NEW YORK, Feb 8 (Reuters) – The S&P 500 and Nasdaq edged higher on Monday as several bellwethers rose on brokerage upgrades and positive comments about the economy, but worries about euro zone sovereign debt problems limited gains.

Worries about Greece’s financial problems and other fiscally fragile euro zone countries has dragged Wall Street about 7 percent lower since mid-January. For details, see [ID:nLDE6171EU].

But brokerage upgrades lifted shares of Dow components Home Depot Inc <HD.N>, Walt Disney Co <DIS.N> and Exxon Mobil Corp <XOM.N>, though the industrial average drifted 0.1 percent lower. [RESF/US]

In its upgrade of Home Depot, Morgan Stanley said it was optimistic about the home improvement chain’s prospects as the housing market begins to recover. [ID:nSGE6170JQ]

NEW YORK, Feb 8 (Reuters) – U.S. stocks edged higher on Monday as several bellwether shares rose on brokerage upgrades and comments about improving economic conditions, though persistent worries about euro zone sovereign debt problems limited gains.

Worries about Greece’s financial problems and their potential to spread to other euro zone countries or beyond has dragged Wall Street lower about 7 percent since mid-January.

Dow components Home Depot Inc <HD.N>, Walt Disney Co <DIS.N> and Exxon Mobil Corp <XOM.N> gained from analyst upgrades, though the index drifted 0.1 percent lower. [RESF/US]

In its upgrade of Home Depot, Morgan Stanley said it was optimistic about the home improvement chain’s prospects as the housing market begins to recover. For details see [ID:nSGE6170JQ]

NEW YORK, Jan 29 (Reuters) – U.S. stocks rallied on Friday following better-than-expected data on the economy’s growth and consumer sentiment, which suggested the recovery is taking hold, as well as stronger results in the tech sector.

The U.S. economy grew at a 5.7 percent pace in the fourth quarter, much higher than the 4.6 percent growth forecast by a Reuters poll. The first estimate of the nation’s output in the last three months of 2009 put gross domestic product growth at its fastest pace since the third quarter of 2003, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.

Other data showed January consumer sentiment rose more than expected to hit a two-year high, and business activity in the U.S. Midwest expanded more than forecast in January. For details on Friday’s data, see [ID:nN28246399]

“The stronger-than-expected manufacturing data, coming on top of the stronger-than-expected GDP data, increases confidence about the strength and durability of the recovery,” said Jim Awad, managing director at Zephyr Management in New York.

NEW YORK, Jan 29 (Reuters) – U.S. stock index futures moved sharply higher on Friday, pointing to gains at the open, after data showed the U.S. economy grew at a 5.7 percent pace in the fourth quarter, much higher than expected.

The first estimate of the nation’s economic output in the last three months of 2009 put gross domestic product growth at its fastest pace since the third quarter of 2003, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. Analysts were expecting GDP to grow at a 4.6 percent rate in the quarter. For details, see [ID:nN28120005]

“This is a great number and gives us a running start into the second half of the year, when we won’t be able to rely on government stimulus,” said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at Harris Private Bank in Chicago.

“It’s possible that this could lead to higher interest rates sooner than later, but having a front-loaded number is, all in all, good news; better too high than too low.”

NEW YORK, Jan 29 (Reuters) – U.S. stock index futures rose on Friday after forecast-topping profit reports from Microsoft Corp and Amazon.com Inc and ahead of a reading on the U.S. fourth-quarter gross domestic product.

The government’s first estimate on fourth-quarter GDP is expected to show the U.S. economy grew at a 4.6 percent rate, the fastest pace in nearly four years as businesses cut back less aggressively on inventories. The data is due at 8:30 a.m. (1330 GMT).

“The best thing for the market would be for GDP to come in in-line, since that would show that we’re in a steady recovery,” said Rick Meckler, president of LibertyView Capital Management in New York.

