Rising Dollar Hurts Stocks

Stocks slid lower on Monday after a rising dollar hurt commodity prices. Investors erased earlier gains during afternoon trading as shares of energy and material companies started to decline. The Dow Jones Industrial Average inched further away from the 10,000 level and finished the day at 9,867.96. Technology shares fared somewhat better than other parts of the market after Marvell Technology Group Ltd. (MRVL) raised its fiscal third-quarter revenue forecast. Renewed concerns that some big banks may have issues repaying federal bailout funds pushed the financial sector lower. Third quarter results were mostly mixed today, but still did not offer up enough encouragement to turnaround the declining session. Treasury prices tumbled, raising the yield on the 10-year note to 3.54% from 3.48%. U.S. light crude oil for December delivery fell $1.61 to $78.89 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The dollar rose against most other major currencies, while gold fell $13.60 to $1,042.80 an ounce.

Latest News

One of the biggest beneficiaries of Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme was found dead at the bottom of his pool. Jeffry Picower , who allegedly withdrew more than $7.2 billion from Bernard Madoff's investment company, suffered a massive heart attack and accidentally drowned.

Newspapers are definitely receiving their fair share of heartache as more readers turn to online sources for the latest news. The Audit Bureau of Circulations reported today that the average weekday circulation of the nearly 400 daily papers that reported sales slid 10.6% between April and September .

The European Union apparently means business. ING Group (ING) has been forced into a much more radical restructuring than anticipated.

Break-ING up is so hard to do

Verizon's (VZ) third quarter results failed to dazzle investors. The telecommunications giant reported a 29 percent drop in profits on higher costs related to its purchase of Alltel Corp. earlier this year.

A Verizon iPhone? If Steve Will Ever Speak to Us Again.

Caterpillar (CAT) is hiring, but also firing. The company announced plans to bring back 550 laid-off employees due to a spike in demand, but at the same time 2,500 idle workers will be let go.

Some additional details have come out about how Northwest Flight 188 overshot its destination by 150 miles. The pilots were apparently too busy taking a bathroom break, chatting with a flight attendant, and working on their laptops to maintain communication with tower control.

Plagued by weakness in advertising and the elementary and high school education markets, McGraw-Hill's (MHP) third quarter fell by 24 percent to $19.1 million compared to the same period last year. The company is experiencing issues across multiple businesses.

AOL, which is expected to be spun off from Time Warner (TWX) as an independent company later this year, has named eight members to serve on its Board of Directors.

Other Juicy Tidbits

Here are five early investment ide as for 2010.

Earnings Season: Five Things We've Learned So Far

What's Holding Back Tech -- The surprise surge in demand for PCs and handsets has the industry scrambling to get the supply chain humming

Which young executives at public companies raked it in - and how much did they earn ?

Six Steps to Revitalize the Financial System -- We need one regulator that can see a company's entire balance sheet. Pay caps will only drive talent abroad.

Did Harvard Sell At the Bottom?

Can Main Street Catch Up with Wall Street? -- The Dow is up and many economists see an end to the recession. Try telling that to the rising ranks of those losing their jobs and houses.