Markets up Wednesday, Dow gains 99 led by General Motors

American Markets enjoyed another positive day with the Dow Jones finishing to the plus side by 99 points. The big push was provided by General Motors (GM) as it enjoyed a 9% gain. GM and the United Auto Workers Union reached a deal to renew auto worker contracts and restructure GM obligations to workers and the union. The threat of a long-term strike was lifted from the shoulders of GM and the stock jumped accordingly.

Also enjoying positive sentiment were the Investment Banks as Bear Stearns (BSC) jumped over 7% on reports that the big man himself, Warren Buffett is eyeing a stake in the company. These reports went on to say that several big banks are also interested in purchasing as much as 20% of the company. This news had investors feeling pretty good about the potential for these companies, specifically the investment banks, to overcome the losses and the mistakes that were made during the sub-prime credit situation.

In technology stocks, momentum for Research In Motion (RIMM) kept going strong as the company continues to defy gravity and bloated P/E valuations. The rule of 80-leads-to-100 was in full effect for the BlackBerry maker as it hit a high of $100.75 before settling to close at $99/share. Apple (AAPL) this morning opened to an all-time high and continued to $155 before drifting down and closing slightly lower just under $153. The recently opened Amazon (AMZN) DRM-Free MP3 store is making its rounds and while there hasn't been much of an effect on Apple's stock yet the consensus has been that this can emerge as a true competitor to iTunes.

With the quarter coming to a close investors will be keen to be placed in the right companies as the earnings season kicks into high gear.

Disclosure: Author is long AAPL