Stocks Creep Up at Open

Stocks moved slightly upward at the opening bell today, as investors anxiously watched Washington for bailout signals, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow rose 75 points at the open, with the Nasdaq and S&P both up more than 0.8%. The positive open follows a big drop yesterday as traders worried the bailout would get caught up in Congress.

Traders are holding their breath waiting for this morning’s testimony from Ben Bernanke and Henry Paulson. Bernanke urged swift passage of the bailout, and upped the maximum minority stake in a firm from 25% to 33%, MarketWatch reports.
(More markets stories.)