August but better than estimates of 4.6%. Tiffany (TIF) is up sharply in early trading despite missing its earnings. The luxury jeweler, however reported same-store sales spiked and is standing by its full year guidance. Earnings results are pushing shares of Hormel (HRL) lower. The maker of Spam and other canned meat products fell short of profit estimates and gave a disappointing 2015 forecast.

Record high closes for the Dow Jones and the S&P Monday. After swaying in and out of positive territories, the blue chips managed to close in the green. Crude futures for January delivery dropped $0.84. Lower gasoline prices had investors wishing more money in consumer pockets will lead to increase in holiday sales. Retailers including Macy's (M), Best Buy (BBY) and Gap (GPS) were all up in the session. Shares of United Technologies (UTX) fell on news its CEO unexpectedly quit. Year-to-date, the stock is down nearly 4.5%. No reason yet on why the sudden retirement. Lion Gate Entertainment (LGF) fell short of expectations for its third installment of Hunger Games. Ticket sales tallied at $123 million on its debut weekend. Some familiar names reporting earnings Tuesday include Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Tiffany (TIF) and Campbell Soup (CPB).

U.S. stocks were mostly higher on confidence in the global economy in Monday's midday trading. Investors are cheering supportive actions from central banks in China and Europe. The consumer services sector is currently the best performing in the session. Even recent laggards like JC Penney (JCP) and Urban Outfitters (URBN) are up more than 5%. The U.S. services sector grew slower than expected in November. Markit's Purchasing Managers Index came in below expectations and at its lowest reading since April. Telecoms are having a rough trading day. AT&T (T) and Verizon (VZ) are the Dow component's biggest decliners. Apple (AAPL) got its price target raised at Susquehanna to $135. The tech giant is up about 1%.

U.S. markets started this shortened trading week higher. This week will kick off the holiday shopping season. The National Retail Federation is predicting retail sales will be up 4.1% this year. PNC Asset Management (PNC) is forecasting holiday sales could be up as high as 4.5%. In his weekly note, Chief Investment Strategist Bill Stone said lower gas prices 'will put an estimated $39 billion back in shoppers' pockets this year.' Tesla's (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk told a German publication, his company is in talks with BMW about working together on a possible collaboration involving batteries and other parts. Shares of Intel (INTC) are rising in early trading after Barron's said the stock could jump more than 30% over the next two years.

USG Corp. has burned Warren Buffett before -- the Oracle of Omaha ate it in 2000, after his bet on the drywall materials company went sour along with the housing market. He timed things better in 2008, using a loan to boost his position in the company, now one of the 15 biggest in his portfolio at $1 billion. USG is topping revenue projections but missing on quarterly earnings reports, which has kept shares around the breakeven mark this year and down on the last six months. But a boost in construction in 2015 could take this bet over the top for Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio.

Stocks were off their highs in midday trading Friday after a strong start but are still at record levels. Dow Industrials are gaining in the triple digits. Energy and material sectors are leading the markets. Shares of Nabors (NBR) and Halliburton (HAL) are both up better than 3%. Caterpillar (CAT) is the blue chip's best performer, rising more than 4%. Changes at the top are leading Sotheby's (BID) and Hertz (HTZ) to the upside. Sotheby's is soaring after its CEO said he will step down from the auction house. Hertz investors are also welcoming a new CEO, who is replacing a resignation in September. Foot Locker (FL) is losing its footing and dropping despite posting better-than-expected earnings before the bell.

A big rally on Wall Street at the Opening Bell on Friday as U.S. stocks take the cue from gains in Europe and Asian. The Dow Jones Industrial is up more than 100 points. The People's Bank of China cut its benchmark interest rates for the first time in more than two years. China's moves follow the European Central Bank's steps to add stimulus. The ECB said it has started buying asset-backed securities. European markets also gained after ECB's president Mario Draghi reiterated dovish comments. The Gap (GPS) is falling after reporting weakening sales. The parent company of Old Navy and Banana Republic also cut its earnings outlook for the year. AT&T (T) will pay California $52 million dollars as part of a settlement involving illegal dumping of hazardous waste.

Stocks brushed off earlier worries on global slowdown to finish higher Thursday. The Dow and S&P 500 hit a record close as investors decided to focus more on positive economic data at home. Energy was today's best performing sector with Newfield Exploration (NFX) helping to lead the way, along with blue chip Chesapeake Energy (CHK). Homebuilders had a good showing. Lennar (LEN), KB Home (KBH) and Beazer Homes (BZH) all gained more than 2% on strong existing home sales. Shares of Wynn Resorts (WYNN) tumbled on reports the casino operator was being investigated for money laundering. Apple (AAPL) closed better than 1% higher after it was revised higher at some Wall Street firms. Piper Jaffray, Evercore and Morgan Stanley (MS) increased their price target on the stock. Intel (INTC) was the bigger tech gainer. The stock added more than 4.66% after giving an upbeat outlook for 2015 revenue and raised its dividend.