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Stocks gained ground in the latest session on Wall Street. The Dow rose 10 points to 13,333. That's a new four-year closing high. The S&P rose 3, while the Nasdaq added nearly 10 points. Futures trading suggests a lower opening.
- International stock markets went into reverse today as investors fretted that expectations for the Federal Reserve to announce new measures to boost the U.S. economy might not be met. Asian shares were mixed and European stocks fell in early trading. Benchmark crude oil fell below $97 per barrel. The dollar fell against the euro and the yen.
- Will the Federal Reserve take new steps intended to help the economy? Some analysts look for some kind of response to persistently high unemployment and anemic growth. The Fed wraps up a two-day policy-setting session.
- Foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac says fewer homes were placed on the foreclosure track last month than in August last year, when they hit a 17-year high, but the numbers are diverging along state lines. Some states where courts muct sign off on foreclosures saw increases because the rule is creating a backlog. RealtyTrac says 99,405 homes entered the foreclosure process in August, up 1 percent from July, but down 13 percent from August last year.
- U.S. lawmakers will question executives of two major Chinese technology companies today as part of a congressional probe into whether those firms' ambitions to carve out a bigger niche in the American market pose a threat to national security. Lawmakers worry the companies could pose an espionage risk.
