Australian (ASX) Stock Market Forum

NYSE Dow Jones finished today at:

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

The stock market showed signs of life Tuesday following hopeful signs of progress in budget talks being held in Washington. The Standard & Poor's 500 had its biggest gain this month.

The Dow gained 78.56 points to 13,248.44, after climbing as much as 137 points earlier. The Standard & Poor's 500 index finished up 9.29 points at 1,427.84. Both the Dow and the S&P have risen for five straight days.

The Nasdaq composite ended up 35.34 points at 3,022.30.

Delta Air Lines rose 52 cents, or 5.1 percent, to $10.66 after the company said it will buy almost half of Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic for $360 million as it seeks a bigger share of the lucrative New York-to-London travel market.

AIG gained $1.90 to $35.26 after the U.S. Treasury Department said it has sold the rest of its stake in the insurer. AIG was bailed out by the government after nearly collapsing during the 2008 financial crisis.

Stocks have edged up since the start of the month as investors watch for developments in the budget talks. Tax increases and federal spending cuts are scheduled to start Jan. 1 unless a deal is reached to reduce the U.S. budget deficit. Economists say the measures, if implemented, could eventually push the economy back into recession.

The S&P 500 fell as much as 5 percent after the U.S. presidential election Nov. 6 as investors worried that gridlock in Washington would prevent a budget deal. With Tuesday's advance, the S&P 500 has recouped almost all of the ground it lost since the election when it closed at 1,428.39.

The Wall Street Journal reported that budget negotiations between the White House and Republican House Speaker John Boehner had "progressed steadily" in recent days. That reinvigorated talks that appeared to have stalled, the paper reported, citing people close to the process.

Stock markets stayed higher even after Boehner said midday Tuesday that President Barack Obama is slow-walking talks to avoid the fiscal cliff, and hasn't outlined spending cuts he's willing to support as part of a compromise. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday afternoon that it would be "extremely difficult" to pass legislation to address the so-called fiscal cliff before Christmas, but added there's still a chance it can be done.

"The market has been very susceptible to 'fiscal cliff' headlines," said Todd Salamone, a senior vice president at Schaeffers Investment Research, adding that stocks have rallied more on good news than they have fallen on indications that talks were stalling. "It seems the expectation is that something will get done, but it's a very cautious expectation. There's a lot of money on the sidelines."

Stocks are holding on to their gains for the year. The Dow Jones is up 8.4 percent since the start of the year, while the S&P 500 has gained 13.5 percent.

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 78.56 points or ▲ 0.60% Tuesday, 11 December 2012
Symbol …........Last ......Change.....

Dow_Jones 13,248.44 ▲ 78.56 ▲ 0.60%
Nasdaq____ 3,022.30 ▲ 35.34 ▲ 1.18%
S&P_500____ 1,427.84 ▲ 9.29 ▲ 0.65%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.837 ▲ 0.03 ▲ 1.21%

NYSE Volume 3,620,448,750
Nasdaq Volume 1,926,205,120

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......

FTSE_100 5,924.97 ▲ 3.34 ▲ 0.06%
DAX_____ 7,589.75 ▲ 58.83 ▲ 0.78%
CAC_40__ 3,646.15 ▲ 34.05 ▲ 0.94%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….....Last .....Change…......

ASX_All_Ord__ 4,581.30 ▲ 18.90 ▲ 0.41%
Shanghai_Comp 2,074.70 ▼ -9.07 ▼ -0.44%
Taiwan_Weight 7,613.69 ▲ 4.19 ▲ 0.06%
Nikkei_225____ 9,525.32 ▼ -8.43 ▼ -0.09%
Hang_Seng____ 22,323.94 ▲ 53.93 ▲ 0.21%
Strait_Times___ 3,118.33 ▲ 3.99 ▲ 0.13%
NZX_50_Index__ 4,026.18 ▼ -4.59 ▼ -0.11%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stocks-gain-budget-talk-optimism-185207642.html

Stocks gain on budget talk optimism, Fed stimulus

Stocks gain on optimism that budget talks are advancing; Fed likely to extend stimulus


By Steve Rothwell, AP Business Writer

The stock market showed signs of life Tuesday following hopeful signs of progress in budget talks being held in Washington. The Standard & Poor's 500 had its biggest gain this month.

The Dow gained 78.56 points to 13,248.44, after climbing as much as 137 points earlier. The Standard & Poor's 500 index finished up 9.29 points at 1,427.84. Both the Dow and the S&P have risen for five straight days.

The Nasdaq composite ended up 35.34 points at 3,022.30.

Delta Air Lines rose 52 cents, or 5.1 percent, to $10.66 after the company said it will buy almost half of Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic for $360 million as it seeks a bigger share of the lucrative New York-to-London travel market.

AIG gained $1.90 to $35.26 after the U.S. Treasury Department said it has sold the rest of its stake in the insurer. AIG was bailed out by the government after nearly collapsing during the 2008 financial crisis.

Stocks have edged up since the start of the month as investors watch for developments in the budget talks. Tax increases and federal spending cuts are scheduled to start Jan. 1 unless a deal is reached to reduce the U.S. budget deficit. Economists say the measures, if implemented, could eventually push the economy back into recession.

The S&P 500 fell as much as 5 percent after the U.S. presidential election Nov. 6 as investors worried that gridlock in Washington would prevent a budget deal. With Tuesday's advance, the S&P 500 has recouped almost all of the ground it lost since the election when it closed at 1,428.39.

The Wall Street Journal reported that budget negotiations between the White House and Republican House Speaker John Boehner had "progressed steadily" in recent days. That reinvigorated talks that appeared to have stalled, the paper reported, citing people close to the process.

Stock markets stayed higher even after Boehner said midday Tuesday that President Barack Obama is slow-walking talks to avoid the fiscal cliff, and hasn't outlined spending cuts he's willing to support as part of a compromise. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday afternoon that it would be "extremely difficult" to pass legislation to address the so-called fiscal cliff before Christmas, but added there's still a chance it can be done.

"The market has been very susceptible to 'fiscal cliff' headlines," said Todd Salamone, a senior vice president at Schaeffers Investment Research, adding that stocks have rallied more on good news than they have fallen on indications that talks were stalling. "It seems the expectation is that something will get done, but it's a very cautious expectation. There's a lot of money on the sidelines."

Stocks are holding on to their gains for the year. The Dow Jones is up 8.4 percent since the start of the year, while the S&P 500 has gained 13.5 percent.

The Federal Reserve is expected to announce a new bond-buying plan to support the U.S. economy with the goal of further reducing long-term interest rates and encouraging borrowing by companies and individuals. Once its two-day policy meeting ends Wednesday, the Fed is likely to say it will start buying more long-term Treasurys to replace a program that expires at year's end.

"I would be a huge shock to the system if it wasn't continued," said Dave Abate, a senior wealth advisor with Strategic Wealth Partners in Seven Hills, Ohio. "The markets across the boards are pricing in a continuation of the stimulus."

Investors were also encouraged by a report that showed an index of German investor optimism rose more than expected in December, suggesting market professionals think Europe's largest economy will avoid an outright recession.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose 4 basis points to 1.66 percent.

Other stocks making big moves:

””Urban Outfitters rose $1.65, or 4.5 percent, to $38.65 after the company reported rising sales. The retailer, which operates Anthropologie, Free People and its namesake stores, reported its third-quarter results in November, which fell just short of market expectations.

””Dollar General fell $3.63, or 7.8 percent, to $42.94 after the company said that while its sales over the Thanksgiving weekend and the start of the holiday shopping season were encouraging, it remains cautious about the rest of the year, noting that consumer spending remains tight.

”” TripAdvisor jumped $2.52, or 6.6 percent, to $40.91. Liberty Interactive agreed to increase its stake in the travel website by buying a block of shares from media mogul Barry Diller and The Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation. Liberty will gain control of the company.
 

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Stocks ended the day little changed Wednesday after a rally prompted by the Federal Reserve's latest economic stimulus program fizzled out.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 2.99 points at 13,245.45. It had risen as much as 81 points after the Fed said earlier in the day that it would extend a bond-buying plan and keep interest extremely low.

The S&P finished 0.64 points higher at 1,428.48. The Nasdaq composite was down 8.49 points at 3,013.81.

The Fed said it will keep spending $85 billion a month on bond purchases to drive down long-term borrowing costs and stimulate economic growth. Of that amount it will spend $45 billion on long-term Treasury purchases to replace a previous bond-buying program of equal size.

The central bank also said it would keep its key short-term interest rate near zero at least until the unemployment rate drops below 6.5 percent or inflation rises to 2.5 percent. Previously, it had said that it expects to keep the rate low until at least mid-2015.

The enthusiasm over the Fed's announcement, which came at 12:30 p.m. EST, was short-lived. It briefly drew investors' attention away from the tense, high-level budget talks taking place in Washington. Also, the amount of bond buying the central bank said it would undertake was in line with what investors were expecting, Joseph Tanious, a Global Market Strategist with J.P. Morgan Funds, said.

"I don't think you're seeing markets react hugely" to the Fed, Tanious said. "Clearly what is driving markets right now is the fiscal policy. What's holding markets hostage....is uncertainty around the fiscal cliff."

In Washington, lawmakers were still trying to reach a deal to avoid the fiscal "cliff," a series of sharp tax increases and spending cuts that will hit the economy in January if Congress and President Barack Obama are unable to thrash out an agreement to reduce the U.S. budget deficit.

The Dow and the S&P advanced for the previous five days as optimism increased that a deal can be struck. The S&P is trading at its highest in five weeks and has now erased all of its post-election losses. Stocks fell immediately after the vote Nov. 6 on concern that a divided government would struggle to resolve the budget issue.

The NYSE DOW closed LOWER ▼ -2.99 points or ▼ -0.02% Wednesday, 12 December 2012
Symbol …........Last ......Change.....

Dow_Jones 13,245.45 ▼ -2.99 ▼ -0.02%
Nasdaq____ 3,013.81 ▼ -8.49 ▼ -0.28%
S&P_500____ 1,428.48 ▲ 0.64 ▲ 0.04%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.897 ▲ 0.06 ▲ 2.11%

NYSE Volume 3,678,695,500
Nasdaq Volume 1,755,775,620

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......

FTSE_100 5,945.85 ▲ 20.88 ▲ 0.35%
DAX_____ 7,614.79 ▲ 25.04 ▲ 0.33%
CAC_40__ 3,646.66 ▲ 0.51 ▲ 0.01%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….....Last .....Change…......

ASX_All_Ord__ 4,591.80 ▲ 10.50 ▲ 0.23%
Shanghai_Comp 2,082.73 ▲ 8.02 ▲ 0.39%
Taiwan_Weight 7,690.19 ▲ 76.50 ▲ 1.00%
Nikkei_225____ 9,581.46 ▲ 56.14 ▲ 0.59%
Hang_Seng____ 22,503.35 ▲ 53.93 ▲ 0.80%
Strait_Times___ 3,141.57 ▲ 23.24 ▲ 0.75%
NZX_50_Index__ 3,995.26 ▼ -30.92 ▼ -0.77%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stock...Rwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3

Stocks end little changed after Fed rally fizzles

Stocks end the day little changed after rally driven by Federal Reserve stimulus fizzles out


By Steve Rothwell, AP Business Writer

Stocks ended the day little changed Wednesday after a rally prompted by the Federal Reserve's latest economic stimulus program fizzled out.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 2.99 points at 13,245.45. It had risen as much as 81 points after the Fed said earlier in the day that it would extend a bond-buying plan and keep interest extremely low.

The S&P finished 0.64 points higher at 1,428.48. The Nasdaq composite was down 8.49 points at 3,013.81.

The Fed said it will keep spending $85 billion a month on bond purchases to drive down long-term borrowing costs and stimulate economic growth. Of that amount it will spend $45 billion on long-term Treasury purchases to replace a previous bond-buying program of equal size.

The central bank also said it would keep its key short-term interest rate near zero at least until the unemployment rate drops below 6.5 percent or inflation rises to 2.5 percent. Previously, it had said that it expects to keep the rate low until at least mid-2015.

The enthusiasm over the Fed's announcement, which came at 12:30 p.m. EST, was short-lived. It briefly drew investors' attention away from the tense, high-level budget talks taking place in Washington. Also, the amount of bond buying the central bank said it would undertake was in line with what investors were expecting, Joseph Tanious, a Global Market Strategist with J.P. Morgan Funds, said.

"I don't think you're seeing markets react hugely" to the Fed, Tanious said. "Clearly what is driving markets right now is the fiscal policy. What's holding markets hostage....is uncertainty around the fiscal cliff."

In Washington, lawmakers were still trying to reach a deal to avoid the fiscal "cliff," a series of sharp tax increases and spending cuts that will hit the economy in January if Congress and President Barack Obama are unable to thrash out an agreement to reduce the U.S. budget deficit.

The Dow and the S&P advanced for the previous five days as optimism increased that a deal can be struck. The S&P is trading at its highest in five weeks and has now erased all of its post-election losses. Stocks fell immediately after the vote Nov. 6 on concern that a divided government would struggle to resolve the budget issue.

Chemicals giant DuPont advanced 61 cents, or 1.4 percent, to $44.30 after the company unveiled plans to buy back up to $1 billion of its shares next year and said that profit for this year will reach the high end of its forecasts.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose 5 basis points to 1.71 percent.

Other stocks making big moves:

””Eli Lilly and Co. fell $1.60 to $49 after the Indianapolis drugmaker said it will conduct the additional, late-stage study of its possible Alzheimer's treatment solanezumab. The move delays a regulatory decision on a drug that flashed potential to help patients with mild cases of the disease.

””Health insurer Aetna Inc. rose $1.43 to $45.91 after the company said late Tuesday that it expects sales and profit to grow next year.

””Berkshire Hathaway's Class A shares jumped $3,169, or 2.4 percent, to $134,045 after the company paid $1.2 billion to repurchase 9,200 shares from the estate of a longtime shareholder. The company's board also approved paying higher prices for future buybacks.

””Netflix rose $4.65, or 5.4 percent, to $90.73 after the Morgan Stanley raised its prices target on the stock to $105 from $80 and kept its "overweight" rating. The company's deal with Disney, announced Dec. 4, will be a boon to Netflix, according to the investment bank's analysts.
 

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Stocks sank most of the day Thursday after more signs of tension emerged in federal budget talks. They recovered some of the loss after a late report that President Barack Obama and the House speaker would meet.

The Dow Jones industrial average finished down 74.73 points, or 0.6 percent, to 13,170.72.

House Speaker John Boehner, speaking to reporters in Washington before noon, said that the White House was so resistant to cutting government spending that it risked pushing the country off the "fiscal cliff."

The "cliff" is tax increases and government spending cuts that take effect Jan. 1 unless Congress and the White House reach a deal to avert them. Economists have warned that the tax increases and spending cuts could eventually lead to a recession.

Shortly after Boehner spoke, Obama told reporters that a deal was "still a work in progress." Asked about Boehner's assertion that he was waiting to hear more from the president, Obama said only, "Merry Christmas."

The Dow drifted lower all day and was down 98 points at its low, just after 3 p.m. EST. Then the Obama administration said that the president and Boehner would meet later Thursday at the White House.

Stocks still finished in the red. The Standard & Poor's 500 index dropped 9.03 points, or 0.6 percent, to 1,419.45. It was the first loss for the S&P in six days, tying its longest winning streak since early August.

The Nasdaq composite index dropped 21.65 points to 2,992.16.

The decline in stocks came despite the fourth straight weekly drop in applications for unemployment benefits. Applications fell 29,000 last week to 343,000, the second-lowest this year, the Labor Department reported.

The NYSE DOW closed LOWER ▼ -74.73 points or ▼ -0.56% Thursday, 13 December 2012
Symbol …........Last ......Change.....

Dow_Jones 13,170.72 ▼ -74.73 ▼ -0.56%
Nasdaq____ 2,992.16 ▼ -21.65 ▼ -0.72%
S&P_500____ 1,419.45 ▼ -9.03 ▼ -0.63%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.905 ▲ 0.01 ▲ 0.28%

NYSE Volume 3,299,682,750
Nasdaq Volume 1,835,954,000

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......

FTSE_100 5,929.61 ▼ -16.24 ▼ -0.27%
DAX_____ 7,581.98 ▼ -32.81 ▼ -0.43%
CAC_40__ 3,643.13 ▼ -3.53 ▼ -0.10%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….....Last .....Change…......

ASX_All_Ord__ 4,592.90 ▲ 1.10 ▲ 0.02%
Shanghai_Comp 2,061.48 ▼ -21.25 ▼ -1.02%
Taiwan_Weight 7,757.09 ▲ 66.90 ▲ 0.87%
Nikkei_225____ 9,742.73 ▲ 161.27 ▲ 1.68%
Hang_Seng____ 22,445.58 ▲ 53.93 ▼ -0.26%
Strait_Times___ 3,156.55 ▲ 14.98 ▲ 0.48%
NZX_50_Index__ 3,974.73 ▼ -20.53 ▼ -0.51%

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fiw-1213-stock-market-20121213,0,1753320.story

Stocks lower as investors watch Washington

Stocks sank most of the day Thursday after more signs of tension emerged in federal budget talks. They recovered some of the loss after a late report that President Barack Obama and the House speaker would meet.

