NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks rose modestly on Thursday after two days of steep declines as energy prices pulled back from record highs and a proposed acquisition in the utilities sector buoyed optimism.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks rose on Monday as the introduction of a faster BlackBerry spurred optimism about business spending on technology, while cooling oil prices eased inflation concerns.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks rose on Thursday as investors poured into beaten-down financial stocks on growing optimism the worst may be over for banks, and after jobs and manufacturing data pointed to a resilient economy.

NEW YORK -- Wall Street rallied Thursday after the government's jobless claims data and Ford Motor Co.'s first-quarter results helped reinject some optimism about the economy into the market.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks rose on Thursday after a brokerage upgrade of chip makers lifted technology stocks and on optimism that poor March sales may have been the low point for retailers this year.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks edged up on Wednesday, supported for the second straight day by the banking sector as investors looked for bargains after recent massive write-downs fed optimism that the worst of the credit morass may be over.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell on Wednesday as optimism receded about the Federal Reserve's latest initiative to ease credit market strains, while a jump in oil prices to a record above $110 a barrel raised fears of further strains on corporate profits.

LONDON (Reuters) - World stocks hit a three-week peak and the dollar edged higher on Tuesday as upbeat results from Standard Chartered (STAN.L) and optimism surrounding U.S. bond insurers brightened investor morale.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks dropped on Friday as investors tempered their optimism that the economy could avoid recession, and locked in profits on banking and pharmaceutical shares after two days of sharp gains.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks edged up on Thursday, extending a steep late-day rally in the previous session that was sparked by optimism about government and central bank plans to boost the economy.