captioning sponsored by wpbt >> this is n.b.r. >> susie: good evening, everyone. i'm susie gharib. tom is off tonight. american consumers were busy shopping in september and the nation's retailers are hoping they'll keep it up as we head into the holidays. japan's softbank dials up a deal for sprint, buying majority control of the u.s. cell company. and with nearly one-in-three americans working contract or part-time jobs. we kick off a week-long look at how a nation of freelancers is changing our labor force. that and more tonight on "n.b.r."! a u-turn on wall street today. stocks rose, rebounding from sell-offs last week. good news about the american consumer put investors in a buying mood. the dow jumped 95 points, the nasdaq rose 20 and the s&p 500 up 11. retail sales rose more than 1%

government or traditional broadcast outlets, to the private market. but so far, the plan largely hasn't been put to action. >> as long as there's not new spectrum coming onto the market from either incentive auctions or through a process of freeing up spectrum that has traditionally been in the public sector, firms will scramble more and more for each other's spectrum. >> reporter: the deal between sprint and softbank still has to pass regulatory muster. if it does, it's expected to close by the middle of next year. sylvia hall, "n.b.r.," washington. >> susie: the great recession has sparked a major shift in the

that's tonight's market focus. google or apple? which is the better stock to own in your portfolio. that's an issue jill malandrino has been examining. she's product manager at thestreet.com and joins us now. tiond this is a really hot debate, jill so, as you considered many factors, google versus apple, which one did you decide on? >> i actually went with google for the long term. it's really important when you analyze these two names, this particular happens with apple is people tend to fall in love, i'm loss ug right here, people actually tend to fall in love with the

>> susie: the great recession has sparked a major shift in the labor market. the u.s. is becoming a nation of freelance workers. americans are finding new jobs, but many are not getting traditional positions with benefits. less than a decade ago, 16 million people were working independently as freelancers. today, that number has almost tripled. allison worrell begins our week- long look at the freelance nation. >> reporter: nearly one out of every three americans identify themselves as freelance workers and those jobs span all fields, from nannies to nurses, to web designers and lawyers. while it's a trend that cuts across all income levels and fields, college graduates in creative fields, are leading the charge. there's even a t.v. show about it-- m.t.v.'s "underemployed" debuts tomorrow. it features a group of 20- somethings struggling to make their mark in the professional world. a professional world, where many part-timers are still hoping for full time work. just last month, over...

>> every journey ends, but we go on, the world turns and we turn with it. >> susie: as it competes in the multi-billion dollar fragrance business, chanel is hoping pitt can help deliver big results. that's "nightly business report" for monday, october 15. i'm susie gharib. have a great evening everyone. we'll see you online at nbr.com and back here tomorrow night. captioning sponsored by wpbt captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

for more, check out nbr.com, you'll find some interesting research into workplace trends. click on the "nbr-u" tab. a volatile day for the oil market, crude prices dropped below $90 a barrel during the midday, but creeped back towards $92 on escalating tensions in the middle east. meanwhile, gasoline prices are still on the high side. they're up 13% year over year. but as diane eastabrook reports analysts think those unseasonably high prices will drop by the holidays. >> reporter: it's nearly a month into fall, but $4-plus gasoline in many markets sure makes it feel like the summer driving season.

10%. the widely held company added $5 a share to close at just under $635. last month, apple sparkled to an all-time high of more than $700 a share. we'll have more on apple in a few minutes. shares of sprint nextel fell a fraction today, despite news of that softbank merger deal we told you about. and, gold lost some of its luster today, after those positive reading on the u.s. economy, some on wall street believe today's retail sales report may be taking pressure off the fed's future easing plans. december gold futures dropped $22 an ounce to settle at $1,737. that erases all the gains we've seen since the fed launched its latest round of bond buying. and finally, four of the five most actively traded e.t.f.'s ended higher, while the ipath s&p 500 v.i.x. fell over 3%. that's tonight's market focus.