NYSE Dow Jones finished today at:

[MARKETWINNER]

I strongly believe Fed could carry out their tapering in a systematic way and gradually. As I said before gradual tapering is a good for the world economy in the long run. We could see strong rebound in global stock markets sooner than later. There could be another great opportunity for intelligent investors in the USA and selected frontier and emerging markets. Coming weeks and months could become some of the best bullish months while having some volatility before we see some sort of correction in over valued markets. DOW, S & P 500 and NADAQ could bounce back strongly again. DOW could have strong rally.

My ideas are not a recommendation to either buy or sell any security, commodity or currency. Please do your own research prior to making any investment decisions.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

Investors' jitters over emerging markets faded on Tuesday and U.S. stocks rose for the first time in four days.

Global stock markets stabilized after three turbulent days when investors grew worried about growth in China and other emerging markets. The sell-off began last Thursday, when a survey for January showed that Chinese manufacturing was set to contract, dragging down stocks in Asia, Europe and the U.S. The slide continued on Friday as currencies in countries including Argentina and Turkey slumped. On Monday, Asian markets slumped, although the selling on Wall Street eased.

By Tuesday, though, global markets regained their calm. In the U.S., earnings gains from big companies, including Pfizer, Comcast and D.R. Horton helped lift stock indexes. One area of disappointment, though, was Apple, whose weak revenue forecast pushed its stock to the biggest one-day loss in a year.

The stock market has slumped in January after a banner year in 2013 that sent the market up to record levels. Many investors believe that rally has yet to run its course.

"I tend to interpret the choppiness and downward movement in share prices so far this year as just a little bit of a stumble off the starting block," said John Carey, a portfolio manager at Pioneer Investments. "This is a temporary situation."

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 10.94 points, or 0.6 percent, to 1,792.50. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 90.68 points, or 0.6 percent, to 15,928.56. The Nasdaq composite climbed 14.35 points, or 0.4 percent, to 4,097.96.

Nine of the 10 sectors that make up the S&P 500 index rose. Health care and financial stocks were the two best-performing sectors. The technology sector was the only one to fall.

Financial markets in emerging economies stabilized on Tuesday.

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 90.68 points or ▲ 0.57% on Tuesday, 28 January 2014
Symbol …........Last ......Change.....
Dow_Jones 15928.56 ▲ 90.68 ▲ 0.57%
Nasdaq___ 4097.96 ▲ 14.35 ▲ 0.35%
S&P_500__ 1792.5 ▲ 10.94 ▲ 0.61%
30_Yr_Bond 3.67 ▼ -0.01 ▼ -0.22%

NYSE Volume 3,371,302,250
Nasdaq Volume 2,048,493,750

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6572.33 ▲ 21.67 ▲ 0.33%
DAX_____ 9406.91 ▲ 57.69 ▲ 0.62%
CAC_40__ 4185.29 ▲ 40.73 ▲ 0.98%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….....Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord__ 5188 ▼ -66.3 ▼ -1.26%
Shanghai_Comp 2038.51 ▲ 5.21 ▲ 0.26%
Taiwan_Weight 8462.57 ▼ -135.74 ▼ -1.58%
Nikkei_225____ 14980.16 ▼ -25.57 ▼ -0.17%
Hang_Seng____ 21960.64 ▼ -15.46 ▼ -0.07%
Strait_Times___ 3062.41 ▲ 19.98 ▲ 0.66%
NZX_50_Index__ 4848.44 ▼ -5.36 ▼ -0.11%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stocks-rise-wall-street-3-183109093.html

Stocks rise on Wall Street after 3 days of losses

US stocks turn higher after 3 days of losses; Pfizer leads a rally in health care sector

By Steve Rothwell, AP Markets Writer

Investors' jitters over emerging markets faded on Tuesday and U.S. stocks rose for the first time in four days.

Global stock markets stabilized after three turbulent days when investors grew worried about growth in China and other emerging markets. The sell-off began last Thursday, when a survey for January showed that Chinese manufacturing was set to contract, dragging down stocks in Asia, Europe and the U.S. The slide continued on Friday as currencies in countries including Argentina and Turkey slumped. On Monday, Asian markets slumped, although the selling on Wall Street eased.

By Tuesday, though, global markets regained their calm. In the U.S., earnings gains from big companies, including Pfizer, Comcast and D.R. Horton helped lift stock indexes. One area of disappointment, though, was Apple, whose weak revenue forecast pushed its stock to the biggest one-day loss in a year.

