VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Investors have wrung their hands over the last several weeks over the effect of lower oil prices on the broader S&P 500, but the relationship between the two is actually starting to break down.

U.S. stocks fell for a third day in a volatile session Tuesday, led by declines in consumer discretionary and technology shares, while another drop in the Russian rouble added to worries about the global economy.

U.S. stocks rose at the open on Monday, following the worst week for the benchmark S&P 500 index in more than two years, with investors focused on crude oil prices which earlier hit a fresh 5-1/2-year low.

The S&P 500 ended nearly flat on Tuesday as concerns about global weakness and political turmoil were offset by gains in technology and energy shares.

U.S. stocks ended slightly lower on Thursday after European Central Bank President Mario Draghi brushed off pressure for more immediate monetary policy action but said the issue would be addressed early next year.

Shale stocks have been hard-hit as investors see margins all but evaporating following the slide in crude oil prices, but the U.S. shale energy boom is not over.

Stock-picking fund managers are testing their investors’ patience with some of the worst investment returns in decades. With bad bets on financial shares, missed opportunities in technology stocks and too much cash on the sidelines, roughly 85 percent of active large-cap stock funds have lagged their benchmark indexes through Nov. 25 this year, according to an analysis by Lipper, a Thomson Reuters research unit. It is likely their worst comparative showing in 30 years, Lipper said.

U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday boosted by tech shares, with the S&P 500 and Dow industrials closing at records, while the energy sector was once more the largest weight on the market as crude prices continued to flirt with multi-year lows.

The Dow and S&P 500 closed at record highs on Tuesday, lifted by further gains in healthcare shares and hopes for a stronger global economy.

An improving U.S. economy has failed to galvanize the consumer discretionary sector so far this year, but a recent rally in restaurant stocks as the holidays approach could herald happier days ahead for other retailers.

U.S. stocks inched higher shortly after the open on Thursday, as the Dow and S&P touched new record intraday highs following earnings from Wal-Mart and data on the labor market.

U.S. equity prices edged off record highs on Wednesday led by weakness in the financial sector after six global banks were fined a total of $4.3 billion for currency rigging, while the oil market sagged on concerns about a supply glut.

With the U.S. third-quarter earnings season almost at an end, many investors are breathing a sigh of relief as more companies surpassed profit expectations than in any quarter since 2010.

U.S. stocks ended near flat on Monday, pausing after the S&P 500's biggest weekly gain since January 2013, while energy shares fell with another decline in oil prices.

Slumping energy shares drove the recent U.S. stock market selloff more than any other major group, so investors are turning to next week's slate of earnings to see if the sector can pull itself out of the pit.