ET - U.S. Markets Closed.
Finance Enter one or more symbols below.
Oil Weaken U.S. technology stocks extended gains on Wednesday, pushing the Nasdaq Composite Index to its highest level in nearly two months, while oil prices weakened, as did most debt securities and the dollar. The Federal Reserve painted a mildly downbeat picture of the U.S. economy at the beginning of the second quarter of this year, noting slow growth and a steady weakening in manufacturing activity. Cisco Stock Soars 12 Percent Shares of New Economy bellwether Cisco Systems Inc. surged more than 12 percent on Wednesday in heavy trading after an influential analyst said the large corporation networking market in North America, a big segment for the world No. 1 networking firm, was stabilizing. The U.S. Justice Department said Wednesday it would approve General Electric Co.'s plan to acquire Honeywell International Inc. after the two companies promised to divest a subsidiary that manufactures military helicopter engines. Rise Two of the nation's biggest managed-care companies on Wednesday posted higher quarterly profits, but disturbing growth signals by one of them, Cigna Corp., sent Cigna and other HMO shares reeling.