The stock market has slumped in January after a banner year in 2013 that sent the market up to record levels. Many investors believe that rally has yet to run its course.

"I tend to interpret the choppiness and downward movement in share prices so far this year as just a little bit of a stumble off the starting block," said John Carey, a portfolio manager at Pioneer Investments. "This is a temporary situation."

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 10.94 points, or 0.6 percent, to 1,792.50. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 90.68 points, or 0.6 percent, to 15,928.56. The Nasdaq composite climbed 14.35 points, or 0.4 percent, to 4,097.96.

Nine of the 10 sectors that make up the S&P 500 index rose. Health care and financial stocks were the two best-performing sectors. The technology sector was the only one to fall.

Financial markets in emerging economies stabilized on Tuesday.

The Turkish lira edged higher against the dollar after that nation's central bank signaled that it was preparing to reverse course and raise interest rates to fight inflation. The currency's decline was at the center of an emerging-market slump that prompted the global sell-off in stocks last week. The lira was trading at 2.26 per dollar on Tuesday and has fallen 4 percent against the U.S. currency this year.

The Argentine peso also stabilized after a big drop on Friday when the government was forced to relax restrictions on the purchase of U.S. dollars. The peso dropped 0.3 percent to 8.02 per dollar on Tuesday.

Investors will once again be focusing on earnings Wednesday.

Fourth-quarter earnings at major U.S. companies are projected to rise by 6.3 percent in the fourth quarter from the same period a year earlier. Of companies that have reported results, about two-thirds have met or beaten expectations, according to S&P Capital IQ.

After signs of accelerating economic growth in the fourth quarter, some investors are disappointed that companies aren't seeing stronger demand.

"People were hoping, generally, for better earnings," said David Lafferty, chief market strategist for Natixis Global Asset Management. "We've sort of met expectations, but we haven't significantly exceeded them."

Investors will also be focusing on the Federal Reserve.

Most analysts expect that the Fed will announce that it will further reduce its bond purchases by $10 billion to $65 billion following a two-day meeting that began Tuesday. The central bank has been buying bonds to hold down long-term interest rates and encourage lending and hiring. The policy also helped power a rally last year that pushed the stock market to record levels.

In government bond trading, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note held steady at 2.75 percent.

In commodities trading, the price of oil rose $1.69, or 1.8 percent, to $97.41 a barrel. Gold fell $12.60, or 1 percent, to $1,251.80 an ounce.

Among stocks making big moves:

”” Homebuilder D.R. Horton was the biggest gainer in the S&P 500 index, surging $2.06, or 9.8 percent, to $23. The stock gained after Horton reported that its fiscal first-quarter net income jumped 86 percent as selling prices for its houses rose. Other house builders including PutleGroup and Lennar also rose.

”” Pfizer gained 76 cents, or 2.6 percent, to $30.42 after the company's earnings beat analyst expectations, helped by lower costs.

”” Apple slumped $44, or 8 percent, to $506.50 after the company's first-quarter results released late Monday disappointed investors. First-quarter shipments of iPhones were below expectations, reinforcing perceptions that Apple is now mostly selling its mobile devices to repeat customers who are upgrading, instead of reeling in new customers. Apple also provided a cautious second-quarter revenue forecast.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

Stock investors had plenty to dislike on Wednesday.

Disappointing earnings from big U.S. companies, ongoing jitters in emerging markets and more cuts to the Federal Reserve's economic stimulus combined to push stocks lower for the fourth day out of the last five.

Boeing slumped after the plane maker said its 2014 revenue and profit would fall short of analysts' expectations as its defense business slows and it delivers more of its 787 planes, which are less profitable. AT&T, the largest U.S. telecommunications company, fell after its outlook for the year disappointed investors.

Currencies including the Turkish lira and the South African rand fell against the dollar despite efforts by central banks in those countries to stem the declines by raising interest rates. Investors say those tighter credit policies, which can restrict lending, come with risks.

"If the central banks out there continue to hike interest rates, they are going to destroy economic activity," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Rockwell Global Capital. "That will impact the global economy as well."

The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 18.30 points, or 1 percent, to 1,774.20. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 189.77 points, or 1.2 percent, to 15,738.79. The Nasdaq composite dropped 46.53 points, or 1.1 percent, to 4,051.43.

Stocks opened lower in response to the lackluster earnings news. The market added to its declines after the Fed's announcement at 2 p.m. Eastern time.

