Stocks pulled off modest gains Friday as enthusiasm for some better-than-expected economic reports outshined a warning from S&P of a possible downgrade on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Stocks wobbled Friday as investors weighed a potential S&P downgrade on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac against some encouraging economic reports, including consumer confidence and durable-goods orders.

Stocks rose Friday after some robust economic data, including a rebound in consumer confidence and an unexpected increase in durable-goods orders.

Stocks rose Friday after durable-goods orders unexpectedly rose -- even excluding transportation.

U.S. stocks index futures pointed to a flat open Friday as the prospect of further weakness in the housing market sideswiped investors' hopes of pushing the major indexes higher.

Shares of savings and loan Washington Mutual fell 1 percent in before-hours trading Friday as investors continued to fret about the stability of the company.jumped more than 8 percent in trading in Germany Friday after the company responded to an analyst note creditors are pulling funds from the company.

Stocks finished higher as oil broke below the key $125 a barrel mark.

Stocks advanced, boosted by a further drop in oil following the inventory report and expectations that the House would pass the Fannie Mae-Freddie Mac rescue plan.

Stocks advanced, boosted by a further drop in oil following the inventory report and expectations that the House would pass the Fannie Mae-Freddie Mac rescue plan.

Stocks advanced, boosted by a further drop in oil following the inventory report and expectations that the House would pass the Fannie Mae-Freddie Mac rescue plan.

This week, with quarterly losses expected from Wachovia  and Washington Mutual due to defaulting mortgages, the market will also get data on existing home sales and new home sales.

Investors interested in buying and selling U.S. bank stocks based on the performance of the underlying businesses might well have gone on holiday this week  --  and might stay there next week.

Washington Mutual said it is "well capitalized" with more than $40 billion of liquidity and $150 billion of retail deposits, moving to reassure investors and depositors after shares of the largest U.S. savings and loan sank 34.7 percent on Monday.

A mortgage rescue to help hundreds of thousands of struggling homeowners avoid foreclosure and get more affordable, safer loans passed the Senate overwhelmingly Friday, but it faces a bumpy road amid continuing turmoil in the housing market.

U.S. banks will unleash a tide of poor quarterly results over the next two weeks, yet investors may choose to focus instead on when a recovery might be at hand and how much more capital raising and dividend cutting will be needed to achieve it.