explosion

The Dow and S&P 500 closed higher, while the NASDAQ fell ahead of Apple's earnings release after the bell.
But first, your scoreboard:

Dow: 13,002, +75 pts, +0.58%

NASDAQ: 2,962, -9 pts, -0.30%

S&P 500: 1,372, +5 pts, +0.37%

Here are your top stories:

  • European shares rallied, with the French CAC 40, the Spanish IBEX 35, and the French FTSE MIB all rising well over 2 percent. This countered massive losses yesterday.


  • The Case-Shiller Home Price index fell 3.49 percent in February, slightly more than the expected 3.40 percent. According to the data, home prices are now equivalent with those seen in late 2002.


  • A former engineer employed by oil giant BP was arrested today in the first of multiple criminal charges regarding the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. The Department of Justice alleged that engineer Kurt Mix had obstructed justice by deleting texts about the quantity of oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico.


  • CNBC reported today that Facebook's highly anticipated initial public offering could be delayed, suggesting that the company's highest officers have put business decisions ahead of IPO procedures. 


  • The Securities Exchange Commission filed charges against ratings agency Egan Jones, claiming the company had made "material misrepresentations" of the work it had done on government ratings when it applied to be a Nationally Recognized Statistically Ratings Agency in 2008. 


  • The USDA announced that a cow infected with the brain-rotting mad cow disease had been found at a dairy farm in California. The agency said the cow's body was never at any risk of entering the food chain. 


  • Apple second quarter earnings will be announced after the Closing Bell. Sub-par iPhone sales at Verizon and AT&T have weighed on Apple earnings expectations, and shares of $AAPL fell 2 percent today.