The Dow Jones industrial average finished down 74.73 points, or 0.6 percent, to 13,170.72.

House Speaker John Boehner, speaking to reporters in Washington before noon, said that the White House was so resistant to cutting government spending that it risked pushing the country off the "fiscal cliff."

The "cliff" is tax increases and government spending cuts that take effect Jan. 1 unless Congress and the White House reach a deal to avert them. Economists have warned that the tax increases and spending cuts could eventually lead to a recession.

Shortly after Boehner spoke, Obama told reporters that a deal was "still a work in progress." Asked about Boehner's assertion that he was waiting to hear more from the president, Obama said only, "Merry Christmas."

The Dow drifted lower all day and was down 98 points at its low, just after 3 p.m. EST. Then the Obama administration said that the president and Boehner would meet later Thursday at the White House.

Stocks still finished in the red. The Standard & Poor's 500 index dropped 9.03 points, or 0.6 percent, to 1,419.45. It was the first loss for the S&P in six days, tying its longest winning streak since early August.

The Nasdaq composite index dropped 21.65 points to 2,992.16.

The decline in stocks came despite the fourth straight weekly drop in applications for unemployment benefits. Applications fell 29,000 last week to 343,000, the second-lowest this year, the Labor Department reported.

Energy, health care and technology stocks fell the most, and consumer staples stocks were down only slightly. All 10 categories of stock in the S&P 500 index finished lower.

Best Buy shot up $1.94, or 16 percent, to $14.12 after a newspaper reported that the founder of the troubled electronics chain will make a bid of up to $6 billion for the company by the end of the week.

CVS Caremark climbed 96 cents, or 2 percent, to $48.50 after issuing a profit prediction for next year that was ahead of Wall Street expectations. The company also raised its dividend.

On Wednesday, the Dow declined for the first day in five. Stocks rallied in the afternoon after the Federal Reserve tied its pledge of super-low interest rates to an improvement in the unemployment rate, but the rally faded.

The Fed said it would hold interest rates super-low until the unemployment rate drops below 6.5 percent, a threshold the Fed believes may not be breached until the end of 2015. The rate is 7.7 percent today.

The Dow's close Wednesday of 13,245 put it within a point of its close on Election Day. After the election, stocks slid 5 percent as investors began to fret about the "fiscal cliff," but stocks have drifted back higher recently.

"I don't think anyone expected the markets to hold up this well as we get closer and closer to the deadline," said Randy Frederick, managing director of active trading and derivatives for Charles Schwab in Austin, Texas.

"Two possibilities: Either the markets are convinced that they'll reach some sort of agreement, or the markets don't care," he said.

David Steinberg, managing partner of DLS Capital outside Chicago, said that it was only natural for the market to pause after its run-up in recent weeks. He said that he did not think that the cliff would be a "grand event" for the market.

In the bond market, the yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note climbed to 1.73 percent from 1.70 percent late Wednesday.

Among individual stocks:

_ Google gained $5.14, or 0.7 percent, to $702.70 after releasing an updated map application for the iPhone. Google Maps came pre-loaded on previous iPhones but was dropped for the derided Apple Maps earlier this year.

_ SolarCity, which installs rooftop solar panels, began trading on the Nasdaq under the symbol SCTY. Shares were priced at $8 and shot to $11.79. Elon Musk, founder of PayPal and Tesla Motors, is the company's chairman.

_ Clearwire, a struggling provider of mobile Internet access services, jumped 41 cents, or 15 percent, to $3.16 in heavy trading after Sprint Nextel offered to buy out the minority shareholders of the company for $2.1 billion, giving Sprint total control.
 

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Stocks edge lower; Apple sinks 4 percent. Apple's drop helps pull the stock market lower; Adobe jumps following a strong earnings report

Apple, the most valuable company in the U.S., slumped Friday, helping to drag down the stock market. A lack of progress in federal budget talks also discouraged investors.

Apple's stock dropped 4 percent after the launch of the iPhone 5 in Beijing failed to draw the long lines of customers that showed up for previous versions, according to news reports. Analysts at UBS cut their earnings estimates and price target for Apple, which lost $19.90 to close at $509.79.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 5.87 points to close at 1,413.58, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite sank 20.83 points to 2,971.33. Apple is the biggest stock in both indexes.

The Dow, which doesn't include Apple, fell 35.71 points to 13,135.01. All three stock-market measures ended the week with a loss.

President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner met Thursday to discuss a budget deal to avoid the "fiscal cliff," a collection of higher taxes and government spending cuts scheduled to start Jan. 1. There were no signs of progress, however, and Boehner returned home to Ohio on Friday.

Investors remain confident the two sides will reach a deal soon, said Todd Morgan, a founder of Bel Air Investment Advisors in Los Angeles. But the more time it takes, the more anxious they get.

"People want to move ahead and get past this," Morgan said. "The uncertainty around it is what's making people nervous."

The Labor Department said a steep fall in gas prices pushed down a measure of consumer prices last month. The consumer price index edged down 0.3 percent in November from October, as gas prices sank 7.4 percent, the biggest drop in nearly four years. Consumer prices have risen 1.8 percent over the past year.

The report helped nudge up prices for U.S. government debt, pushing yields down. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note slipped to 1.70 percent from 1.73 percent late Thursday. When inflation is weak, it suggests that interest rates are unlikely to jump, and bond prices unlikely to drop, anytime soon.

Asian markets rose after HSBC said manufacturing in China is picking up. Its index for manufacturing December rose to 50.9, a slight increase from the previous month. Anything above 50 is a sign of growth.

The NYSE DOW closed LOWER ▼ -35.71 points or ▼ -0.27% Friday, 14 December 2012
Symbol …........Last ......Change.....

Dow_Jones 13,135.01 ▼ -35.71 ▼ -0.27%
Nasdaq____ 2,971.33 ▼ -20.83 ▼ -0.70%
S&P_500____ 1,413.58 ▼ -5.87 ▼ -0.41%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.871 ▼ -0.03 ▼ -1.17%

NYSE Volume 3,177,331,250
Nasdaq Volume 1,777,957,750

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......

FTSE_100 5,921.76 ▼ -7.85 ▼ -0.13%
DAX_____ 7,596.47 ▲ 14.49 ▲ 0.19%
CAC_40__ 3,643.28 ▲ 0.15 ▲ 0.00%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….....Last .....Change…......

ASX_All_Ord__ 4,595.10 ▲ 2.20 ▲ 0.05%
Shanghai_Comp 2,150.62 ▲ 89.15 ▲ 4.32%
Taiwan_Weight 7,698.77 ▼ -58.32 ▼ -0.75%
Nikkei_225____ 9,737.56 ▼ -5.17 ▼ -0.05%
Hang_Seng____ 22,605.98 ▲ 53.93 ▲ 0.71%
Strait_Times___ 3,168.43 ▲ 11.88 ▲ 0.38%
NZX_50_Index__ 3,979.17 ▲ 4.45 ▲ 0.11%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stock...Rwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3

Stocks edge lower; Apple sinks 4 percent

Apple's drop helps pull the stock market lower; Adobe jumps following a strong earnings report


By Matthew Craft, AP Business Writer

Apple, the most valuable company in the U.S., slumped Friday, helping to drag down the stock market. A lack of progress in federal budget talks also discouraged investors.

Apple's stock dropped 4 percent after the launch of the iPhone 5 in Beijing failed to draw the long lines of customers that showed up for previous versions, according to news reports. Analysts at UBS cut their earnings estimates and price target for Apple, which lost $19.90 to close at $509.79.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 5.87 points to close at 1,413.58, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite sank 20.83 points to 2,971.33. Apple is the biggest stock in both indexes.

The Dow, which doesn't include Apple, fell 35.71 points to 13,135.01. All three stock-market measures ended the week with a loss.

President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner met Thursday to discuss a budget deal to avoid the "fiscal cliff," a collection of higher taxes and government spending cuts scheduled to start Jan. 1. There were no signs of progress, however, and Boehner returned home to Ohio on Friday.

Investors remain confident the two sides will reach a deal soon, said Todd Morgan, a founder of Bel Air Investment Advisors in Los Angeles. But the more time it takes, the more anxious they get.

"People want to move ahead and get past this," Morgan said. "The uncertainty around it is what's making people nervous."

The Labor Department said a steep fall in gas prices pushed down a measure of consumer prices last month. The consumer price index edged down 0.3 percent in November from October, as gas prices sank 7.4 percent, the biggest drop in nearly four years. Consumer prices have risen 1.8 percent over the past year.

The report helped nudge up prices for U.S. government debt, pushing yields down. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note slipped to 1.70 percent from 1.73 percent late Thursday. When inflation is weak, it suggests that interest rates are unlikely to jump, and bond prices unlikely to drop, anytime soon.

Asian markets rose after HSBC said manufacturing in China is picking up. Its index for manufacturing December rose to 50.9, a slight increase from the previous month. Anything above 50 is a sign of growth.

Among other companies in the news:

”” Adobe jumped 6 percent after the maker of Photoshop editing software and other applications reported results that beat analysts' expectations. More subscribers for its online Creative Cloud service helped drive revenue and earnings higher. Adobe's stock gained $2.03 to $37.56.

”” Best Buy sank 15 percent, losing $2.07 to $12.05. The struggling electronics retailer and one of its founders, Richard Schulze, agreed to give Schulze more time to assemble a bid for the company. That erased nearly all of the gain the stock made Thursday following a report that Schulze would make a bid by the end of the week.

”” Silver Bay Realty Trust dipped 26 cents to $18.24 in its first day of trading. Silver Bay raised $245.1 million in its initial public offering Thursday. It plans on using the money to buy thousands of single-family homes and rent them out, as the U.S. housing market slowly heals.

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Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

Stocks rose on Wall Street as investors were encouraged by signs of progress in budget talks in Washington. Just two weeks remain before tax increases and government spending cuts take effect if no deal is reached.

On the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, stock traders paused for a minute of silence at 9:15 a.m. EST to remember the 20 children and seven adults killed Friday in a gunman's rampage through a Connecticut elementary school.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 100.38 points to 13,235.39, its biggest gain this month. The Standard & Poor's 500 index climbed 16.78 points to 1,430.36 and the Nasdaq composite index rose 39.27 points to 3,010.60.

Marc Chaikin, CEO of the Philadelphia-based market research firm Chaikin Analytics, said investors became more hopeful for a resolution in the budget talks after House Speaker John Boehner made an offer to increase tax rates on high-income Americans.

"The fiscal cliff is obviously foremost on everyone's mind," Chaikin said.

Banks were among the best-performing stocks. Citigroup gained $1.55, 4.1 percent, to $39.15 after Raymond James raised its target price on the stock to $52 from $44. In a note to clients, the brokerage reaffirmed its "Strong Buy" rating, citing the "improving fundamental outlook." Bank of America also gained 42 cents, or 4 percent, to $11.

Investors are currently favoring financial stocks over technology stocks, said Ben Schwarz, chief market strategist at Lightspeed Financial.

"The banks are ripping today," Schwarz said. "People are looking for stability and the tech sector hasn't given them any."

Financial companies make up the best performing industry group in the S&P 500 this year, according to FactSet data. The group, which includes banks such as Wells Fargo & Co. and insurers such as Travelers, has gained 25 percent this year.

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 100.38 points or ▲ 0.76% Monday, 17 December 2012
Symbol …........Last ......Change.....

Dow_Jones 13,235.39 ▲ 100.38 ▲ 0.76%
Nasdaq____ 3,010.60 ▲ 39.27 ▲ 1.32%
S&P_500____ 1,430.36 ▲ 16.78 ▲ 1.19%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.930 ▲ 0.06 ▲ 2.09%

NYSE Volume 3,415,916,500
Nasdaq Volume 1,905,286,500

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......

FTSE_100 5,912.15 ▼ -9.61 ▼ -0.16%
DAX_____ 7,604.94 ▲ 8.47 ▲ 0.11%
CAC_40__ 3,638.10 ▼ -5.18 ▼ -0.14%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….....Last .....Change…......

ASX_All_Ord__ 4,588.00 ▼ -7.10 ▼ -0.15%
Shanghai_Comp 2,160.34 ▲ 9.72 ▲ 0.45%
Taiwan_Weight 7,631.28 ▼ -67.49 ▼ -0.88%
Nikkei_225____ 9,828.88 ▲ 91.32 ▲ 0.94%
Hang_Seng____ 22,513.61 ▲ 53.93 ▼ -0.41%
Strait_Times___ 3,158.70 ▼ -9.73 ▼ -0.31%
NZX_50_Index__ 3,966.49 ▼ -12.69 ▼ -0.32%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stock...Rwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3

Stocks move higher as budget talks progress

Stock market heads higher as Boehner proposal signals progress in Washington budget talks


By Steve Rothwell, AP Business Writer

Stocks rose on Wall Street as investors were encouraged by signs of progress in budget talks in Washington. Just two weeks remain before tax increases and government spending cuts take effect if no deal is reached.

On the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, stock traders paused for a minute of silence at 9:15 a.m. EST to remember the 20 children and seven adults killed Friday in a gunman's rampage through a Connecticut elementary school.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 100.38 points to 13,235.39, its biggest gain this month. The Standard & Poor's 500 index climbed 16.78 points to 1,430.36 and the Nasdaq composite index rose 39.27 points to 3,010.60.

Marc Chaikin, CEO of the Philadelphia-based market research firm Chaikin Analytics, said investors became more hopeful for a resolution in the budget talks after House Speaker John Boehner made an offer to increase tax rates on high-income Americans.

"The fiscal cliff is obviously foremost on everyone's mind," Chaikin said.

Banks were among the best-performing stocks. Citigroup gained $1.55, 4.1 percent, to $39.15 after Raymond James raised its target price on the stock to $52 from $44. In a note to clients, the brokerage reaffirmed its "Strong Buy" rating, citing the "improving fundamental outlook." Bank of America also gained 42 cents, or 4 percent, to $11.

Investors are currently favoring financial stocks over technology stocks, said Ben Schwarz, chief market strategist at Lightspeed Financial.

"The banks are ripping today," Schwarz said. "People are looking for stability and the tech sector hasn't given them any."

Financial companies make up the best performing industry group in the S&P 500 this year, according to FactSet data. The group, which includes banks such as Wells Fargo & Co. and insurers such as Travelers, has gained 25 percent this year.

Apple rose $9.04, or 1.8 percent, to $518.83 after the company said it sold more than 2 million iPhone 5s in China in their first three days of availability, setting a record for that market. The technology giant's stock has fallen 26 percent since it closed at a record $702.10 in September and is trading close to its lowest since February.

In Washington, there appeared to be movement in long-stalled budget talks aimed at avoiding tax increases and government spending cuts set to take effect Jan. 1, which are known as the "fiscal cliff." The combination could lead to a recession.

Indexes opened higher following the news that Boehner, a Republican, offered $1 trillion in higher tax revenue over 10 years and an increase on the top tax rate for people making $1 million per year, to 39.6 percent from 35 percent. The market moved higher still after news crossed shortly before noon that Boehner went to the White House to meet with President Barack Obama.

Wall Street has been relatively calm in recent weeks, but David Kelly, chief global strategist for J.P. Morgan Funds, said that by Friday the market will be "squarely focused on what is or is not happening in Washington."

He suggested in a note to clients that the markets will not have "priced in" any outcome, "setting the stage for a market rally with an agreement and a slump with stalemate."

Clearwire slid 46 cents, to $2.91, after Sprint announced terms of its buyout deal for the wireless Internet access company. Sprint's price of $2.97 per share was below Clearwire's closing stock price Friday.

Japanese stocks rose after the country's Liberal Democratic Party regained power following a landslide election victory.

Brian Singer, partner at William Blair, a Chicago-based asset management firm, said investors were encouraged by the outcome, which gave the conservative party overwhelming control of Parliament. The Liberal Democrats have promised greater economic stimulus spending and more action to end a destructive cycle of price declines, or deflation.

The note on the 10-year Treasury bond rose 7 basis points to 1.78 percent.

Other stocks making big moves:

””American International Group rose $1.01, or 3 percent, to $34.95 after the insurer said it was selling its remaining stake in the life insurer AIA Group. The Wall Street Journal said AIG may raise as much as $6.5 billion from the sale. AIG avoided collapse in 2008 with $182 billion in support from the U.S. government ”” the biggest of the Wall Street bailout packages ”” after suffering massive losses from investments in derivatives.

””Tenet Healthcare Co. gained 55 cents, or 1.8 percent, to $31.38 after Deutsche Bank raised its recommendation on the stock to "buy" from "hold." The bank cited Tenet's "compelling" business and financial outlook over the next 12 to 24 months.
 

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Stocks climbed on Wall Street Tuesday, pushing the Standard and Poor's 500 to its highest level in two months, on optimism that lawmakers are closing in on a budget deal that will stop the U.S. from going over the "fiscal cliff" at the beginning of next year.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 115.57 points to 13,350.96, its biggest one-day gain in almost a month. The Standard & Poor's 500 rose 16.43 points to 1,446.79, its highest close since Oct. 18. The Nasdaq composite rose 43.93 points to 3,054.53.

House Speaker John Boehner told reporters he remains hopeful that a fiscal cliff compromise can be reached, but says President Barack Obama has yet to offer a balanced deficit-cutting plan. Boehner said Obama's latest offer for $1.3 trillion in tax increases over the next decade with $850 billion in spending cuts is not enough. The White House says that President Obama has moved halfway to meet Boehner on a budget deal.