“If it comes in a lot higher, we could see an initial burst in the futures but then lose that as it could bring back concerns about interest rates and the government removing stimulus.”

NEW YORK, Jan 29 (Reuters) – U.S. stock index futures were higher on Friday after strong results from Microsoft and Amazon and after Ben Bernanke won Senate approval for a second term as Federal Reserve chairman.

* Investors awaited the government’s first estimate on fourth-quarter gross domestic product, which is expected to show the U.S. economy grew at its fastest pace in nearly four years, as businesses made less aggressive cutbacks on inventories. The data is due at 8:30 a.m. EST (1330 GMT).

* Chicago PMI data and the Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers final consumer sentiment read, both for January, are also due.

* The U.S. Senate voted for Bernanke for another four-year term on Thursday despite misgivings over what some saw as policy missteps, which cast uncertainty over equities. For details, see [ID:nN27143856]

NEW YORK, Jan 28 (Reuters) – U.S. stock index futures rose on Thursday in the wake of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech, which had no new plans to tighten Wall Street oversight, and after strong results from Procter & Gamble Co and Ford Motor Co.

U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s nomination for a second term heads for a Senate vote on Thursday, and polls show he has a majority needed to overcome efforts to block his appointment. For details see [ID:nLDE60R11G]

In the speech, Obama put job creation at the top of his agenda and, while pledging tough rules for Wall Street, said he was “not interested in punishing banks.”

He promised not to abandon his struggle to overhaul healthcare, placing stocks in related sectors in the spotlight. For details, see [ID:nOBAMA]

NEW YORK, Jan 28 (Reuters) – U.S. stocks fell on Thursday after weaker-than-expected data on durable goods and jobless claims fueled uncertainty about the economy’s recovery, and outlooks from Motorola and Qualcomm hit tech shares.

Initial jobless claims fell in the latest week, though not as much as expected, while durable goods orders rose in December, but to a level below that forecast by a Reuters poll of economists. For details, see [ID:nN28241916] and [ID:nN27129988]

“We used to think we would start creating jobs in the first half of the year, but datapoints like this suggest that’s less likely,” said Michael Sheldon, chief market strategist at RDM Financial in Westport, Connecticut. “The longer it takes to create jobs, the more uncertain the recovery becomes.”

Quarterly results from 3M Co <MMM.N> and AT&T Inc <T.N> pushed indexes lower. 3M shares fell 0.8 percent to $81.67 and AT&T fell 0.7 percent to $25.45.

NEW YORK, Jan 28 (Reuters) – Dow and S&P 500 stock index futures rose on Thursday in the wake of the President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech, which had no new plans to tighten Wall Street oversight, though durable goods orders and jobs data offered a mixed picture on the economy.

Initial jobless claims fell in the latest week, though not as much as expected, while durable goods orders rose in December, but to a level below that forecast by a Reuters poll of economists. For details, see [ID:nN28241916] and [ID:nN27129988]

“The jobless claims number was disappointing and suggests that the job market is still struggling,” said Alan Gayle, senior investment strategist at RidgeWorth Investments in Richmond, Virginia.

In his speech, Obama put job creation at the top of his agenda and, while pledging tough rules for Wall Street, said he was “not interested in punishing banks.” He also promised not to abandon his struggle to overhaul healthcare, placing stocks in related sectors in the spotlight. [ID:nOBAMA]

NEW YORK, Jan 28 (Reuters) – U.S. stock index futures were higher on Thursday in the wake of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech, which had no new plans to tighten Wall Street oversight, and after strong results from Procter & Gamble and Ford.

* Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s nomination for a second term faces a decisive day in the Senate on Thursday, when his confirmation vote looks set to go ahead.

* In the speech, Obama put job creation at the top of his agenda, and while pledging tough new rules for Wall Street, he said he was “not interested in punishing banks,” backing off from fiery rhetoric.

* He promised not to abandon his struggle to overhaul healthcare, placing stocks in related sectors in the spotlight. For details, see [ID:nOBAMA]