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Stocks wrapped up 2011 on a down note Friday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average shaved off 69.48 points to finish the year at 12,217.56. For the year, all the major indices finished basically where they began last January.

Trading on the New York Stock Exchange in the common stock of the parent company of American Airlines will be halted after next Wednesday.

Some encouraging economic news at home and abroad sent U.S. stocks higher Thursday as the Dow Jones Industrial average picked up 136 points to close at 12,287.04.

Even though the year ended with economists pointing to a potential recovery for the U.S. economy, 2011 could be summed up as "The Year of Living Cautiously." Here are the Top 10 investment and financial services stories of the year.

Weakness in the euro and a report indicating investors are still a bit skittish about the market’s long-term prospects combined to sink U.S. stocks Wednesday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 139.94 points, or 1.1%, to finish at 12,151.41.

As 2011 draws to a close, many investors are continuing to seek safety, TrimTabs Investment Research said Wednesday. They are socking most of their money into bank savings accounts and bond funds.

Sometimes it just isn’t your year. And 2011 wasn't the greatest of years for some of the world's most iconic companies, particularly for tech firms such as Cisco Systems and HP that have delivered massive returns to shareholders for years.

Eurozone worries contributed to a modest dip in investor confidence in December, according to a State Street analysis.

Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext said they have decided to push back the deadline for completing their merger until March 31.

Everybody loves a winner and if you or your clients held any of these top-performing Dow component stocks in their portfolios this year, there’s a pretty good chance they did quite well for themselves in 2011.

Stocks closed largely unchanged in languid trading Tuesday as the Dow Jones Industrial average trimmed 2.65 points to finish at 12,291.35. Trading volume was predictably light in the first session following the holiday weekend.

Don’t rule out emerging market and high-end retail customers in 2012, according to a forward-looking analysis by Fidelity Investments’ Sector Portfolio managers.

With approval from the U.S. Justice Department in hand and approval from the European Commission still to be achieved, NYSE Euronext is looking for a period of relative quiet through the end of the year on its quest to merge with Deutsche Boerse.

Investors opted to view the glass as half full Friday, pushing stocks higher despite conflicting economic reports on personal income and home sales.

The merger of NYSE Euronext and Deutsche Boerse has been cleared on the New York side of the Atlantic Ocean.

Investors were encouraged Thursday by a surprising drop in weekly jobless claims – down to their lowest level in three and half years – and economic data showing rising consumer confidence as the Dow Jones Industrial average rallied up 62 points to finish at 12,169.65.

Financial advisors will remember 2011 as “The Year of Volatility” or “The Year of Uncertainty,” according to a survey of 200 financial advisors polled this month by the SEI Advisor Network, an asset management and back-office administration service provider to financial advisors.

Disappointing earnings from Oracle and lackluster new homes sales were enough to keep investors off balance Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial average eked out a slight gain – up 4 points to 12,107.74 – but tech stocks were roughed up.

Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext have offered to cap fees on trading in their European derivatives contracts for three years in their last-ditch effort to get their $9 billion merger cleared by the European Union.

Encouraging economic news from Europe and the Commerce Department put a charge into stocks Tuesday, sending the Dow Jones Industrial average up 337 points – its largest single-day surge of the month.