"People are cheering the prospect for some compromise in Washington right now," said Joe Costigan, director of equity research at Bryn Mawr Trust Co. "At the moment there is some pretty good news and the market is reacting favorably to it, but the deal isn't done yet."

Stocks slumped after the presidential election Nov. 6 on concern that a divided government would struggle to reach an agreement before Jan. 1, when a series of series of tax increases and government spending cuts are scheduled to take effect if no deal is reached. Those measures could push the U.S. back into recession. The S&P 500 has since recouped all of those losses.

Some investors say stocks are already pricing in too much optimism. Any deal, while ensuring that the economy avoids the full impact of the "fiscal cliff," will still involve higher taxes and less government spending. That will be a drag on economic growth, said David Wright, a managing director and co-founder at Sierra Investment Management in Santa Monica, Calif.

"There are just too many naive people thinking that the agreement itself is a significant event ”” it isn't," Wright said. "The implementation is going to be negative for the economy."

Stocks added to their gains after the Standard & Poor's rating agency said at midday that it had raised Greece's credit grade by six notches to B-, lifting the country out of default. The threat of a Greek default had roiled markets in the first half of this year. Investors worried that the heavily indebted nation would leave the euro, opening the way for a break-up of the currency block. The ratings firm said the upgrade reflected its view that the other 16 countries using the euro are determined to keep the Greece inside the currency union.

The Dow Jones is up 2.5 percent in December and is on track to close higher for a fourth straight year. The index has advanced 9 percent in 2012. The S&P 500 is also up for the year, gaining 15 percent.

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 115.57 points or ▲ 0.87% Tuesday, 18 December 2012
Symbol …........Last ......Change.....

Dow_Jones 13,350.96 ▲ 115.57 ▲ 0.87%
Nasdaq____ 3,054.53 ▲ 43.93 ▲ 1.46%
S&P_500____ 1,446.79 ▲ 16.43 ▲ 1.15%
30_Yr_Bond____ 3.014 ▲ 0.08 ▲ 2.83%

NYSE Volume 4,116,356,750
Nasdaq Volume 2,017,737,880

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......

FTSE_100 5,935.90 ▲ 23.75 ▲ 0.40%
DAX_____ 7,653.58 ▲ 48.64 ▲ 0.64%
CAC_40__ 3,648.63 ▲ 10.53 ▲ 0.29%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….....Last .....Change…......

ASX_All_Ord__ 4,610.50 ▲ 22.50 ▲ 0.49%
Shanghai_Comp 2,162.46 ▲ 2.12 ▲ 0.10%
Taiwan_Weight 7,643.74 ▲ 12.46 ▲ 0.16%
Nikkei_225____ 9,923.01 ▲ 94.13 ▲ 0.96%
Hang_Seng____ 22,494.73 ▲ 53.93 ▼ -0.08%
Strait_Times___ 3,156.79 ▼ -1.91 ▼ -0.06%
NZX_50_Index__ 3,979.25 ▲ 12.77 ▲ 0.32%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stock...Rwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3

Stocks gain on optimism that a budget deal is near

Stocks climb on confidence that a budget deal between White House and Congress is close


By Steve Rothwell, AP Business Writer

Stocks climbed on Wall Street Tuesday, pushing the Standard and Poor's 500 to its highest level in two months, on optimism that lawmakers are closing in on a budget deal that will stop the U.S. from going over the "fiscal cliff" at the beginning of next year.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 115.57 points to 13,350.96, its biggest one-day gain in almost a month. The Standard & Poor's 500 rose 16.43 points to 1,446.79, its highest close since Oct. 18. The Nasdaq composite rose 43.93 points to 3,054.53.

House Speaker John Boehner told reporters he remains hopeful that a fiscal cliff compromise can be reached, but says President Barack Obama has yet to offer a balanced deficit-cutting plan. Boehner said Obama's latest offer for $1.3 trillion in tax increases over the next decade with $850 billion in spending cuts is not enough. The White House says that President Obama has moved halfway to meet Boehner on a budget deal.

"People are cheering the prospect for some compromise in Washington right now," said Joe Costigan, director of equity research at Bryn Mawr Trust Co. "At the moment there is some pretty good news and the market is reacting favorably to it, but the deal isn't done yet."

Stocks slumped after the presidential election Nov. 6 on concern that a divided government would struggle to reach an agreement before Jan. 1, when a series of series of tax increases and government spending cuts are scheduled to take effect if no deal is reached. Those measures could push the U.S. back into recession. The S&P 500 has since recouped all of those losses.

Some investors say stocks are already pricing in too much optimism. Any deal, while ensuring that the economy avoids the full impact of the "fiscal cliff," will still involve higher taxes and less government spending. That will be a drag on economic growth, said David Wright, a managing director and co-founder at Sierra Investment Management in Santa Monica, Calif.

"There are just too many naive people thinking that the agreement itself is a significant event ”” it isn't," Wright said. "The implementation is going to be negative for the economy."

Stocks added to their gains after the Standard & Poor's rating agency said at midday that it had raised Greece's credit grade by six notches to B-, lifting the country out of default. The threat of a Greek default had roiled markets in the first half of this year. Investors worried that the heavily indebted nation would leave the euro, opening the way for a break-up of the currency block. The ratings firm said the upgrade reflected its view that the other 16 countries using the euro are determined to keep the Greece inside the currency union.

The Dow Jones is up 2.5 percent in December and is on track to close higher for a fourth straight year. The index has advanced 9 percent in 2012. The S&P 500 is also up for the year, gaining 15 percent.

Allstate Corp. gained 56 cents, or 1.4 percent, to $41.35 after the company's board of directors approved a plan to buy back up to $1 billion of the insurer's shares by the end of the year.

Eli Lilly also advanced after saying it would buy back its own stock. The drugmaker rose $1.18, or 2.4 percent, to $49.52 after saying that its board had approved a $1.5 billion share buyback.

Apple gained $15.07, or 2.9 percent, to $533.90. Samsung Electronics Co. said it had withdrawn its requests to have sales of certain Apple products banned in Europe, though the company is still suing Apple over the use of certain technology licenses.

Apple has rebounded in the last two days. It closed at its lowest in 10 months Dec. 14 as investors worried that intensifying competition in the smartphone market would erode Apple's profit margins.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note climbed 5 basis points to 1.82 percent. The yield on the note has risen 20 basis points since the start of December.

Among stocks making big moves today;

”” Arbitron, a provider of radio ratings, surged $8.99, or 24 percent, to $47.03 after TV ratings company Nielsen said it would buy it for about $1.26 billion.

”” FactSet Research Systems Inc., a provider of financial information to investors, fell $4.20, or 4.4 percent, to $92.19 after it reported earnings and revenues that fell short of analysts' estimates.
 

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Stocks dipped Wednesday, recording their first loss of the week. President Barack Obama and Republicans in Congress sniped at each other, and a deadline to avoid sweeping tax increases and government spending cuts drew closer.

General Motors stock surged after the government announced plans to sell its ownership stake in the company.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 98.99 points, or 0.7 percent, at 13,251.97. The Standard & Poor's 500 index dropped 10.98 points, or 0.8 percent, to 1,435.81. The Nasdaq composite index fell 10.17, or 0.3 percent, to 3,044.36.

Obama said that he and House Speaker John Boehner were "pretty close" to a deal to avoid the tax increases and spending cuts, a combination known as the "fiscal cliff." The two sides have exchanged proposals this week.

But the president also said that congressional Republicans keep finding "ways to say no as opposed to finding ways to say yes." He said the nation deserves compromise in the aftermath of the Connecticut school shooting.

Boehner, speaking to reporters for less than a minute and in a defiant tone, called on Obama to offer a deficit-cutting plan balanced between spending cuts and tax increases.

He predicted that the House would pass his backup plan, which calls for extending decade-old tax cuts for Americans making less than $1 million per year. The White House has rejected that plan.

The S&P 500 index had gained more than 2 percent over the previous two days in part because of optimism about a deal taking shape. The optimism seemed to melt on Wednesday, and stocks finished near their lows for the day.

GM soared $1.69, or 6.6 percent, to $27.18 after the company said it would spend $5.5 billion to buy 200 million shares of its own stock back from the federal government.

The NYSE DOW closed LOWER ▼ -98.99 points or ▼ -0.74% Wednesday, 19 December 2012
Symbol …........Last ......Change.....

Dow_Jones 13,251.97 ▼ -98.99 ▼ -0.74%
Nasdaq____ 3,044.36 ▼ -10.17 ▼ -0.33%
S&P_500____ 1,435.81 ▼ -10.98 ▼ -0.76%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.982 ▼ -0.03 ▼ -1.06%

NYSE Volume 3,838,595,000
Nasdaq Volume 1,938,485,620

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......

FTSE_100 5,961.59 ▲ 25.69 ▲ 0.43%
DAX_____ 7,668.50 ▲ 14.92 ▲ 0.19%
CAC_40__ 3,664.59 ▲ 15.96 ▲ 0.44%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….....Last .....Change…......

ASX_All_Ord__ 4,633.20 ▲ 22.70 ▲ 0.49%
Shanghai_Comp 2,162.24 ▼ -0.23 ▼ -0.01%
Taiwan_Weight 7,677.47 ▲ 33.73 ▲ 0.44%
Nikkei_225____ 10,160.40 ▲ 237.39 ▲ 2.39%
Hang_Seng____ 22,623.37 ▲ 53.93 ▲ 0.57%
Strait_Times___ 3,158.47 ▲ 1.68 ▲ 0.05%
NZX_50_Index__ 4,023.00 ▲ 43.75 ▲ 1.10%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stock...Rwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3

Stocks fall as sides snipe in 'cliff' talks

Stocks fall as sides snipe at each other in 'fiscal cliff' talks; Dow loses 99


By The Associated Press

Stocks dipped Wednesday, recording their first loss of the week. President Barack Obama and Republicans in Congress sniped at each other, and a deadline to avoid sweeping tax increases and government spending cuts drew closer.

General Motors stock surged after the government announced plans to sell its ownership stake in the company.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 98.99 points, or 0.7 percent, at 13,251.97. The Standard & Poor's 500 index dropped 10.98 points, or 0.8 percent, to 1,435.81. The Nasdaq composite index fell 10.17, or 0.3 percent, to 3,044.36.

Obama said that he and House Speaker John Boehner were "pretty close" to a deal to avoid the tax increases and spending cuts, a combination known as the "fiscal cliff." The two sides have exchanged proposals this week.

But the president also said that congressional Republicans keep finding "ways to say no as opposed to finding ways to say yes." He said the nation deserves compromise in the aftermath of the Connecticut school shooting.

Boehner, speaking to reporters for less than a minute and in a defiant tone, called on Obama to offer a deficit-cutting plan balanced between spending cuts and tax increases.

He predicted that the House would pass his backup plan, which calls for extending decade-old tax cuts for Americans making less than $1 million per year. The White House has rejected that plan.

The S&P 500 index had gained more than 2 percent over the previous two days in part because of optimism about a deal taking shape. The optimism seemed to melt on Wednesday, and stocks finished near their lows for the day.

GM soared $1.69, or 6.6 percent, to $27.18 after the company said it would spend $5.5 billion to buy 200 million shares of its own stock back from the federal government.

The government pledged to sell the other 300 million GM shares it owns on the open market and shed its entire ownership stake in 12 to 15 months. The government got GM stock as part of a 2009 bailout.

U.S. builders broke ground on fewer homes in November after starting work in October at the fastest pace in four years. Superstorm Sandy probably distorted the totals in the Northeast.

The Commerce Department said builders began construction of houses and apartments at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 861,000. That was 3 percent less than October's annual rate of 888,000, the fastest since July 2008.

Materials stocks fell just 0.5 percent, less than the rest of the market. Industrials fell 0.7 percent. Elsewhere on Wall Street, telecommunications stocks and health care stocks fared the worst, down 1.2 percent and 1.1 percent respectively.

Oracle, which makes software for businesses, jumped $1.21, or 3.7 percent, to $34.09 after reporting stronger earnings as companies splurged on software and other technology.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note fell 0.02 percentage point to 1.80 percent. The price of oil climbed $1.58, or 1.8 percent, to $89.51 per barrel.

Among other stocks in the news:

”” FedEx gained 84 cents, or 0.9 percent, to $93.20. The world's No. 2 package delivery company lowered its economic forecast for the United States but said it was more confident in its own ability to increase earnings.

”” Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia gained 7cents to $2.65. It fell during the day to $2.30, a three-year low, after CEO Lisa Gersh stepped down after less than a year on the job.
 

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The stock market ended higher Thursday after flipping between small gains and losses throughout the morning. Uncertainty about the "fiscal cliff," just days away, was top of mind for many traders.

The Republican-controlled House pushed ahead with a bill aimed at averting the "fiscal cliff," but President Barack Obama has threatened to veto it and Democratic leaders in the Senate vowed to let it die.

Many traders now expect that the Republicans and Democrats won't reach an agreement before Christmas. The political haggling kept markets muted, and trading volume was low.

"Every time someone makes a speech, you get another move in the market," said Ben Fischer, founder and managing director of NFJ Investment Group in Dallas. "Everyone's just tracking it on a very short-term basis."

The Dow Jones industrial average fell as much as 36 points before ending the day higher, rising 59.75 points to close at 13,311.72. Other indexes followed similar patterns. The Standard & Poor's 500 rose 7.88 to 1,443.69. The Nasdaq composite index rose 6.02 to 3,050.39.

In Washington, the Republicans offered in their "Plan B" to raise taxes on the wealthy, but Democrats complained that it would not address the steep budget cuts that are automatically set to occur for military and domestic agencies.

If the Republicans and Democrats don't work out a compromise before the end of the month, the U.S. could go over the "fiscal cliff," a reference to big tax increases and government spending cuts that would automatically kick in if no budget deal is in place. Some economists fear that would push the U.S. back into recession.

But even a successful compromise is no guarantee that the market will soar. The market already assumes that a budget compromise will be reached, Fischer and others said, evidenced by its more-or-less steady increase since mid-November.

A compromise "doesn't make everything better," said Tim Biggam, market strategist with the brokerage TradingBlock in Chicago. "It just stops things from getting worse

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 59.75 points or ▲ 0.45% Thursday, 20 December 2012
Symbol …........Last ......Change.....

Dow_Jones 13,311.72 ▲ 59.75 ▲ 0.45%
Nasdaq____ 3,050.39 ▲ 6.03 ▲ 0.20%
S&P_500____ 1,443.69 ▲ 7.88 ▲ 0.55%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.984 ▲ 0.00 ▲ 0.07%

NYSE Volume 3,656,372,000
Nasdaq Volume 1,685,494,500

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......

FTSE_100 5,958.34 ▼ -3.25 ▼ -0.05%
DAX_____ 7,672.10 ▲ 3.60 ▲ 0.05%
CAC_40__ 3,666.73 ▲ 18.10 ▲ 0.50%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….....Last .....Change…......

ASX_All_Ord__ 4,646.60 ▲ 13.40 ▲ 0.29%
Shanghai_Comp 2,168.35 ▲ 6.11 ▲ 0.28%
Taiwan_Weight 7,595.46 ▼ -82.01 ▼ -1.07%
Nikkei_225____ 10,039.33 ▼ -121.07 ▼ -1.19%
Hang_Seng____ 22,659.78 ▲ 53.93 ▲ 0.16%
Strait_Times___ 3,175.52 ▲ 16.95 ▲ 0.54%
NZX_50_Index__ 4,075.45 ▲ 52.45 ▲ 1.30%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/waiti...Rwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3

Waiting on fiscal cliff compromise, stocks inch up

US stocks meander, then inch up, as traders wait for fiscal cliff deal; NYSE Euronext soars


By Christina Rexrode, AP Business Writer

The stock market ended higher Thursday after flipping between small gains and losses throughout the morning. Uncertainty about the "fiscal cliff," just days away, was top of mind for many traders.

The Republican-controlled House pushed ahead with a bill aimed at averting the "fiscal cliff," but President Barack Obama has threatened to veto it and Democratic leaders in the Senate vowed to let it die.

Many traders now expect that the Republicans and Democrats won't reach an agreement before Christmas. The political haggling kept markets muted, and trading volume was low.

"Every time someone makes a speech, you get another move in the market," said Ben Fischer, founder and managing director of NFJ Investment Group in Dallas. "Everyone's just tracking it on a very short-term basis."

The Dow Jones industrial average fell as much as 36 points before ending the day higher, rising 59.75 points to close at 13,311.72. Other indexes followed similar patterns. The Standard & Poor's 500 rose 7.88 to 1,443.69. The Nasdaq composite index rose 6.02 to 3,050.39.

In Washington, the Republicans offered in their "Plan B" to raise taxes on the wealthy, but Democrats complained that it would not address the steep budget cuts that are automatically set to occur for military and domestic agencies.

If the Republicans and Democrats don't work out a compromise before the end of the month, the U.S. could go over the "fiscal cliff," a reference to big tax increases and government spending cuts that would automatically kick in if no budget deal is in place. Some economists fear that would push the U.S. back into recession.

But even a successful compromise is no guarantee that the market will soar. The market already assumes that a budget compromise will be reached, Fischer and others said, evidenced by its more-or-less steady increase since mid-November.

