Stocks finished slightly higher on Monday on light volume as investors took a wait and see approach to the upcoming US presidential election. On Tuesday, the Dow surged 133 points on little economic news, as an uptick is often the case on election day. Those gains were lost and then some on Wednesday, as the market experienced its worst day in almost a year on Wednesday. Gloomy economic news from Europe sent stocks south, as investors who had bet against an Obama victory were saddled with heavy losses. Things only got worse on Thursday with the Dow registering another 100+ point loss, as concern grew about whether the economic fiscal cliff can be avoided now that the presidential race is decided. The bleeding finally stopped on Friday with small gains registered by the Dow and the S&P 500, helped in part by positive consumer opinion and wholesale inventories reports.
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