The Fed said it will lower its monthly bond purchases by $10 billion to $65 billion because of a strengthening U.S. economy. The Fed is cutting back its bond purchases, which have held down long-term interest rates, even though the prospect of reduced stimulus has rattled global markets. The move was largely anticipated by analysts and investors.

Investors should view the Fed's move as a vote of confidence in the economy because it means the central bank sees the recovery as more entrenched, said Dan Genter, chief investment officer at RNC Genter Capital Management.

Fed policymakers are "not seeing enough bad news to stop that process, which should be viewed as a positive."

The S&P 500 has dropped nearly 4 percent since concerns about developing the emerging market jitters first surfaced last Thursday. That's when a survey showed that manufacturing in China, the world's second-biggest economy, was slowing in January.

Stocks have extended their declines as emerging market currencies have been battered in recent days.

The Turkish lira has been at the center of an emerging-market sell-off that prompted jitters in global stock markets over the past week. The currency surged against the U.S. dollar late Tuesday after Turkey's central bank raised its benchmark lending rate to fight rising inflation.

The lira traded at 2.26 to the U.S. dollar on Wednesday afternoon, slightly lower than it was before the central bank raised interest rates.

South Africa also raised its interest rates Wednesday but the move failed to shore up its currency. The South African rand dropped 3.2 percent against the dollar to 11.26 rand per dollar.

After a year of big gains, U.S. stock traders are now seeing red figures on their screens more often.

The S&P 500 index has fallen 4 percent this month, putting it on track for its biggest monthly decline since May 2012. That's a big contrast from last year, when the index rose 5 percent in January. The index ended the year up nearly 30 percent, its best performance since 1997.

The NYSE DOW closed LOWER ▼ -189.77 points or ▼ -1.19% on Wednesday, 29 January 2014
Symbol …........Last ......Change.....
Dow_Jones 15738.79 ▼ -189.77 ▼ -1.19%
Nasdaq___ 4051.43 ▼ -46.53 ▼ -1.14%
S&P_500__ 1774.2 ▼ -18.3 ▼ -1.02%
30_Yr_Bond 3.62 ▼ -0.05 ▼ -1.36%

NYSE Volume 3,949,499,000
Nasdaq Volume 2,161,654,250

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6544.28 ▼ -28.05 ▼ -0.43%
DAX_____ 9336.73 ▼ -70.18 ▼ -0.75%
CAC_40__ 4156.98 ▼ -28.31 ▼ -0.68%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….....Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord__ 5240.6 ▲ 52.6 ▲ 1.01%
Shanghai_Comp 2049.91 ▲ 11.4 ▲ 0.56%
Taiwan_Weight 8462.57 ▼ -135.74 ▼ -1.58%
Nikkei_225____ 15383.91 ▲ 403.75 ▲ 2.70%
Hang_Seng____ 22141.61 ▲ 180.97 ▲ 0.82%
Strait_Times___ 3051.04 ▼ -11.37 ▼ -0.37%
NZX_50_Index__ 4882.72 ▲ 34.28 ▲ 0.71%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stocks-slide-weak-earnings-fed-203844702.html

Stocks slide on weak earnings; Fed cuts stimulus

Stocks slide after Fed cuts stimulus; Weak earnings, emerging market woes also weigh

By Steve Rothwell, AP Markets Writer

Stock investors had plenty to dislike on Wednesday.

Disappointing earnings from big U.S. companies, ongoing jitters in emerging markets and more cuts to the Federal Reserve's economic stimulus combined to push stocks lower for the fourth day out of the last five.

Boeing slumped after the plane maker said its 2014 revenue and profit would fall short of analysts' expectations as its defense business slows and it delivers more of its 787 planes, which are less profitable. AT&T, the largest U.S. telecommunications company, fell after its outlook for the year disappointed investors.

Currencies including the Turkish lira and the South African rand fell against the dollar despite efforts by central banks in those countries to stem the declines by raising interest rates. Investors say those tighter credit policies, which can restrict lending, come with risks.

"If the central banks out there continue to hike interest rates, they are going to destroy economic activity," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Rockwell Global Capital. "That will impact the global economy as well."

The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 18.30 points, or 1 percent, to 1,774.20. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 189.77 points, or 1.2 percent, to 15,738.79. The Nasdaq composite dropped 46.53 points, or 1.1 percent, to 4,051.43.

Stocks opened lower in response to the lackluster earnings news. The market added to its declines after the Fed's announcement at 2 p.m. Eastern time.