A compromise "doesn't make everything better," said Tim Biggam, market strategist with the brokerage TradingBlock in Chicago. "It just stops things from getting worse."

Biggam predicted that the economy's growth next year will remain anemic. Problems that the headlines over budget impasse have pushed out of the public consciousness, like the European debt crisis, still need to be resolved, he said.

"All the fears that we were worried about not too long ago," he said, "have not gone away."

Also at the forefront for many traders was the news that NYSE Euronext, the parent of the New York Stock Exchange, planned to sell itself to IntercontinentalExchange, an upstart and lesser-known exchange operator based in Atlanta.

NYSE Euronext's stock surged $8.20 to $32.25. The boost at IntercontinentalExchange was much more modest, with the stock rising $1.79, or just more than 1 percent, to $130.10. That signals traders think the proposed deal could be more beneficial to NYSE Euronext than to its potential buyer.

Even without the complications of the budget negotiations, the U.S. economy has been difficult to read, a pattern that continued Thursday.

The government said the U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 3.1 percent over the summer, higher than the previous estimate of 2.7 percent. But growth is likely to slow in the current quarter and early next year.

The government also reported that the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week, a disappointment after four straight weeks of declines. The four-week moving average of jobless claims, a less volatile measurement, fell.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note was unchanged at 1.80 percent. World markets were also mixed. Major stock indexes in Britain and Japan edged lower, while France and China rose.

A slate of companies reported earnings, with varied results:

””Darden Restaurants, the parent of Olive Garden and Red Lobster, fell $1.34 to $45.47 after the company reported sharply lower profits. New ad campaigns meant to attract younger customers haven't done as well as the company hoped.

””Rite Aid, the drugstore chain, soared 16 percent, rising 17 cents to $1.21, after the company reported its first quarterly profit since 2007. The pharmacies filled more prescriptions, and an influx of generic drugs helped profitability.

””Scholastic slipped 50 cents to $28.79 after reporting lower profit and revenue, with demand fading for its popular "Hunger Games" trilogy.

””CarMax shot up 9 percent, rising $3.13 to $37.97, after reporting higher profit and revenue. Sales of used cars helped push results higher.
 

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Investors sent Washington a reminder Friday that Wall Street is a power player in talks to avoid the "fiscal cliff."

Stocks fell sharply after House Republicans called off a vote on tax rates and left federal budget talks in disarray 10 days before sweeping tax increases and government spending cuts are scheduled to take effect.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost as much as 189 points before closing down 120.88 points, or 0.9 percent, at 13,190.84. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 13.54 points to 1,430.15. The Nasdaq composite index declined 29.38 to 3,021.01.

The House bill would have raised taxes on Americans making at least $1 million per year and locked in decade-old tax cuts for Americans making less. Taxes will rise for almost all Americans on Jan. 1 unless Congress acts.

House Speaker John Boehner had presented what he called "Plan B" while he negotiated with the White House on avoiding the sweeping tax increases and spending cuts, a combination known as the fiscal cliff.

But Boehner scrapped a vote on the bill Thursday night after it became clear that it did not have enough support in the Republican-led House to secure passage. He called on the White House and the Democratic-led Senate to work something out.

The market's decline demonstrated that investors' nerves are raw as they await a resolution.

"Where we are today, the market would be satisfied with the announcement of a stopgap measure," said Quincy Krosby, a market strategist at Prudential Financial. "The more the clock ticks, the more the market is saying, 'Just give us something.'"

Sal Arnuk, a partner at Themis Trading, suggested that the sharp drop in stocks early in the day might have been an overreaction. The Dow was down as much as 189 points, and before the market opened, stock futures suggested a decline of 200 points or more.

"It's not a surprise that they weren't able to come to an agreement," he said. I don't think most of Wall Street anticipated that they would come to an agreement."

Other markets registered their concern, but the reaction was not extreme. The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note fell 0.04 percentage point to 1.76 percent.

The price of gold, which some investors buy when fear overtakes the market, climbed, but only by 0.9 percent. Gold rose $14.20 to $1,660.10 an ounce.

The NYSE DOW closed LOWER ▼ -120.88 points or ▼ -0.91% Friday, 21 December 2012
Symbol …........Last ......Change.....

Dow_Jones 13,190.84 ▼ -120.88 ▼ -0.91%
Nasdaq____ 3,021.01 ▼ -29.38 ▼ -0.96%
S&P_500____ 1,430.15 ▼ -13.54 ▼ -0.94%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.922 ▼ -0.06 ▼ -2.08%

NYSE Volume 4,834,776,000
Nasdaq Volume 2,825,451,750

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......

FTSE_100 5,939.99 ▼ -18.35 ▼ -0.31%
DAX_____ 7,636.23 ▼ -35.87 ▼ -0.47%
CAC_40__ 3,661.40 ▼ -5.33 ▼ -0.15%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….....Last .....Change…......

ASX_All_Ord__ 4,635.20 ▼ -11.40 ▼ -0.25%
Shanghai_Comp 2,153.31 ▼ -15.04 ▼ -0.69%
Taiwan_Weight 7,519.93 ▲ 0.00 ▲ 0.00%
Nikkei_225____ 9,940.06 ▼ -99.27 ▼ -0.99%
Hang_Seng____ 22,506.29 ▲ 53.93 ▼ -0.68%
Strait_Times___ 3,163.56 ▼ -11.96 ▼ -0.38%
NZX_50_Index__ 4,054.74 ▼ -20.71 ▼ -0.51%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stocks-sink-republicans-cancel-budget-154100392.html

Stocks sink after Republicans cancel budget vote

Stocks drop sharply after Republicans cancel tax vote; 'fiscal cliff' looms


By Steve Rothwell, AP Business Writer

Investors sent Washington a reminder Friday that Wall Street is a power player in talks to avoid the "fiscal cliff."

Stocks fell sharply after House Republicans called off a vote on tax rates and left federal budget talks in disarray 10 days before sweeping tax increases and government spending cuts are scheduled to take effect.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost as much as 189 points before closing down 120.88 points, or 0.9 percent, at 13,190.84. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 13.54 points to 1,430.15. The Nasdaq composite index declined 29.38 to 3,021.01.

The House bill would have raised taxes on Americans making at least $1 million per year and locked in decade-old tax cuts for Americans making less. Taxes will rise for almost all Americans on Jan. 1 unless Congress acts.

House Speaker John Boehner had presented what he called "Plan B" while he negotiated with the White House on avoiding the sweeping tax increases and spending cuts, a combination known as the fiscal cliff.

But Boehner scrapped a vote on the bill Thursday night after it became clear that it did not have enough support in the Republican-led House to secure passage. He called on the White House and the Democratic-led Senate to work something out.

The market's decline demonstrated that investors' nerves are raw as they await a resolution.

"Where we are today, the market would be satisfied with the announcement of a stopgap measure," said Quincy Krosby, a market strategist at Prudential Financial. "The more the clock ticks, the more the market is saying, 'Just give us something.'"

Sal Arnuk, a partner at Themis Trading, suggested that the sharp drop in stocks early in the day might have been an overreaction. The Dow was down as much as 189 points, and before the market opened, stock futures suggested a decline of 200 points or more.

"It's not a surprise that they weren't able to come to an agreement," he said. I don't think most of Wall Street anticipated that they would come to an agreement."

Other markets registered their concern, but the reaction was not extreme. The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note fell 0.04 percentage point to 1.76 percent.

The price of gold, which some investors buy when fear overtakes the market, climbed, but only by 0.9 percent. Gold rose $14.20 to $1,660.10 an ounce.

If the full fiscal cliff takes effect, economists say it could drag the United States into recession next year. The impact would be gradual, though, and a recession is not a sure thing.

Most people would receive only slightly less money in each paycheck. And the tax increases and spending cuts could be retroactively repealed if a deal comes together after Jan. 1.

If budget talks dragged on, many businesses might put off investment or hiring, and consumer spending could suffer. That's why most economists say it would be crucial to reach a deal within roughly the first two months of 2013.

"Believe you me," Krosby said, "if you think that there is a recession in the offing you are going to see this market sell off. It's sell off first, ask questions later."

It was not the first time that Wall Street worried about the fiscal cliff talks.

On the day after the election, when voters returned divided government to power, the Dow dropped 312 points. On Nov. 14, when President Barack Obama insisted on higher tax rates for the wealthy, the Dow dropped 185 points.

The sharp drop in stocks Friday was reminiscent of, although much smaller in scale than, what happened Sept. 29, 2008, during the financial crisis.

The House defeated a proposed $700 billion bailout of the U.S. financial industry, and the Dow plunged 777 points, its worst one-day decline. Four days later, the House, shaken by what had happened on Wall Street, passed a modified bill.

Stocks closed lower Friday in Asia after House Republicans canceled their vote. The Nikkei index in Japan fell almost 1 percent, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index dropped 0.7 percent. Stocks were also lower in Europe.

Among stocks making big moves:

”” Walgreen, the nation's largest drugstore chain, slumped $1.24, or 3.3 percent, to $36.31. It filled fewer prescriptions and absorbed costs tied to acquisitions and Superstorm Sandy. The results were worse than financial analysts had been expecting.

”” BlackBerry maker Research in Motion dropped $2.21, or 15.8 percent, to $11.74. The company said it won't generate as much revenue from telecommunications carriers once it releases the BlackBerry 10.

”” Nike, the world's largest maker of athletic gear, jumped $6.10, or 6.2 percent, to $105.10. It said strong demand in North America led to a 7 percent increase in revenue in the three months ended Nov. 30, balancing out economic weakness in Europe and a slowdown in growth in China.

”” Micron Technology dropped 6.9 percent, the biggest decline in the S&P 500 index. The semiconductor maker reported a loss late Thursday as weaker demand for personal computers and an oversupply of certain chips hurt its sales. The stock lost 47 cents to $6.32

9546
 

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Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

Stocks fell in light trading Monday during a shortened holiday trading session with lawmakers running out of time to reach a budget deal that would prevent the U.S. from going over the so-called fiscal cliff.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 52 points to 13,139.08. The Standard & Poor's 500 index gave up 3 points to 1,426.66 The Nasdaq composite slipped 8.4 points to 3,012.60.

In more than a dozen interviews with The Associated Press, conservative activists said they would rather see the country fall off the cliff than agree to any tax increases for any Americans, no matter how wealthy.

With many in Washington away for the holidays, that scenario appears increasingly likely.

"There is starting to become a little bit of an acceptance that we fall off the fiscal cliff," said JJ Kinahan, chief derivatives strategist for TD Ameritrade. "People are starting to think about how they may plan their portfolio if that does happen."

Stocks fell sharply Friday, with the Dow logging its biggest drop in more than a month, after House Republicans called off a vote on tax rates. That left federal budget talks in disarray just days before sweeping tax increases and government spending cuts are scheduled to take effect.

Sen. Joe Lieberman said Sunday that "it's the first time that I feel it's more likely we'll go over the cliff than not," following the collapse late Thursday of House Speaker John Boehner's plan to allow tax rates to rise on million-dollar-plus incomes. Wyoming Sen. Jon Barrasso, a member of the Republican leadership, predicted the new year would come without an agreement.

Failure to agree on a budget plan before year-end would lead to simultaneous spending cuts and tax hikes that many fear may push the economy back into recession.

President Barack Obama and Congress are on a short holiday break. Congress is expected to be back at work Thursday and Obama will be back in the White House after a few days in Hawaii.

The NYSE DOW closed LOWER ▼ -51.76 points or ▼ -0.39% Monday, 24 December 2012
Symbol …........Last ......Change.....

Dow_Jones 13,139.08 ▼ -51.76 ▼ -0.39%
Nasdaq____ 3,012.60 ▼ -8.41 ▼ -0.28%
S&P_500____ 1,426.66 ▼ -3.49 ▼ -0.24%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.943 ▲ 0.02 ▲ 0.72%

NYSE Volume 1,242,219,750
Nasdaq Volume 616,902,120

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......

FTSE_100 5,954.18 ▲ 14.19 ▲ 0.24%
DAX_____ 7,636.23 ▼ -35.87 ▼ -0.47%
CAC_40__ 3,652.61 ▼ -8.79 ▼ -0.24%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….....Last .....Change…......

ASX_All_Ord__ 4,645.60 ▲ 10.40 ▲ 0.22%
Shanghai_Comp 2,159.05 ▲ 5.74 ▲ 0.27%
Taiwan_Weight 7,535.52 ▼ -4.62 ▼ -0.06%
Nikkei_225____ 9,940.06 ▼ -99.27 ▼ -0.99%
Hang_Seng____ 22,541.18 ▲ 53.93 ▲ 0.16%
Strait_Times___ 3,168.57 ▲ 5.01 ▲ 0.16%
NZX_50_Index__ 4,057.82 ▲ 3.08 ▲ 0.08%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stocks-dip-budget-deal-doubt-154424626.html

Stocks dip with budget deal in doubt at year's end

Stocks fall as lawmakers cast doubt on chances of reaching "fiscal cliff" deal


By Steve Rothwell, AP Business Writer

Stocks fell in light trading Monday during a shortened holiday trading session with lawmakers running out of time to reach a budget deal that would prevent the U.S. from going over the so-called fiscal cliff.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 52 points to 13,139.08. The Standard & Poor's 500 index gave up 3 points to 1,426.66 The Nasdaq composite slipped 8.4 points to 3,012.60.

In more than a dozen interviews with The Associated Press, conservative activists said they would rather see the country fall off the cliff than agree to any tax increases for any Americans, no matter how wealthy.

With many in Washington away for the holidays, that scenario appears increasingly likely.

"There is starting to become a little bit of an acceptance that we fall off the fiscal cliff," said JJ Kinahan, chief derivatives strategist for TD Ameritrade. "People are starting to think about how they may plan their portfolio if that does happen."

Stocks fell sharply Friday, with the Dow logging its biggest drop in more than a month, after House Republicans called off a vote on tax rates. That left federal budget talks in disarray just days before sweeping tax increases and government spending cuts are scheduled to take effect.

Sen. Joe Lieberman said Sunday that "it's the first time that I feel it's more likely we'll go over the cliff than not," following the collapse late Thursday of House Speaker John Boehner's plan to allow tax rates to rise on million-dollar-plus incomes. Wyoming Sen. Jon Barrasso, a member of the Republican leadership, predicted the new year would come without an agreement.

Failure to agree on a budget plan before year-end would lead to simultaneous spending cuts and tax hikes that many fear may push the economy back into recession.

President Barack Obama and Congress are on a short holiday break. Congress is expected to be back at work Thursday and Obama will be back in the White House after a few days in Hawaii.

J.C. Penney Co.'s stock jumped after Oppenheimer analysts reiterated a "Buy" rating on the company Monday, saying that traffic in stores in the final weekend before Christmas was strong. The analysts said that this made them more optimistic that the company's new approach to promotion will help it through the holidays and into 2013.

The stock gained 28 cents, or 1.4 percent, to $19.87.

Other retailers may struggle though this holiday season, as Christmas shoppers rein in their spending, their spirits dampened by concerns about the economy and the aftermath of shootings and storms. Marshal Cohen, chief research analyst at NPD Inc., a market research firm with a network of analysts at shopping centers nationwide, estimates customer traffic over the weekend was in line with the same time a year ago, but that shoppers are spending less.

Shoppers are increasingly worried about the fiscal cliff deadline, adding to the fall's retail woes after Superstorm Sandy's passage up the East Coast.

Consumer spending drives about 70 percent of economic growth, so how confident people are about parting with money is crucial for any economic recovery.

Falling stocks outnumbered gainers by a ratio of five to one in the 30-member Dow, with technology companies leading the decliners. Hewlett-Packard fell 33 cents, or 2.3 percent, to $14.01 and Microsoft Corp. dropped 39 cents, or 1.4 percent, to $27.06.

Stocks may also come under pressure in coming days as investors who have seen their holdings gain this year, decide to sell and book the capital gains tax in 2012 so as to avoid any potential increase in that tax rate next year, according to Kinahan, of TD Ameritrade.

"People who have had a nice year in a particular stock may say 'why not take the hit this year,' " said Kinahan.

Barring a dramatic sell-off in the year's final days of trading, stocks will end the year higher on signs that the U.S. housing market is recovering and the U.S. economy is adding jobs. The Federal Reserve also announced a third-round of its so-called quantitative easing program in September. The program, intended to lower the cost of borrowing and spur lending, helped underpin demand for stocks.

The S&P 500 is 13 percent higher for the year, the Dow is almost 8 percent up and the Nasdaq is nearly 16 percent higher.

Trading volumes were lower than average today before the Christmas holiday Tuesday. The stock market will close at 1 p.m. Monday and will reopen Wednesday.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose 1 basis point to 1.78 percent.

Among other stocks making big moves:

””Herbalife Ltd., the nutritional supplements company, fell $1.21, or 4.4 percent, to $26.06. The stock has tumbled 43 percent this month after William Ackman, the founder and CEO of hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management L.P., claimed that the nutritional supplements company is a pyramid scheme.

The company said Monday that it
 

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For the stock market, this week hasn't been the most wonderful time of the year.

U.S. stocks fell Wednesday for the third trading day in a row. Disappointing holiday sales weighed heavy on retail companies, and the unwelcome "fiscal cliff" package of higher taxes and lower government spending loomed nearer.

