Earnings helped push stocks higher so far today even as economic data from the housing industry disappoints. European stocks also bounced today after hitting a 3-month low yesterday. Investors felt more confident today as the Netherlands had a successful $2.6 billion bond auction today even as their government collapsed on Monday.
Home prices dropped for the sixth straight month in February. New home sales also took a hit, falling more than 7% to a 328,000 unit rate in March.
All eyes will be on Apple this afternoon as they release earnings right after market close. Apple stock is currently trading down 2% at around $560 a share.
The Dow is currently up 100 points this morning, the Nasdaq is down 2 points and the S&P 500 is up 6 points. [Read more...]