The Fed said it will lower its monthly bond purchases by $10 billion to $65 billion because of a strengthening U.S. economy. The Fed is cutting back its bond purchases, which have held down long-term interest rates, even though the prospect of reduced stimulus has rattled global markets. The move was largely anticipated by analysts and investors.

Investors should view the Fed's move as a vote of confidence in the economy because it means the central bank sees the recovery as more entrenched, said Dan Genter, chief investment officer at RNC Genter Capital Management.

Fed policymakers are "not seeing enough bad news to stop that process, which should be viewed as a positive."

The S&P 500 has dropped nearly 4 percent since concerns about developing the emerging market jitters first surfaced last Thursday. That's when a survey showed that manufacturing in China, the world's second-biggest economy, was slowing in January.

Stocks have extended their declines as emerging market currencies have been battered in recent days.

The Turkish lira has been at the center of an emerging-market sell-off that prompted jitters in global stock markets over the past week. The currency surged against the U.S. dollar late Tuesday after Turkey's central bank raised its benchmark lending rate to fight rising inflation.

The lira traded at 2.26 to the U.S. dollar on Wednesday afternoon, slightly lower than it was before the central bank raised interest rates.

South Africa also raised its interest rates Wednesday but the move failed to shore up its currency. The South African rand dropped 3.2 percent against the dollar to 11.26 rand per dollar.

After a year of big gains, U.S. stock traders are now seeing red figures on their screens more often.

The S&P 500 index has fallen 4 percent this month, putting it on track for its biggest monthly decline since May 2012. That's a big contrast from last year, when the index rose 5 percent in January. The index ended the year up nearly 30 percent, its best performance since 1997.

On Wednesday, Yahoo was the biggest decliner in the S&P 500.

The internet company dropped $3.33, or 8.7 percent, to $34.89 after it reported a drop in fourth-quarter revenue late Tuesday, highlighting its trouble drawing online advertising dollars. Yahoo reported a 6 percent decline in revenue, the same rate of decline for all of 2013.

After the market closed, investors got some encouraging earnings news from two technology companies. Facebook soared 10 percent in after-hours trading after its earnings and revenue surpassed analysts' expectations. The company expanded the number of users and the amount of money it makes on mobile ads.

Qualcomm, which makes chips for cell phones, rose 3 percent in after-hours trading. Its earnings came in well ahead of what financial analysts were expecting.

Bond prices rose as investors looked for safer assets. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.69 percent from 2.75 percent. The yield on the note is the lowest it's been since November. It climbed as high as 3 percent Jan. 3.

Stocks that reacted to earnings news included Boeing, which fell $7.31, or 5.2 percent, to $129.78.

AT&T fell 39 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $33.31 after its outlook for the year disappointed investors. The phone company said its forecast "assumes no lift from the economy." AT&T predicted earnings in the mid-single digit range.

Dow Chemical rose $1.67, or 3.9 percent, to $44.73 after the company increased its quarterly dividend and expanded its share-purchase program.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

It was a stock market reversal.

Stocks rose sharply Thursday, with large parts of the market erasing Wednesday's losses, as investors cheered a batch of strong earnings and data that showed the U.S. economy grew at a robust annual rate of 3.2 percent in the fourth quarter.

Investors also got a welcome respite from the recent turmoil in overseas markets, particularly in Turkey and Argentina.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 19.99 points, or 1.1 percent, to 1,794.19, with all ten sectors of the index closing higher. That more than made up the 18.29 points the index lost on Wednesday.

The Nasdaq composite jumped 71.69 points, or 1.8 percent, to 4,123.13 and the Dow Jones industrial average rose 109.82 points, or 0.7 percent, to 15,848.61.

Facebook jumped $7.55, or 14 percent, to $61.08. The social media company reported results late Wednesday that exceeded the expectations of financial analysts. Facebook's adjusted profit was 31 cents per share, four cents better than forecast.

It wasn't all good news out of the technology sector. Amazon.com sank in after-hours trading after releasing results that fell short of what investors were expecting. The stock of the online retailing pioneer dropped $35.47, or 9 percent, to $367.54.

In other earnings news, Visa rose $3.76, or 2 percent, to $220.88 after the company reported a 9 percent rise in first-quarter profits, beating expectations.

Alexion Pharmaceuticals was the biggest advancer in the S&P 500, rising $28.27, or 21 percent, to $162 after the company also beat analysts' expectations and gave a strong 2014 outlook. Alexion is a specialized drug maker focused on rare genetic diseases.