The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 24.49 points to 13,114.59. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 6.83 to 1,419.83 and the Nasdaq composite lost 22.44 to 2,990.16.

Karyn Cavanaugh, market strategist with ING Investment Management in New York, wrote a note to clients Wednesday highlighting the less-than-merry retail sales.

"I hope that they're reading this from the mall," she said later, "because retail sales could use a boost."

The MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse report found that sales of electronics, clothing, jewelry and home goods increased just 0.7 percent in the two months before Christmas compared with the same period last year.

That was well below the 3 to 4 percent that analysts had expected and the worst performance since 2008, when spending shrank during the depths of the Great Recession.

Major U.S. retailers including Abercrombie & Fitch, Sears Holdings, Urban Outfitters, Limited Brands, Nike and Gap were all down. Handbag maker Coach, a bellwether of the luxury market, plummeted $3.39 to $54.13. It lost nearly 6 percent of its value, more than any other company in the S&P 500.

Right behind it was online retailer Amazon.com, which helps analysts get a read on the entire retail market. It lost nearly 4 percent, falling $9.99 to $248.63.

Plodding retail sales are a concern because consumer spending accounts for roughly 70 percent of the U.S. economy. When shoppers pull back on spending, that can take a chunk out of company earnings, which in turn pushes down the stock market.

The retail numbers are also a sign that despite scattered hints of an improving economy, including a report Wednesday about rising home prices, many consumers remain uneasy about their prospects.

"Consumers just aren't confident," said Jeff Sica, president and chief investment officer of SICA Wealth Management in Morristown, N.J. "They don't feel a sense of security that they're going to be able to maintain their job or their income or their savings."

Sica pointed out that normally the market rises at this time of year ”” the so-called Santa Claus rally. Since 1969, stocks have risen an average of 1.6 percent over the last five days of December and the first two of January, according to The Stock Trader's Almanac.

This year, it seems, the retail sales and "fiscal cliff" have been too much of an overhang.

The NYSE DOW closed LOWER ▼ -24.49 points or ▼ -0.19% Wednesday, 26 December 2012
Symbol …........Last ......Change.....

Dow_Jones 13,114.59 ▼ -24.49 ▼ -0.19%
Nasdaq____ 2,990.16 ▼ -22.44 ▼ -0.74%
S&P_500____ 1,419.83 ▼ -6.83 ▼ -0.48%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.933 ▼ -0.01 ▼ -0.34%

NYSE Volume 2,273,327,500
Nasdaq Volume 1,059,561,880

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......

FTSE_100 5,954.18 ▲ 14.19 ▲ 0.24% - closed Dec 26th
DAX_____ 7,636.23 ▼ -35.87 ▼ -0.47% - closed Dec 26th
CAC_40__ 3,652.61 ▼ -8.79 ▼ -0.24% - closed Dec 26th

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….....Last .....Change…......

ASX_All_Ord__ 4,645.60 ▲ 10.40 ▲ 0.22% - closed Dec 26th
Shanghai_Comp 2,219.13 ▲ 5.52 ▲ 0.25%
Taiwan_Weight 7,634.19 ▼ -2.38 ▼ -0.03%
Nikkei_225____ 10,230.36 ▲ 150.24 ▲ 1.49%
Hang_Seng____ 22,541.18 ▲ 53.93 ▲ 0.16%
Strait_Times___ 3,180.81 ▲ 12.24 ▲ 0.39%
NZX_50_Index__ 4,057.82 ▲ 3.08 ▲ 0.08% - closed Dec 26th


http://finance.yahoo.com/news/retai...Rwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3

Retailers pull stocks lower on poor holiday sales

Indexes sink on Wall Street following the Christmas holiday; Retailers slump on weak sales


By Christina Rexrode, AP Business Writer

For the stock market, this week hasn't been the most wonderful time of the year.

U.S. stocks fell Wednesday for the third trading day in a row. Disappointing holiday sales weighed heavy on retail companies, and the unwelcome "fiscal cliff" package of higher taxes and lower government spending loomed nearer.

The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 24.49 points to 13,114.59. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 6.83 to 1,419.83 and the Nasdaq composite lost 22.44 to 2,990.16.

Karyn Cavanaugh, market strategist with ING Investment Management in New York, wrote a note to clients Wednesday highlighting the less-than-merry retail sales.

"I hope that they're reading this from the mall," she said later, "because retail sales could use a boost."

The MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse report found that sales of electronics, clothing, jewelry and home goods increased just 0.7 percent in the two months before Christmas compared with the same period last year.

That was well below the 3 to 4 percent that analysts had expected and the worst performance since 2008, when spending shrank during the depths of the Great Recession.

Major U.S. retailers including Abercrombie & Fitch, Sears Holdings, Urban Outfitters, Limited Brands, Nike and Gap were all down. Handbag maker Coach, a bellwether of the luxury market, plummeted $3.39 to $54.13. It lost nearly 6 percent of its value, more than any other company in the S&P 500.

Right behind it was online retailer Amazon.com, which helps analysts get a read on the entire retail market. It lost nearly 4 percent, falling $9.99 to $248.63.

Plodding retail sales are a concern because consumer spending accounts for roughly 70 percent of the U.S. economy. When shoppers pull back on spending, that can take a chunk out of company earnings, which in turn pushes down the stock market.

The retail numbers are also a sign that despite scattered hints of an improving economy, including a report Wednesday about rising home prices, many consumers remain uneasy about their prospects.

"Consumers just aren't confident," said Jeff Sica, president and chief investment officer of SICA Wealth Management in Morristown, N.J. "They don't feel a sense of security that they're going to be able to maintain their job or their income or their savings."

Sica pointed out that normally the market rises at this time of year ”” the so-called Santa Claus rally. Since 1969, stocks have risen an average of 1.6 percent over the last five days of December and the first two of January, according to The Stock Trader's Almanac.

This year, it seems, the retail sales and "fiscal cliff" have been too much of an overhang.

The "fiscal cliff" refers to lower government spending and higher taxes that will kick in Jan. 1, if Republicans and Democrats can't agree to a new budget by then.

The Senate is due in session Thursday, and President Barack Obama is expected to return early from his Christmas vacation in Hawaii, arriving back in Washington early Thursday. Still, congressional officials said Wednesday they knew of no significant strides toward a compromise over the long Christmas weekend, and no negotiations have been set.

It's not clear that the market would automatically rise if there is a deal, or automatically fall if there isn't. Except for the past three days, the market has risen more or less steadily since mid-November despite the lack of a "fiscal cliff" deal. That means many traders have been assuming that lawmakers would work out something before the deadline, so any positive effect from a compromise is already baked into stock prices.

While a compromise is still possible, some analysts said that what the market feared most wasn't the cliff, but the possibility that lawmakers would come up with only a stop-gap solution. That would probably mean they'd have to meet again in the new year to hammer out a permanent deal, dragging out the uncertainty.

"It's like ripping the Band-Aid off now versus later," Cavanaugh said. "The Band-Aid's got to come off. We've got to cut spending, we've got to pay down the debt."

The bright spot was a report from the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller national home price index, which said that home prices rose in most major U.S. cities in October compared with a year ago. However, prices fell in many cities compared to the month before.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note edged down to 1.75 percent from 1.77 percent Monday, a sign that investors were taking money out of stocks and putting it into bonds.

It was the first trading day after the Christmas holiday. Trading volume was low, and European markets were still closed.

Just 2.3 billion shares were traded on the New York Stock Exchange. For the year so far, the average has been around 3.6 billion.
 

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The "fiscal cliff" took the stock market on a roller coaster Thursday. Small developments in the tense budget standoff yanked stocks back and forth throughout the day.

In the end, U.S. stocks closed lower for the fourth day in a row, sending the unwelcome message that the budget standoff is still far from solved, the economy still far from healed.

The erratic performance underscored how the "fiscal cliff" can yank the market back and forth. The term refers to automatic tax increases and government spending cuts that will kick in next week if Republicans and Democrats can't reach a budget agreement by Monday night.

Stocks opened by hopping between small gains and losses, pulled up by news about fewer unemployment claims and down by the continuing lack of a budget deal in Washington.

Then, stocks turned decisively downward at mid-morning, unnerved by twin fetters: a report that consumer confidence fell to its lowest level since August, and a warning from the Senate Majority Leader, Democrat Harry Reid, that he feared the government would miss the Monday night deadline for working out a budget compromise.

A bright spot of economic news, an increase in sales of new homes, couldn't distract investors from worries about the budget impasse. Both Republicans and Democrats demanded that the other side take the initiative in compromising. The Dow Jones industrial average fell as much as 150 points, more than 1 percent.

Then, just as the Dow appeared headed toward a triple-digit loss, it whipsawed again, this time higher, after House leaders announced in the late afternoon that the chamber would meet Sunday evening to work on the budget.

At the close, stocks trimmed their losses but still closed lower. The Dow finished down 18.28 points to 13,096.31. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 1.73 to 1,418.10. The Nasdaq composite index lost 4.25 to 2,985.91.

Until recently, investors were treating the "fiscal cliff" with a measure of nonchalance. Stocks rose more or less steadily from mid-November until late last week.

But now, with the "fiscal cliff" deadline just days away and no deal in sight, more investors are paying attention.

"This is a matter of a few personalities; it isn't something where you can analyze spreadsheets to figure out what's going on," said David Kelly, chief global strategist at JPMorgan Funds. "There are very few investors on one side or the other who have wanted to make a strong bet on this one."

Many investors believe that the higher taxes and lower government spending could push the U.S. back into recession.

The NYSE DOW closed LOWER ▼ -18.28 points or ▼ -0.14% Thursday, 27 December 2012
Symbol …........Last ......Change.....

Dow_Jones 13,096.31 ▼ -18.28 ▼ -0.14%
Nasdaq____ 2,985.91 ▼ -4.25 ▼ -0.14%
S&P_500____ 1,418.10 ▼ -1.73 ▼ -0.12%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.881 ▼ -0.05 ▼ -1.77%

NYSE Volume 2,816,814,750
Nasdaq Volume 1,337,907,250

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......

FTSE_100 5,954.30 ▲ 0.12 ▲ 0.00%
DAX_____ 7,655.88 ▼ -16.22 ▼ -0.21%
CAC_40__ 3,674.26 ▲ 12.86 ▲ 0.35%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….....Last .....Change…......

ASX_All_Ord__ 4,661.40 ▲ 15.80 ▲ 0.34%
Shanghai_Comp 2,205.90 ▼ -13.23 ▼ -0.60%
Taiwan_Weight 7,648.41 ▲ 14.22 ▲ 0.19%
Nikkei_225____ 10,322.98 ▲ 92.62 ▲ 0.91%
Hang_Seng____ 22,619.78 ▲ 53.93 ▲ 0.35%
Strait_Times___ 3,183.93 ▲ 3.12 ▲ 0.10%
NZX_50_Index__ 4,065.45 ▲ 0.00 ▲ 0.00%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/fisca...Rwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3

Fiscal cliff whipsaws stocks; confidence dims

Stocks close lower after fiscal cliff negotiations yank them around; consumer confidence dims


By Christina Rexrode, AP Business Writer

The "fiscal cliff" took the stock market on a roller coaster Thursday. Small developments in the tense budget standoff yanked stocks back and forth throughout the day.

In the end, U.S. stocks closed lower for the fourth day in a row, sending the unwelcome message that the budget standoff is still far from solved, the economy still far from healed.

The erratic performance underscored how the "fiscal cliff" can yank the market back and forth. The term refers to automatic tax increases and government spending cuts that will kick in next week if Republicans and Democrats can't reach a budget agreement by Monday night.

Stocks opened by hopping between small gains and losses, pulled up by news about fewer unemployment claims and down by the continuing lack of a budget deal in Washington.

Then, stocks turned decisively downward at mid-morning, unnerved by twin fetters: a report that consumer confidence fell to its lowest level since August, and a warning from the Senate Majority Leader, Democrat Harry Reid, that he feared the government would miss the Monday night deadline for working out a budget compromise.

A bright spot of economic news, an increase in sales of new homes, couldn't distract investors from worries about the budget impasse. Both Republicans and Democrats demanded that the other side take the initiative in compromising. The Dow Jones industrial average fell as much as 150 points, more than 1 percent.

Then, just as the Dow appeared headed toward a triple-digit loss, it whipsawed again, this time higher, after House leaders announced in the late afternoon that the chamber would meet Sunday evening to work on the budget.

At the close, stocks trimmed their losses but still closed lower. The Dow finished down 18.28 points to 13,096.31. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 1.73 to 1,418.10. The Nasdaq composite index lost 4.25 to 2,985.91.

Until recently, investors were treating the "fiscal cliff" with a measure of nonchalance. Stocks rose more or less steadily from mid-November until late last week.

But now, with the "fiscal cliff" deadline just days away and no deal in sight, more investors are paying attention.

"This is a matter of a few personalities; it isn't something where you can analyze spreadsheets to figure out what's going on," said David Kelly, chief global strategist at JPMorgan Funds. "There are very few investors on one side or the other who have wanted to make a strong bet on this one."

Many investors believe that the higher taxes and lower government spending could push the U.S. back into recession.

"This is not small potatoes," said Hugh Johnson, chairman and chief investment officer of Hugh Johnson Advisors in Albany, N.Y. "We're not going to miss a recession by much in 2013 as is."

To be sure, plenty of traders think the "fiscal cliff" is overhyped. Even if the government misses the Monday deadline, the higher taxes and lower government spending would take effect only gradually, and Congress could always repeal them.

Still, that doesn't mean they're not worried about the economy in general.

Derrick Irwin, portfolio manager for Wells Fargo Advantage Funds, said he's "not particularly concerned" about the fiscal cliff ”” but he is concerned about the economy.

"The economy is going to do what the economy is going to do," Irwin said, "it just doesn't look too good."

Trading volume was light, with many investors still on Christmas vacation. About 2.8 billion shares traded hands, compared to an average this year of about 3.6 billion. Light volume can make the market more volatile. When fewer shares are changing hands, relatively small trades can move the overall market.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note edged down to 1.74 percent from 1.75 percent.

Among stocks making big moves:

””Chipmaker Marvell Technology Group dropped more than 3 percent, falling 26 cents to $7.14, after the company lost a patent case brought by Carnegie Mellon University. Marvell said it would fight the $1.2 billion ruling.

””JCPenney fell nearly 6 percent, losing $1.23 to $19.52, after rising more than 4 percent the day before. The stock has been volatile as the company tries to remake its image to attract younger shoppers.

””Steinway Musical Instruments fell more than 4 percent, down $1.02 to $21.50, after announcing that it doesn't plan to seek buyers.
 

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Stocks fell for a fifth day on concern that Washington lawmakers will fail to reach a budget deal before a self-imposed year-end deadline.

The five-day losing streak for the Dow Jones industrial average was the longest since July.

The Dow dropped 158.20 points to 12,938.11 points, with losses accelerating in the last 20 minutes of trading as reports circulated that President Barack Obama would not be making a new budget proposal in a meeting with congressional leaders.

The Standard & Poor 500 index fell 15.67 points to 1,402.43, its longest losing streak in three months, and the Nasdaq dropped 25.59 points to 2,960.31.

"The reality, late in the day, is that a deal is just not going to get done," said Ryan Detrick, a senior technical strategist at Schaeffer Investment Research. "We could be greeted by a big sell-off at the start of January."

President Barack Obama returned from a Christmas break in Hawaii to meet with congressional leaders at the White House to try thrash out the terms of a deal that would prevent across-the-board tax increases for millions of Americans as well as simultaneous government spending cuts beginning Jan. 1. Those measures, if implemented, could push the economy back into recession, economists say.

Stocks closed lower Thursday but erased most of an early loss after Republicans said they would reconvene the House of Representatives Sunday in hopes of piecing together a last-minute budget deal.

Traders have been focusing on Washington, and the budget negotiations, since the Nov. 6 presidential election returned a divided government to power.

"I can't wait till this is done, so we can start talking about markets again and not just about politics," said Doug Cote, chief market strategist at ING Investment Management. Cote doesn't expect lawmakers will manage to reach a deal before the deadline and says that when people assess the extent of tax increases on the way, "the market is going reel."

Cote also expects slowing earnings growth to hit stocks.

Despite the fiscal gridlock in Washington, major stock indexes are holding on to gains for the year. The Dow is up 5.9 percent, the S&P 500 index is 11.5 percent higher and the Nasdaq is up 13.6 percent.

Stocks rose in 2012 on optimism that a housing market recovery, coupled with an improving job market, will support economic growth. The Federal Reserve has also extended its bond purchasing program, which is intended to lower borrowing costs and encourage spending and investment.

Stocks declined despite reports that suggested the outlook for the economy is improving.

The NYSE DOW closed LOWER ▼ -158.20 points or ▼ -1.21% Friday, 28 December 2012
Symbol …........Last ......Change.....

Dow_Jones 12,938.11 ▼ -158.20 ▼ -1.21%
Nasdaq____ 2,960.31 ▼ -25.60 ▼ -0.86%
S&P_500____ 1,402.43 ▼ -15.67 ▼ -1.10%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.882 ▲ 0.00 ▲ 0.03%

NYSE Volume 2,407,418,500
Nasdaq Volume 1,142,229,750

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......

