The Dow Jones industrial average is back above 10,000 for the first time in a year.

The Dow Jones industrials average cleared the 9,000 mark Thursday for the first time since January 6.

Investors are again looking to Washington for clues about the stock market.

The Dow Jones industrial average has plunged below 7,000 as investors grow increasingly pessimistic about the health of banks, and in turn the economy, around the world.

The government says October retail sales dropped 2.8 percent, the biggest decline on record.

The Nasdaq composite index finished with a modest gain, while the Dow Jones industrials lost 126 points, a relatively mild drop after the blue chips fell 2,271 during the previous eight trading days. wspa.com offers help for the problems with a Live Chat with Upstate Financial Analyst Bob Nachman to get your economic questions answered starting at 5pm at wspa.com.

Stocks are opening higher with Wall Street is looking to recover Thursday from near-panic selling that has cascaded through global markets in the past week.

The Dow set a new record for a one-day point drop and also fell below 10,000 for the first time since 2004. The Dow fell as much as 800 points before finally closing with a loss of about 350.

Stock prices are soaring in early Friday trading. President Bush will appear in the Rose Garden Friday to review series of actions the federal government is taking to deal with instability in the financial markets.