Stocks advanced Thursday as investors seemed to focus more on some big-name earnings beats and a rise in leading indicators instead of a disappointing jobless report.

Stocks slipped Thursday as investors weighed a disappointing jobless-claims report and some encouraging earnings reports.

Earnings continue to come in largely above expectations, but other factors are waylaying the stock market's recent advances - ranging from Walmart's price cuts to analyst Richard Bove's downgrade of Wells Fargo to rising oil prices. 

EBay turned in a fourth quarter outlook that disappointed investors on Wednesday, pummeling shares in afternoon trading, even though the company slightly beat its third quarter earnings forecast.

Stocks finished lower after well-known banking analyst Dick Bove downgraded his rating on Wells Fargo.

Stocks advanced Wednesday as investors were encouraged by a few earnings reports, including Morgan Stanley, Yahoo and SanDisk. The VIX, widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, dropped to just above 20.

Stocks opened lower Wednesday as a raft of companies beating earning estimates but failed to impress investors.

Earnings season continues in earnest Wednesday, as we roll on with a week that will ultimately see 25 percent of the S&P 500 report their quarterly numbers. 

The decision of several major companies to quit the Chamber of Commerce over carbon emission regulation underscores the concern—and confusion—within Corporate America about how it will impact the bottom line.

After missing in action for much of this year's stock rally, mergers and acquisitions are making a big comeback.

Stocks ended lower Wednesday as the rally after the Federal Reserve's statement faded and investors began to worry that the central bank is inching closer to withdrawing stimulus measures that have propped up the economy. The Dow had briefly popped above 9,900.

Stocks advanced after the Federal Reserve delivered one of its most optimistic statements in the past few years. The Dow more than doubled its gains after the announcement, sending the blue-chip index through 9,900 for the first time since last fall.

Stocks bounced around at the open Wednesday as the dollar slipped and investors remained a little jittery ahead of the Fed statement.

Former eBay chief executive Meg Whitman officially launched her bid for governor of California on Tuesday, sketching out her ideas to return the state to a time when "California had its act together."

The new day opens with the Dow, the S&P 500, and the Nasdaq coming off fresh 2009 closing highs, with investors now squarely focused on 2:15 pm ET this afternoon.  That's when the Fed's Open Market Committee issues its latest statement on interest rates and the economy.