FTSE_100 5,925.37 ▼ -28.93 ▼ -0.49%
DAX_____ 7,612.39 ▼ -43.49 ▼ -0.57%
CAC_40__ 3,620.25 ▼ -54.01 ▼ -1.47%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….....Last .....Change…......

ASX_All_Ord__ 4,685.30 ▲ 23.90 ▲ 0.51%
Shanghai_Comp 2,233.25 ▲ 27.35 ▲ 1.24%
Taiwan_Weight 7,699.50 ▲ 51.09 ▲ 0.67%
Nikkei_225____ 10,395.18 ▲ 72.20 ▲ 0.70%
Hang_Seng____ 22,666.59 ▲ 53.93 ▲ 0.21%
Strait_Times___ 3,191.80 ▲ 7.87 ▲ 0.25%
NZX_50_Index__ 4,080.90 ▲ 15.46 ▲ 0.38%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stock...Rwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3

Stocks tumble as 'fiscal cliff' deadline nears

Stocks tumble for a fifth day as 'fiscal cliff' deadline nears with no deal in sight


By Steve Rothwell, AP Business Writer

Stocks fell for a fifth day on concern that Washington lawmakers will fail to reach a budget deal before a self-imposed year-end deadline.

The five-day losing streak for the Dow Jones industrial average was the longest since July.

The Dow dropped 158.20 points to 12,938.11 points, with losses accelerating in the last 20 minutes of trading as reports circulated that President Barack Obama would not be making a new budget proposal in a meeting with congressional leaders.

The Standard & Poor 500 index fell 15.67 points to 1,402.43, its longest losing streak in three months, and the Nasdaq dropped 25.59 points to 2,960.31.

"The reality, late in the day, is that a deal is just not going to get done," said Ryan Detrick, a senior technical strategist at Schaeffer Investment Research. "We could be greeted by a big sell-off at the start of January."

President Barack Obama returned from a Christmas break in Hawaii to meet with congressional leaders at the White House to try thrash out the terms of a deal that would prevent across-the-board tax increases for millions of Americans as well as simultaneous government spending cuts beginning Jan. 1. Those measures, if implemented, could push the economy back into recession, economists say.

Stocks closed lower Thursday but erased most of an early loss after Republicans said they would reconvene the House of Representatives Sunday in hopes of piecing together a last-minute budget deal.

Traders have been focusing on Washington, and the budget negotiations, since the Nov. 6 presidential election returned a divided government to power.

"I can't wait till this is done, so we can start talking about markets again and not just about politics," said Doug Cote, chief market strategist at ING Investment Management. Cote doesn't expect lawmakers will manage to reach a deal before the deadline and says that when people assess the extent of tax increases on the way, "the market is going reel."

Cote also expects slowing earnings growth to hit stocks.

Despite the fiscal gridlock in Washington, major stock indexes are holding on to gains for the year. The Dow is up 5.9 percent, the S&P 500 index is 11.5 percent higher and the Nasdaq is up 13.6 percent.

Stocks rose in 2012 on optimism that a housing market recovery, coupled with an improving job market, will support economic growth. The Federal Reserve has also extended its bond purchasing program, which is intended to lower borrowing costs and encourage spending and investment.

Stocks declined despite reports that suggested the outlook for the economy is improving.

A measure of Americans who signed contracts to buy homes increased last month to its highest level in two and a half years, the latest sign of improvement in the once-battered housing market. The National Association of Realtors said Friday that its seasonally adjusted pending home sales index rose to its highest since April 2010.

The Institute of Supply Management's Chicago-area purchasing managers index for December came in at 51.6, beating estimates for a gain to 51.

Bond prices rose as investors moved money into defensive investments. The yield on the benchmark rise 10-year Treasury note, which falls when bond prices rise, dropped to 1.70 percent from 1.75 percent late Thursday.

Among stocks making moves:

Hewlett-Packard fell 36 cents, or 2.6 percent, to $13.68 after the computer and printer maker said the Department of Justice is investigating H-P's business software unit Autonomy. H-P bought Autonomy for $10 billion in 2011 and has accused the company's former management of fudging its accounting before the acquisition. H-P has lost almost half its market value this year, making it the biggest decliner among the 30 stocks in the Dow average.

Barnes and Noble rose 62 cents, or 4.3 percent, to $14.97 after the U.K. publishing and education company Pearson said it is making an $89.5 million investment in the company's Nook Media division, as the two companies look to make a bigger digital push into the education sector.

0225
 

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The stock market shot higher on Monday even as the "fiscal cliff" neared. By the time trading ended, Republicans and Democrats still hadn't reached a budget compromise ”” but investors were betting that they would.

It was a dramatic day on what turned out to be a strong year for stocks. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 13.4 percent for the year, after finishing flat in 2011. It was the index's best year since 2009. The gains came despite a flare-up in Europe's debt crisis and anemic U.S. growth, bringing U.S. indexes close to their highs reached before the 2008 financial crisis.

The close Monday was a high note in what had been a choppy day for the market, as choppy as the "fiscal cliff" deal-making that has been yanking it around. It also marked a turnaround after five straight days of "cliff"-influenced losses. The Dow Jones industrial average and the Standard & Poor's 500 both climbed more than 1 percent. The Nasdaq composite index rose 2 percent.

Stocks fell at the opening of trading Monday and struggled for direction throughout the morning. The indecisiveness overlaid a day of dramatic budget negotiations in Washington, where lawmakers were trying to hammer out a new budget deal to avert the "fiscal cliff." That refers to automatic tax increases and government spending cuts that will kick in without a budget deal.

Stocks jerked higher at midday following reports that the bare outline of a deal to avoid the "cliff" had been knit together. The gains faded after President Barack Obama said in the early afternoon that a compromise was "within sight," but not finalized. Then, in the late afternoon, the indexes shot higher again. Congressional Republicans and the Democratic White House said they had agreed on some measures, but still had no final deal in hand.

At the close of trading, Dow Jones industrial average was up 166.03 points, finishing the year at 13,104.14. That's a gain of 7.3 percent for the year, its fourth straight year of gains.

The S&P 500 rose 23.76 to 1,426.19. The Nasdaq composite climbed 59.20 to 3,019.51. For the year the Nasdaq rose 15.9 percent.

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 166.03 points or ▲ 1.28% Monday, 31 December 2012
Symbol …........Last ......Change.....

Dow_Jones 13,104.14 ▲ 166.03 ▲ 1.28%
Nasdaq____ 3,019.51 ▲ 59.20 ▲ 2.00%
S&P_500____ 1,426.19 ▲ 23.76 ▲ 1.69%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.952 ▲ 0.07 ▲ 2.43%

NYSE Volume 3,546,459,750
Nasdaq Volume 1,553,281,120

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......

FTSE_100 5,897.81 ▼ -27.56 ▼ -0.47%
DAX_____ 7,612.39 ▼ -43.49 ▼ -0.57%
CAC_40__ 3,641.07 ▼ -33.19 ▼ -0.90%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….....Last .....Change…......

ASX_All_Ord__ 4,664.60 ▼ -20.70 ▼ -0.44%
Shanghai_Comp 2,269.13 ▲ 35.88 ▲ 1.61%
Taiwan_Weight 7,699.50 ▲ 51.09 ▲ 0.67%
Nikkei_225____ 10,395.18 ▲ 72.20 ▲ 0.70%
Hang_Seng____ 22,656.92 ▲ 53.93 ▼ -0.04%
Strait_Times___ 3,167.08 ▼ -24.72 ▼ -0.77%
NZX_50_Index__ 4,066.51 ▼ -14.39 ▼ -0.35%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stock...Rwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3

Stocks shoot up as investors bet on 'cliff' deal

Investors bet that Washington will work out a 'fiscal cliff' deal, sending stocks higher


By Christina Rexrode, AP Business Writer

The stock market shot higher on Monday even as the "fiscal cliff" neared. By the time trading ended, Republicans and Democrats still hadn't reached a budget compromise ”” but investors were betting that they would.

It was a dramatic day on what turned out to be a strong year for stocks. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 13.4 percent for the year, after finishing flat in 2011. It was the index's best year since 2009. The gains came despite a flare-up in Europe's debt crisis and anemic U.S. growth, bringing U.S. indexes close to their highs reached before the 2008 financial crisis.

The close Monday was a high note in what had been a choppy day for the market, as choppy as the "fiscal cliff" deal-making that has been yanking it around. It also marked a turnaround after five straight days of "cliff"-influenced losses. The Dow Jones industrial average and the Standard & Poor's 500 both climbed more than 1 percent. The Nasdaq composite index rose 2 percent.

Stocks fell at the opening of trading Monday and struggled for direction throughout the morning. The indecisiveness overlaid a day of dramatic budget negotiations in Washington, where lawmakers were trying to hammer out a new budget deal to avert the "fiscal cliff." That refers to automatic tax increases and government spending cuts that will kick in without a budget deal.

Stocks jerked higher at midday following reports that the bare outline of a deal to avoid the "cliff" had been knit together. The gains faded after President Barack Obama said in the early afternoon that a compromise was "within sight," but not finalized. Then, in the late afternoon, the indexes shot higher again. Congressional Republicans and the Democratic White House said they had agreed on some measures, but still had no final deal in hand.

At the close of trading, Dow Jones industrial average was up 166.03 points, finishing the year at 13,104.14. That's a gain of 7.3 percent for the year, its fourth straight year of gains.

The S&P 500 rose 23.76 to 1,426.19. The Nasdaq composite climbed 59.20 to 3,019.51. For the year the Nasdaq rose 15.9 percent.

With the "fiscal cliff" still closing in, investors' opinions about its potential impact varied, making its long-term effect on the market hard to guess.

Some investors are unruffled. They think that even if the U.S. does go over the "cliff," it would be more akin to the anti-climactic Y2K scare than a true Armageddon. The "cliff's" impact would be felt only gradually, they reason. For example, workers might get more taxes withheld from their first couple of paychecks in the new year, but it's not as if they'd have to pay all their higher taxes up front on Tuesday. And Congress could always retroactively repeal those higher taxes.

Others are more concerned. The higher taxes and lower government spending could take more than $600 billion out of the U.S. economy and send it back into recession. Investors would have no good read on the country's long-term policy for taxes and spending.

The psychological impact ”” the U.S. would essentially be broadcasting that its lawmakers can't compromise ”” would also hurt.

"We're having a fragile recovery, with the pain of 2008 still fresh on everybody's mind," said Joe Heider, principal at Rehmann Group outside Cleveland. "It's fear of the unknown. And fear is one of the greatest drivers of the financial markets."

Tim Speiss, partner in charge of the personal wealth advisers practice at EisnerAmper in New York, followed the "cliff" negotiations on Monday and wondered if the U.S. would get its debt rating cut again. The Standard & Poor's ratings agency cut its rating of the U.S. government amid similar negotiations in August 2011, when lawmakers were arguing over the government's borrowing limit. S&P said at the time that the "political brinksmanship" highlighted how "America's governance and policymaking (is) becoming less stable, less effective, and less predictable." Its rating cut sent the stock market into a tailspin.

The other major ratings agencies, Moody's and Fitch, have suggested that they might lower their ratings of the U.S. because of the "fiscal cliff."

"That is, unfortunately, the big story," Speiss said.

It's also one of the only stories. There's been little other news to trade on during the holiday season, giving the "fiscal cliff" drama outsized influence. No major companies are scheduled to report earnings this week. The most significant economic indicator scheduled for this week, the government's monthly jobs report, won't be released until Friday.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose to 1.76 percent from 1.70 percent late Friday, a sign that investors were moving money into stocks.

Some of the best-performing stocks for the year were those that were making up for deep losses in 2011. Homebuilder PulteGroup nearly tripled after falling for five of the previous six years. Appliance maker Whirlpool and Bank of America more than doubled over the year, after falling by double-digit percentages in 2011.

Some of the worst performers of 2012 were Best Buy, Hewlett-Packard and J.C. Penney. All are struggling to keep up with competitors who have adapted more quickly to changing technologies and customer tastes. They were all up for the day, but were all down at least 44 percent for the year.
 

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The "fiscal cliff" compromise, even with all its chaos, controversy and unresolved questions, was enough to ignite the stock market on Wednesday, the first trading day of the new year.

The Dow Jones industrial average careened more than 300 points higher, its biggest gain since December 2011. It's now just 5 percent below its record high close reached in October 2007. The Russell 2000, an index that tracks smaller companies, shot up to the highest close in its history.

The reverie multiplied across the globe, with stock indexes throughout Europe and Asia leaping higher. A leading British index, the FTSE 100, closed above 6,000 for the first time since July 2011.

In the U.S., the rally was extraordinarily broad. For every stock that fell on the New York Stock Exchange, roughly 10 rose. Technology stocks rose the most. U.S. government bond prices fell sharply as investors pulled money out of safe-harbor investments. And the VIX, an index that measures investors' expectations of future market volatility, plunged more than 18 percent to 14.68, the lowest close since October.

The very last week of each year and the first two days of the new year usually average out to a gain for U.S. stocks. But this year stood out. From 2008 to 2012, the Dow rose an average of 93 points on the first trading day of the year, less than a third of Wednesday's gain of 308.41. During that period the Dow fell on the first trading day of the year only once, in 2008.

Despite the euphoria, many investors remained cautious. The deal that politicians hammered out merely postpones the country's budget reckoning, they said, rather than averting it.

"Washington negotiations remind me of the Beach Boys song, 'We'll have fun, fun, fun 'til her daddy takes the T-Bird away," Jack Ablin, chief investment officer of BMO Private Bank in Chicago, wrote in a note to clients.

"Nothing got solved," added T. Doug Dale, chief investment officer for Security Ballew Wealth Management in Jackson, Miss.

According to these and other market watchers, investors were celebrating Wednesday not because they love the budget deal that was cobbled together, but because they were grateful there was any deal at all.

"Most people think that no deal would have been worse than a bad deal," said Mark Lehmann, president of JMP Securities in San Francisco.

The House passed the budget bill late Tuesday night, a contentious exercise because many Republicans had wanted a deal that did more to cut government spending. The Senate had already approved the bill.

The late-night haggling was a product of lawmakers wanting to avert a sweeping set of government spending cuts and tax increases that kicked in Tuesday, the start of the new year, because there was no budget deal ready. The scenario came to be known as the fiscal cliff, because of the threat it posed to the fragile U.S. economic recovery.

The bill passed Tuesday night ended the stalemate for now, but it leaves many questions unanswered.

The deal doesn't include any significant deficit-cutting agreement, meaning the country still doesn't have a long-term plan or even an agreement in principle on how to rein in spending. Big cuts to defense and domestic programs, which were slated to kick in with the new year, weren't worked out but instead were just delayed for two months. And the U.S. is still bumping up against its borrowing limit, or "debt ceiling."

"There's definitely another drama coming down the road," said Lehmann. "That's the March cliff."

The political bickering that's almost certain to persist could have another unwelcome effect: influencing ratings agencies to cut the U.S. government's credit score. That happened before, when Standard & Poor's cut its rating on U.S. government debt in August 2011, and the stock market plunged.

Even so, Wednesday's performance gave no hint of the dark clouds on the horizon.

The Dow enjoyed big gains throughout the day, up by more than 200 points within minutes of the opening bell. It swelled even bigger in the final half hour of trading, and closed up 2.4 percent to 13,412.55.

The Standard & Poor's 500 jumped 36.23, or 2.5 percent, to 1,462.42. The Nasdaq rose 92.75, or 3.1 percent, to 3,112.26.

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 308.41 points or ▲ 2.35% Wednesday, 2 January 2013
Symbol …........Last ......Change.....

Dow_Jones 13,412.55 ▲ 308.41 ▲ 2.35%
Nasdaq____ 3,112.26 ▲ 92.75 ▲ 3.07%
S&P_500____ 1,462.42 ▲ 36.23 ▲ 2.54%
30_Yr_Bond____ 3.046 ▲ 0.09 ▲ 3.18%

NYSE Volume 4,634,515,500
Nasdaq Volume 2,071,182,120

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......

FTSE_100 6,027.37 ▲ 129.56 ▲ 2.20%
DAX_____ 7,778.78 ▲ 166.39 ▲ 2.19%
CAC_40__ 3,733.93 ▲ 92.86 ▲ 2.55%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….....Last .....Change…......

ASX_All_Ord__ 4,722.90 ▲ 58.30 ▲ 1.25%
Shanghai_Comp 2,269.13 ▲ 35.88 ▲ 1.61%
Taiwan_Weight 7,779.22 ▲ 79.72 ▲ 1.04%
Nikkei_225____ 10,395.18 ▲ 72.20 ▲ 0.70%
Hang_Seng____ 23,311.98 ▲ 53.93 ▲ 2.89%
Strait_Times___ 3,201.74 ▲ 34.66 ▲ 1.09%
NZX_50_Index__ 4,066.51 ▼ -14.39 ▼ -0.35%

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Stocks soar on budget deal, but problems lurk

Budget deal sends markets surging, but unresolved questions lurk on deficit and spending cuts


By Christina Rexrode, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- The "fiscal cliff" compromise, even with all its chaos, controversy and unresolved questions, was enough to ignite the stock market on Wednesday, the first trading day of the new year.

The Dow Jones industrial average careened more than 300 points higher, its biggest gain since December 2011. It's now just 5 percent below its record high close reached in October 2007. The Russell 2000, an index that tracks smaller companies, shot up to the highest close in its history.

The reverie multiplied across the globe, with stock indexes throughout Europe and Asia leaping higher. A leading British index, the FTSE 100, closed above 6,000 for the first time since July 2011.

In the U.S., the rally was extraordinarily broad. For every stock that fell on the New York Stock Exchange, roughly 10 rose. Technology stocks rose the most. U.S. government bond prices fell sharply as investors pulled money out of safe-harbor investments. And the VIX, an index that measures investors' expectations of future market volatility, plunged more than 18 percent to 14.68, the lowest close since October.

The very last week of each year and the first two days of the new year usually average out to a gain for U.S. stocks. But this year stood out. From 2008 to 2012, the Dow rose an average of 93 points on the first trading day of the year, less than a third of Wednesday's gain of 308.41. During that period the Dow fell on the first trading day of the year only once, in 2008.

Despite the euphoria, many investors remained cautious. The deal that politicians hammered out merely postpones the country's budget reckoning, they said, rather than averting it.

"Washington negotiations remind me of the Beach Boys song, 'We'll have fun, fun, fun 'til her daddy takes the T-Bird away," Jack Ablin, chief investment officer of BMO Private Bank in Chicago, wrote in a note to clients.

"Nothing got solved," added T. Doug Dale, chief investment officer for Security Ballew Wealth Management in Jackson, Miss.

According to these and other market watchers, investors were celebrating Wednesday not because they love the budget deal that was cobbled together, but because they were grateful there was any deal at all.

"Most people think that no deal would have been worse than a bad deal," said Mark Lehmann, president of JMP Securities in San Francisco.

The House passed the budget bill late Tuesday night, a contentious exercise because many Republicans had wanted a deal that did more to cut government spending. The Senate had already approved the bill.

The late-night haggling was a product of lawmakers wanting to avert a sweeping set of government spending cuts and tax increases that kicked in Tuesday, the start of the new year, because there was no budget deal ready. The scenario came to be known as the fiscal cliff, because of the threat it posed to the fragile U.S. economic recovery.

The bill passed Tuesday night ended the stalemate for now, but it leaves many questions unanswered.

The deal doesn't include any significant deficit-cutting agreement, meaning the country still doesn't have a long-term plan or even an agreement in principle on how to rein in spending. Big cuts to defense and domestic programs, which were slated to kick in with the new year, weren't worked out but instead were just delayed for two months. And the U.S. is still bumping up against its borrowing limit, or "debt ceiling."

"There's definitely another drama coming down the road," said Lehmann. "That's the March cliff."

The political bickering that's almost certain to persist could have another unwelcome effect: influencing ratings agencies to cut the U.S. government's credit score. That happened before, when Standard & Poor's cut its rating on U.S. government debt in August 2011, and the stock market plunged.

Even so, Wednesday's performance gave no hint of the dark clouds on the horizon.

The Dow enjoyed big gains throughout the day, up by more than 200 points within minutes of the opening bell. It swelled even bigger in the final half hour of trading, and closed up 2.4 percent to 13,412.55.

The Standard & Poor's 500 jumped 36.23, or 2.5 percent, to 1,462.42. The Nasdaq rose 92.75, or 3.1 percent, to 3,112.26.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose sharply, to 1.84 percent from 1.75 percent. Prices for oil and key metals were up. The price of copper, which can be a gauge of how investors feel about manufacturing, rose 2.3 percent.

The gains persisted despite small reminders that there are still serious problems punctuating the world economy, like middling growth in the U.S. and the still-unsolved European debt crisis. The government reported that U.S. builders spent less on construction projects in November, the first decline in eight months. And the president of debt-wracked Cyprus said he'd refuse to sell government-owned companies, a provision that the country's bailout deal says it must at least consider.

Among stocks making big moves, Zipcar shot up 48 percent, rising $3.94 to $12.18, after the company said it would sell itself to Avis. Avis rose 95 cents to $20.77, or 5 percent.

Marriott rose 4 percent, up $1.52 to $38.79, after SunTrust analysts upgraded the stock to "buy." Headphone maker Skullcandy dropped 13 percent, losing 99 cents to $6.80, after Jefferies analysts downgraded it to "underperform."
 

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A two-day rally in the stock market came to an end Thursday afternoon when an account of the Federal Reserve's last meeting revealed a split between bank officials over how long the Fed should keep buying bonds to support the economy.

The Dow Jones industrial average and the Standard & Poor's 500 index treaded water for much of the day, then slid into the red around 2 p.m. Eastern, after the Fed released the minutes from its December meeting.

The Dow ended with a loss of 21.19 points at 13,391.36.

The S&P 500 lost 3.05 points to 1,459.37 and the Nasdaq composite fell 11.70 to 3,100.57.

At last month's meeting of the Federal Reserve's policy-making committee, the central bank pledged to buy $85 billion of Treasurys and mortgage-backed bonds and also keep a benchmark interest rate near zero until the unemployment rates drops below 6.5 percent.

On Thursday, the minutes from that meeting showed Fed officials were divided over the bond purchases. Some of its 12 voting members thought they should continue through this year, while another group thought they should be slowed or stopped much earlier. Just "a few" members saw no need for a time frame, according to the minutes.

"It's pretty surprising," said Thomas Simons, market economist at the investment bank Jefferies. "I think everybody thought there was broad agreement on policy, but now it seems like few of them really wanted to vote for it."

The stock market opened on a weak note after retailers reported mixed holiday sales and as the prospect of a new budget battle in Congress loomed. UnitedHealth Group led the Dow lower. The insurance giant's stock fell $2.55 to $51.99 after analysts at Deutsche Bank and other firms cut their ratings on the stock.

"It's natural to relax a bit after such a huge day as yesterday," said Lawrence Creatura, who manages a small-company fund at Federated Investors.

The Dow soared 308 points Wednesday, its largest point gain since December 2011. The rally was ignited after lawmakers passed a bill to avoid a combination of government spending cuts and tax increases called the "fiscal cliff."

That deal gave the market a jump start into the new year. The Dow and the S&P 500 are already up more than 2 percent.

The NYSE DOW closed LOWER ▼ -21.19 points or ▼ -0.16% Thursday, 3 January 2013
Symbol …........Last ......Change.....

Dow_Jones 13,391.36 ▼ -21.19 ▼ -0.16%
Nasdaq____ 3,100.57 ▼ -11.69 ▼ -0.38%
S&P_500____ 1,459.37 ▼ -3.05 ▼ -0.21%
30_Yr_Bond____ 3.107 ▲ 0.06 ▲ 2.00%

NYSE Volume 4,099,509,500
Nasdaq Volume 1,762,376,250

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......

FTSE_100 6,047.34 ▲ 19.97 ▲ 0.33%
DAX_____ 7,756.44 ▼ -22.34 ▼ -0.29%
CAC_40__ 3,721.17 ▼ -12.76 ▼ -0.34%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….....Last .....Change…......

ASX_All_Ord__ 4,761.40 ▲ 38.50 ▲ 0.82%
Shanghai_Comp 2,269.13 ▲ 35.88 ▲ 1.61%
Taiwan_Weight 7,836.84 ▲ 57.62 ▲ 0.74%
Nikkei_225____ 10,395.18 ▲ 72.20 ▲ 0.70%
Hang_Seng____ 23,398.60 ▲ 53.93 ▲ 0.37%
Strait_Times___ 3,224.80 ▲ 23.06 ▲ 0.72%
NZX_50_Index__ 4,082.37 ▲ 15.85 ▲ 0.39%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stock...Rwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3

Stocks fade after Fed discloses split on stimulus

Stocks slip as a fight over debt ceiling looms; Fed governors are split over stimulus plan


By Matthew Craft, AP Business Writer

A two-day rally in the stock market came to an end Thursday afternoon when an account of the Federal Reserve's last meeting revealed a split between bank officials over how long the Fed should keep buying bonds to support the economy.

The Dow Jones industrial average and the Standard & Poor's 500 index treaded water for much of the day, then slid into the red around 2 p.m. Eastern, after the Fed released the minutes from its December meeting.

The Dow ended with a loss of 21.19 points at 13,391.36.

The S&P 500 lost 3.05 points to 1,459.37 and the Nasdaq composite fell 11.70 to 3,100.57.

At last month's meeting of the Federal Reserve's policy-making committee, the central bank pledged to buy $85 billion of Treasurys and mortgage-backed bonds and also keep a benchmark interest rate near zero until the unemployment rates drops below 6.5 percent.

On Thursday, the minutes from that meeting showed Fed officials were divided over the bond purchases. Some of its 12 voting members thought they should continue through this year, while another group thought they should be slowed or stopped much earlier. Just "a few" members saw no need for a time frame, according to the minutes.

"It's pretty surprising," said Thomas Simons, market economist at the investment bank Jefferies. "I think everybody thought there was broad agreement on policy, but now it seems like few of them really wanted to vote for it."

The stock market opened on a weak note after retailers reported mixed holiday sales and as the prospect of a new budget battle in Congress loomed. UnitedHealth Group led the Dow lower. The insurance giant's stock fell $2.55 to $51.99 after analysts at Deutsche Bank and other firms cut their ratings on the stock.

"It's natural to relax a bit after such a huge day as yesterday," said Lawrence Creatura, who manages a small-company fund at Federated Investors.

The Dow soared 308 points Wednesday, its largest point gain since December 2011. The rally was ignited after lawmakers passed a bill to avoid a combination of government spending cuts and tax increases called the "fiscal cliff."

That deal gave the market a jump start into the new year. The Dow and the S&P 500 are already up more than 2 percent.

"We're off to a very strong start," Creatura said. "The dominant reason is the resolution of the fiscal cliff. But January is usually a strong month, as investors all shift money into the market at the same time. When the calendar flips, it's as if you're allowed to begin the race anew."

Economists had warned that the full force of the fiscal cliff could drag the country into a recession. The law passed late Tuesday night averted that outcome for now, but other fiscal squabbles are likely in the months ahead. Congress must raise the government's borrowing limit soon or be forced to choose between slashing spending and paying its debts.

In other Thursday trading, prices of U.S. government bonds fell, sending their yields higher. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose to 1.90 percent from 1.84 percent late Wednesday, a sign that some bond traders believe the Fed minutes hinted at an early end to its bond buying.

Family Dollar Stores sank 13 percent after reporting earnings that fell short of analysts' projections. The company also forecast a weaker outlook for the current period and full year. Family Dollar's stock lost $8.30 to $55.74.

Nordstom Inc. surged 3 percent after the department-store chain reported strong holiday sales, especially in the South and Midwest. Nordstrom's stock was up $1.64 to $55.27.

Among other stocks making big moves:

”” Transocean jumped $2.96 to $49.20. The owner of the oil rig that sank in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 after an explosion killed 11 workers reached a $1.4 billion settlement with the Justice Department.

”” Hormel Foods, known for making Spam and other meat products, said that it's buying Skippy, the country's No. 2 peanut butter brand, from Unilever for about $700 million. Hormel's stock jumped $1.19 to $33.20
 

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The Standard & Poor's 500 closed at its highest in five years Friday after a report showed that hiring held up in December, giving stocks an early lift.

The S&P 500 finished up 7.10 points at 1,466.47, its highest close since December 2007.

The index began its descent from a record close of 1,565.15 in October 2007, as the early signs of the financial crisis began to emerge. The index bottomed out in March 2009 at 676.53 before staging a recovery that has seen it more than double in value and move to within 99 points of its all-time peak.

The Dow Jones industrial average finished 43.85 points higher at 13,435.21. It gained 3.8 percent for the week, its biggest weekly advance since June. The Nasdaq closed up 1.09 point at 3,101.66.

Stocks have surged this week after lawmakers passed a bill to avoid a combination of government spending cuts and tax increases that have come to be known as the "fiscal cliff." The law passed late Tuesday night averted that outcome, which could have pushed the economy back into recession.

The Labor Department said U.S. employers added 155,000 jobs in December, showing that hiring held up during the tense fiscal negotiations in Washington. It also said hiring was stronger in November than first thought. The unemployment rate held steady at 7.8 percent.

The jobs report failed to give stocks more of a boost because the number of jobs was exactly in line with analysts' forecasts, said JJ Kinahan, chief derivatives trader for TD Ameritrade.

"The jobs report couldn't have been more in line," Kinahan said. "The market had more to lose than to gain from it."

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 43.85 points or ▲ 0.33% Friday, 4 January 2013
Symbol …........Last ......Change.....

Dow_Jones 13,435.21 ▲ 43.85 ▲ 0.33%
Nasdaq____ 3,101.66 ▲ 1.09 ▲ 0.04%
S&P_500____ 1,466.47 ▲ 7.10 ▲ 0.49%
30_Yr_Bond____ 3.111 ▲ 0.00 ▲ 0.13%

NYSE Volume 3,662,983,000
Nasdaq Volume 1,743,607,380

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......

FTSE_100 6,089.84 ▲ 42.50 ▲ 0.70%
DAX_____ 7,776.37 ▲ 19.93 ▲ 0.26%
CAC_40__ 3,730.02 ▲ 8.85 ▲ 0.24%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….....Last .....Change…......

ASX_All_Ord__ 4,742.90 ▼ -18.50 ▼ -0.39%
Shanghai_Comp 2,276.99 ▲ 7.86 ▲ 0.35%
Taiwan_Weight 7,805.99 ▼ -30.85 ▼ -0.39%
Nikkei_225____ 10,688.11 ▲ 292.93 ▲ 2.82%
Hang_Seng____ 23,331.09 ▲ 53.93 ▼ -0.29%
Strait_Times___ 3,225.22 ▲ 0.42 ▲ 0.01%
NZX_50_Index__ 4,075.04 ▼ -7.33 ▼ -0.18%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stock...Rwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3

Stocks gain, pushing the S&P 500 to 5-year high

Stocks advance after December jobs report lifts S&P 500 to its highest close in 5-years


By Steve Rothwell, AP Markets Writer

The Standard & Poor's 500 closed at its highest in five years Friday after a report showed that hiring held up in December, giving stocks an early lift.

The S&P 500 finished up 7.10 points at 1,466.47, its highest close since December 2007.

The index began its descent from a record close of 1,565.15 in October 2007, as the early signs of the financial crisis began to emerge. The index bottomed out in March 2009 at 676.53 before staging a recovery that has seen it more than double in value and move to within 99 points of its all-time peak.

The Dow Jones industrial average finished 43.85 points higher at 13,435.21. It gained 3.8 percent for the week, its biggest weekly advance since June. The Nasdaq closed up 1.09 point at 3,101.66.

Stocks have surged this week after lawmakers passed a bill to avoid a combination of government spending cuts and tax increases that have come to be known as the "fiscal cliff." The law passed late Tuesday night averted that outcome, which could have pushed the economy back into recession.

The Labor Department said U.S. employers added 155,000 jobs in December, showing that hiring held up during the tense fiscal negotiations in Washington. It also said hiring was stronger in November than first thought. The unemployment rate held steady at 7.8 percent.

The jobs report failed to give stocks more of a boost because the number of jobs was exactly in line with analysts' forecasts, said JJ Kinahan, chief derivatives trader for TD Ameritrade.

"The jobs report couldn't have been more in line," Kinahan said. "The market had more to lose than to gain from it."

Among stocks making big moves, Eli Lilly and Co. jumped $1.84, or 3.7 percent, to $51.56 after saying that its earnings will grow more than Wall Street expects, even though the drugmaker will lose U.S. patent protection for two more product types this year.

Walgreen Co., the nation's largest drugstore chain, fell 61 cents, or 1.6 percent, to $37.18 after the company said that a measure of revenue fell more than analysts had expected in December, even as prescription counts continued to recover.

Stocks may also be benefiting as investors adjust their portfolios to favor stocks over bonds, said TD Ameritrade's Kinahan. A multi-year rally in bonds has pushed up prices for the securities and reduced the yield that they offer, in many cases to levels below company dividends.

Goldman Sachs reaffirmed its view that stocks "can be an attractive source of income," and warned that there is a risk that bonds may fall. In a note to clients, the investment bank said that an index of AAA rated corporate bonds offers a yield of just 1.6 percent, less than the S&P 500's dividend yield of 2.2 percent.

The 10-year Treasury note fell, pushing its yield higher. The yield on the 10-year note fell 2 basis points to 1.91 percent. The note's yield has now climbed 52 basis points since falling to its lowest in at least 20 years in July.

Other notable stock moves;

”” Accuray Inc. plunged $1.37, or 20 percent, to $5.41 after the radiation oncology equipment company reported weak sales and said it would cut 13 percent of its staff.

”” Lululemon, a yoga apparel maker, dropped $3.14, or 4.2 percent, to $71.95 after Credit Suisse predicted slowing momentum and downgraded its stock.

”” Finish Line Inc., an athletic footwear and clothing company, fell $1.58, or 8.3 percent, to $17.18 after it reported a small loss after sneaker trends changed and customers didn't take to its new web site launched in November. Analysts had forecast a profit.

1004
 

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Investors started the week on a cautious note, pulling the Standard & Poor's 500 index down from the five-year high it reached Friday.

The move lower on Monday is likely the result of traders taking some winnings off the table after the stock market's surge last week, said Sam Stovall, chief equity strategist at S&P Capital IQ.

Investors are also preparing for corporate America's seasonal parade of earnings reports, which starts Tuesday.

"You can summarize it as profit-taking and preparation," Stovall said. "Investors are digesting some of those gains from last week and positioning themselves so they're not too far extended if fourth-quarter earnings slip a bit."

The S&P 500 fell 4.58 points to close at 1,461.89.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 50.92 points to 13,384.29, while the Nasdaq composite dropped 2.84 points to 3,098.81.

The S&P 500 soared 4.6 percent last week, ending Friday at a five-year high. The government reported that hiring held up in December during the tense budget negotiations in Washington, with employers adding 155,000 jobs during the month.

Investors celebrated to start the year as lawmakers passed a bill to avoid a combination of government spending cuts and tax increases that came to be known as the "fiscal cliff." The law passed late Tuesday night avoided the full force of the budget cuts, which could have dragged the economy into a recession.

Investors are now shifting their focus to corporate profits. Aluminum producer Alcoa launches the reporting season for the fourth quarter of 2012 after the market closes on Tuesday.

Analysts forecast that companies in the S&P 500 will report that quarterly earnings increased 3.3 percent compared with the same period the year before, according to S&P Capital IQ. But all the events that took place in the last three months of 2012 -- Superstorm Sandy, the presidential election, and worries about the narrowly avoided "fiscal cliff" -- could make for some surprises.

The NYSE DOW closed LOWER ▼ -50.92 points or ▼ -0.38% Monday, 7 January 2013
Symbol …........Last ......Change.....

Dow_Jones 13,384.29 ▼ -50.92 ▼ -0.38%
Nasdaq____ 3,098.81 ▼ -2.85 ▼ -0.09%
S&P_500____ 1,461.89 ▼ -4.58 ▼ -0.31%
30_Yr_Bond____ 3.100 ▼ -0.01 ▼ -0.35%

NYSE Volume 3,513,939,500
Nasdaq Volume 1,702,472,250

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......

FTSE_100 6,064.58 ▼ -25.26 ▼ -0.41%
DAX_____ 7,732.66 ▼ -43.71 ▼ -0.56%
CAC_40__ 3,704.64 ▼ -25.38 ▼ -0.68%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….....Last .....Change…......

ASX_All_Ord__ 4,738.10 ▼ -4.80 ▼ -0.10%
Shanghai_Comp 2,285.36 ▲ 8.37 ▲ 0.37%
Taiwan_Weight 7,755.09 ▼ -50.90 ▼ -0.65%
Nikkei_225____ 10,599.01 ▼ -89.10 ▼ -0.83%
Hang_Seng____ 23,329.75 ▲ 53.93 ▼ -0.01%
Strait_Times___ 3,224.29 ▼ -0.93 ▼ -0.03%
NZX_50_Index__ 4,084.84 ▲ 9.80 ▲ 0.24%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stock...Rwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3

Stocks sink, pulling S&P 500 down from 5-year high

Stocks fall on Wall Street, pulling the Standard & Poor's 500 index down from a 5-year high


By Steve Rothwell and Matthew Craft, AP Business

Investors started the week on a cautious note, pulling the Standard & Poor's 500 index down from the five-year high it reached Friday.

The move lower on Monday is likely the result of traders taking some winnings off the table after the stock market's surge last week, said Sam Stovall, chief equity strategist at S&P Capital IQ.

Investors are also preparing for corporate America's seasonal parade of earnings reports, which starts Tuesday.

"You can summarize it as profit-taking and preparation," Stovall said. "Investors are digesting some of those gains from last week and positioning themselves so they're not too far extended if fourth-quarter earnings slip a bit."

The S&P 500 fell 4.58 points to close at 1,461.89.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 50.92 points to 13,384.29, while the Nasdaq composite dropped 2.84 points to 3,098.81.

The S&P 500 soared 4.6 percent last week, ending Friday at a five-year high. The government reported that hiring held up in December during the tense budget negotiations in Washington, with employers adding 155,000 jobs during the month.

Investors celebrated to start the year as lawmakers passed a bill to avoid a combination of government spending cuts and tax increases that came to be known as the "fiscal cliff." The law passed late Tuesday night avoided the full force of the budget cuts, which could have dragged the economy into a recession.

Investors are now shifting their focus to corporate profits. Aluminum producer Alcoa launches the reporting season for the fourth quarter of 2012 after the market closes on Tuesday.

Analysts forecast that companies in the S&P 500 will report that quarterly earnings increased 3.3 percent compared with the same period the year before, according to S&P Capital IQ. But all the events that took place in the last three months of 2012 -- Superstorm Sandy, the presidential election, and worries about the narrowly avoided "fiscal cliff" -- could make for some surprises.

JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and others banks agreed to pay $8.5 billion to settle federal complaints that they foreclosed on people who should have been allowed to stay in their homes. Bank stocks ended the day little changed.

In a separate agreement, Bank of America settled with the government-owned mortgage finance company Fannie Mae over mortgage investments that lost value during the real-estate crash. BofA's stock fell 2 cents to $12.09.

In other trading, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note was 1.90 percent. The yield on the note hit an eight-month high of 1.97 percent in intraday trading Friday, according to prices from Tradeweb, an operator of fixed-income markets.

Among other stocks making big moves:

”” Archer Daniels Midland dropped 4 percent. Analysts at JP Morgan Chase said the ongoing drought in the Midwest will likely squeeze the crop-processing company's profit margins. The analysts also started coverage on ADM's stock with a price target of $28, below where it opened for trading Monday. ADM fell $1.21 to $28.01.

”” Lowe's Cos. fell 82 cents to $34.76 after analysts at the money-management firm Canaccord cut their rating on the company to "sell" from "hold," saying that the home improvement company's efforts to improve stores and sales won't be successful.

”” Walgreen Co. gained 85 cents to $38.03 after Jefferies analyst Scott A. Mushkin raised his rating on the drugstore chain to "buy" from "hold," saying the company's profits may get a boost from the flu season, Medicare drug plans and President Obama's health-care overhaul.
 

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U.S. stocks closed lower Tuesday as traders awaited the start of the corporate earnings season.

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 55.44 points, or 0.4 percent, to 13,328.85. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 4.74, or 0.3 percent, to 1,457.15. The Nasdaq composite index shed 7.01, or 0.2 percent, to 3,091.81.

Alcoa reported its fourth-quarter financial results after the market closed, marking the unofficial kickoff to weeks of earnings announcements from U.S. companies. The aluminum maker said its revenue results exceeded the expectations of Wall Street analysts, while per-share earnings were roughly in line with expectations. Alcoa rose 20 cents, or 2.1 percent, to $9.30 in late trading.

Alcoa is traditionally the first of the 30 companies in the Dow average to report earnings.

Market-watchers expect the quarter's results could include many surprises because of events like Superstorm Sandy, the presidential election, and the narrowly avoided tax increases and spending cuts known collectively as the "fiscal cliff."

"Earnings is going to be the big driver for the next couple of weeks, and we're just sitting around waiting for it to begin," said Kim Caughey Forrest, vice president and senior analyst at Fort Pitt Capital Group, an investment management firm.

The European debt crisis continued to cast a pall over the market. Unemployment in the 17 countries that use the euro hit a new high, leading the European Union to warn about the risk of fraying social welfare systems in southern Europe.

Trading has been cautious in the week since Congress and the White House struck a deal to maintain lower tax rates and postpone sweeping cuts in government spending. Enthusiasm about the compromise pushed the Dow up 300 points last Wednesday, its biggest gain since December 2011.

The NYSE DOW closed LOWER ▼ -55.44 points or ▼ -0.41% Tuesday, 8 January 2013
Symbol …........Last ......Change.....

Dow_Jones 13,328.85 ▼ -55.44 ▼ -0.41%
Nasdaq____ 3,091.81 ▼ -7.00 ▼ -0.23%
S&P_500____ 1,457.15 ▼ -4.74 ▼ -0.32%
30_Yr_Bond____ 3.071 ▼ -0.03 ▼ -0.94%

NYSE Volume 3,844,852,000
Nasdaq Volume 1,748,052,250

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......

FTSE_100 6,053.63 ▼ -10.95 ▼ -0.18%
DAX_____ 7,695.83 ▼ -36.83 ▼ -0.48%
CAC_40__ 3,705.88 ▲ 1.24 ▲ 0.03%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….....Last .....Change…......

ASX_All_Ord__ 4,712.30 ▼ -25.80 ▼ -0.54%
Shanghai_Comp 2,276.07 ▼ -9.29 ▼ -0.41%
Taiwan_Weight 7,721.66 ▼ -33.43 ▼ -0.43%
Nikkei_225____ 10,508.06 ▼ -90.95 ▼ -0.86%
Hang_Seng____ 23,111.19 ▲ 53.93 ▼ -0.94%
Strait_Times___ 3,205.52 ▼ -12.74 ▼ -0.40%
NZX_50_Index__ 4,090.37 ▲ 5.53 ▲ 0.14%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-st...Rwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3

US stocks fall ahead of earnings season kickoff

US stocks close lower ahead of unofficial start to earnings season; Alcoa beats on revenue


By Daniel Wagner, AP Business Writer

U.S. stocks closed lower Tuesday as traders awaited the start of the corporate earnings season.

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 55.44 points, or 0.4 percent, to 13,328.85. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 4.74, or 0.3 percent, to 1,457.15. The Nasdaq composite index shed 7.01, or 0.2 percent, to 3,091.81.

Alcoa reported its fourth-quarter financial results after the market closed, marking the unofficial kickoff to weeks of earnings announcements from U.S. companies. The aluminum maker said its revenue results exceeded the expectations of Wall Street analysts, while per-share earnings were roughly in line with expectations. Alcoa rose 20 cents, or 2.1 percent, to $9.30 in late trading.

Alcoa is traditionally the first of the 30 companies in the Dow average to report earnings.

Market-watchers expect the quarter's results could include many surprises because of events like Superstorm Sandy, the presidential election, and the narrowly avoided tax increases and spending cuts known collectively as the "fiscal cliff."

"Earnings is going to be the big driver for the next couple of weeks, and we're just sitting around waiting for it to begin," said Kim Caughey Forrest, vice president and senior analyst at Fort Pitt Capital Group, an investment management firm.

The European debt crisis continued to cast a pall over the market. Unemployment in the 17 countries that use the euro hit a new high, leading the European Union to warn about the risk of fraying social welfare systems in southern Europe.

Trading has been cautious in the week since Congress and the White House struck a deal to maintain lower tax rates and postpone sweeping cuts in government spending. Enthusiasm about the compromise pushed the Dow up 300 points last Wednesday, its biggest gain since December 2011.

In corporate news:

”” Agriculture products giant Monsanto rose $2.56, or 2.7 percent, to $98.50 after saying its profit nearly tripled in the first fiscal quarter, helped by strong seed sales in Latin America. Monsanto raised its earnings guidance for the year.

”” Video game seller GameStop lost $1.56, or 6.3 percent, to $23.19 after reporting weak holiday-season sales and cutting its revenue guidance.

”” Yum Brands, operator of the KFC and Taco Bell fast food chains, plunged after saying a key sales metric in China fell more than expected in the fourth quarter. The decline was related to problems at two of its small chicken suppliers; nearly half of the company's revenue came from China in 2011. Yum lost $2.85, or 4.2 percent, to $65.04.

”” In Korea, electronics giant Samsung said it expects record earnings for the fourth quarter as shoppers continue to embrace its smartphones and tablets. But there were signs its momentum is slowing, and the company's stock closed down 1.3 percent in Seoul.
 

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Stocks rose on Wall Street Wednesday after U.S. corporate earnings reports got off to a good start.

The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 61.66 points to 13,390.51, its first gain of the week. The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 3.87 points to 1,461.02, and the Nasdaq composite rose 14 to 3,105.81.

Having rallied after a last-minute resolution stopped the U.S. from going over the "fiscal cliff," stocks are facing their first big challenge of the year as companies start to report earnings for the fourth quarter of 2012. Throughout last year, analysts cut their outlook for earnings growth in the period and now expect them to rise by 3.21 percent, according to data from S&P Capital IQ.

"Maybe earnings expectations were a little too low," said Ryan Detrick, a strategist at Schaeffer's Investment Research. "You don't need to have great earnings, you just need to beat those expectations" for stocks to rally, Detrick said.

Early indications were decent. Aluminum maker Alcoa reported late Tuesday that it swung to a profit for the fourth quarter, with earnings that met Wall Street's expectations. The company brought in more revenue than analysts had expected, and the company also predicted rising demand for aluminum this year as the aerospace industry gains strength. Alcoa is usually the first Dow component to report earnings every quarter.

Despite the better revenue number, Alcoa's stock performance Wednesday was lackluster. It traded higher for part of the day then ended down 2 cents at $9.08.

Other companies fared better after reporting earnings. Helen of Troy, which sells personal care products under brands including Dr. Scholl's and Vidal Sassoon, rose 2.7 percent, up 90 cents to $34.43 after reporting a 15 percent increase in quarterly net income.

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 61.66 points or ▲ 0.46% Wednesday, 9 January 2013
Symbol …........Last ......Change.....

Dow_Jones 13,390.51 ▲ 61.66 ▲ 0.46%
Nasdaq____ 3,105.81 ▲ 14.00 ▲ 0.45%
S&P_500____ 1,461.02 ▲ 3.87 ▲ 0.27%
30_Yr_Bond____ 3.053 ▼ -0.02 ▼ -0.59%

NYSE Volume 3,857,857,250
Nasdaq Volume 1,731,668,000

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......

FTSE_100 6,098.65 ▲ 45.02 ▲ 0.74%
DAX_____ 7,720.47 ▲ 24.64 ▲ 0.32%
CAC_40__ 3,717.45 ▲ 11.57 ▲ 0.31%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….....Last .....Change…......

ASX_All_Ord__ 4,730.10 ▲ 17.80 ▲ 0.38%
Shanghai_Comp 2,275.34 ▼ -0.73 ▼ -0.03%
Taiwan_Weight 7,738.64 ▲ 16.98 ▲ 0.22%
Nikkei_225____ 10,578.57 ▲ 70.51 ▲ 0.67%
Hang_Seng____ 23,218.47 ▲ 53.93 ▲ 0.46%
Strait_Times___ 3,222.19 ▲ 16.67 ▲ 0.52%
NZX_50_Index__ 4,103.54 ▲ 13.17 ▲ 0.32%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/wall-...Rwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3

Wall Street gains as earnings flow in; Boeing up

Stocks move higher on Wall Street as earnings season gets off to an encouraging start


By STEVE ROTHWELL AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks rose on Wall Street Wednesday after U.S. corporate earnings reports got off to a good start.

The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 61.66 points to 13,390.51, its first gain of the week. The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 3.87 points to 1,461.02, and the Nasdaq composite rose 14 to 3,105.81.

Having rallied after a last-minute resolution stopped the U.S. from going over the "fiscal cliff," stocks are facing their first big challenge of the year as companies start to report earnings for the fourth quarter of 2012. Throughout last year, analysts cut their outlook for earnings growth in the period and now expect them to rise by 3.21 percent, according to data from S&P Capital IQ.

"Maybe earnings expectations were a little too low," said Ryan Detrick, a strategist at Schaeffer's Investment Research. "You don't need to have great earnings, you just need to beat those expectations" for stocks to rally, Detrick said.

Early indications were decent. Aluminum maker Alcoa reported late Tuesday that it swung to a profit for the fourth quarter, with earnings that met Wall Street's expectations. The company brought in more revenue than analysts had expected, and the company also predicted rising demand for aluminum this year as the aerospace industry gains strength. Alcoa is usually the first Dow component to report earnings every quarter.

Despite the better revenue number, Alcoa's stock performance Wednesday was lackluster. It traded higher for part of the day then ended down 2 cents at $9.08.

Other companies fared better after reporting earnings. Helen of Troy, which sells personal care products under brands including Dr. Scholl's and Vidal Sassoon, rose 2.7 percent, up 90 cents to $34.43 after reporting a 15 percent increase in quarterly net income.

Boeing was the biggest gainer of the 30 stocks in the Dow. It jumped 3.5 percent, up $2.63 to $76.76, following two days of sharp declines triggered by new problems for its 787 Dreamliner. Boeing said it has "extreme confidence" in the plane even as federal investigators try to determine the cause of a fire Monday aboard an empty Japan Airlines plane in Boston and a fuel leak at another JAL 787 on Tuesday.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note edged down to 1.86 percent from 1.87 percent.

Among other stocks making big moves:

”” Wireless network operator Clearwire jumped 7.2 percent, or 21 cents, to $3.13, after Dish network made an unsolicited offer to buy the company, which has already agreed to sell itself to Sprint. Dish rose 88 cents to $36.85, and Sprint fell 9 cents to $5.88.

”” Online education company Apollo Group plunged 7.8 percent after reporting a sharp decline in fall-term student sign-ups at the University of Phoenix. The stock fell $1.63 to $19.32.

”” Seagate Technology, a maker of hard-disk drives, jumped 6.6 percent, up $2.09 to $33.48, after predicting revenue for its fiscal second quarter that topped Wall Street expectations late Tuesday.

”” Bank of America fell 4.6 percent, down 55 cents to $11.43, after Credit Suisse analysts lowered their outlook on the bank to "neutral" for "outperform," saying the current stock price overestimates the improvement in cost reduction that the bank can achieve this year.
 

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