Alexion helped lift the stocks of other drugmakers. Dow members Merck and Pfizer each rose more than 2 percent. Specialized drugmakers Gilead Sciences and Biogen were up 2 percent and 4 percent, respectively.

Investors also cheered news that U.S. economy grew at a 3.2 percent annual rate in the final three months of 2013, a positive sign for the economy in 2014. Consumer spending, a major driver of the U.S. economy, picked up in the quarter.

"It was a good, balanced GDP report," said Sean Lynch, global investment strategist with Wells Fargo Private Bank, which manages $170 billion in assets.

Even with Thursday's gain, it's been a difficult month for investors. The Dow is down 4.4 percent in January, the worst start to a year since 2009.

Emerging markets worries drove most of the sell-off over the last two weeks. A survey last week confirmed that manufacturing in China, the world's second-biggest economy, slowed in January. And this week, the Turkish lira hit record lows, partly because a police bribery scandal there might destabilize the Turkish government.

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 109.82 points or ▲ 0.70% on Thursday, 30 January 2014
Symbol …........Last ......Change.....
Dow_Jones 15848.61 ▲ 109.82 ▲ 0.70%
Nasdaq___ 4123.12 ▲ 71.69 ▲ 1.77%
S&P_500__ 1794.19 ▲ 19.99 ▲ 1.13%
30_Yr_Bond 3.63 ▲ 0.01 ▲ 0.36%

NYSE Volume 3,510,830,000
Nasdaq Volume 2,105,653,000

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6538.45 ▼ -5.83 ▼ -0.09%
DAX_____ 9373.48 ▲ 36.75 ▲ 0.39%
CAC_40__ 4180.02 ▲ 23.04 ▲ 0.55%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….....Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord__ 5199.4 ▼ -41.2 ▼ -0.79%
Shanghai_Comp 2033.08 ▼ -16.83 ▼ -0.82%
Taiwan_Weight 8462.57 ▼ -135.74 ▼ -1.58%
Nikkei_225____ 15007.06 ▼ -376.85 ▼ -2.45%
Hang_Seng____ 22035.42 ▼ -106.19 ▼ -0.48%
Strait_Times___ 3027.22 ▲ 0 ▲ 0.00%
NZX_50_Index__ 4849.84 ▼ -32.88 ▼ -0.67%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-stocks-move-higher-helped-172402077.html

Stocks rebound with help from company earnings, stabilizing emerging markets; Facebook jumps

It was a stock market reversal.

Stocks rose sharply Thursday, with large parts of the market erasing Wednesday's losses, as investors cheered a batch of strong earnings and data that showed the U.S. economy grew at a robust annual rate of 3.2 percent in the fourth quarter.

Investors also got a welcome respite from the recent turmoil in overseas markets, particularly in Turkey and Argentina.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 19.99 points, or 1.1 percent, to 1,794.19, with all ten sectors of the index closing higher. That more than made up the 18.29 points the index lost on Wednesday.

The Nasdaq composite jumped 71.69 points, or 1.8 percent, to 4,123.13 and the Dow Jones industrial average rose 109.82 points, or 0.7 percent, to 15,848.61.

Facebook jumped $7.55, or 14 percent, to $61.08. The social media company reported results late Wednesday that exceeded the expectations of financial analysts. Facebook's adjusted profit was 31 cents per share, four cents better than forecast.

It wasn't all good news out of the technology sector. Amazon.com sank in after-hours trading after releasing results that fell short of what investors were expecting. The stock of the online retailing pioneer dropped $35.47, or 9 percent, to $367.54.

In other earnings news, Visa rose $3.76, or 2 percent, to $220.88 after the company reported a 9 percent rise in first-quarter profits, beating expectations.

Alexion Pharmaceuticals was the biggest advancer in the S&P 500, rising $28.27, or 21 percent, to $162 after the company also beat analysts' expectations and gave a strong 2014 outlook. Alexion is a specialized drug maker focused on rare genetic diseases.

Alexion helped lift the stocks of other drugmakers. Dow members Merck and Pfizer each rose more than 2 percent. Specialized drugmakers Gilead Sciences and Biogen were up 2 percent and 4 percent, respectively.

Investors also cheered news that U.S. economy grew at a 3.2 percent annual rate in the final three months of 2013, a positive sign for the economy in 2014. Consumer spending, a major driver of the U.S. economy, picked up in the quarter.

"It was a good, balanced GDP report," said Sean Lynch, global investment strategist with Wells Fargo Private Bank, which manages $170 billion in assets.

Even with Thursday's gain, it's been a difficult month for investors. The Dow is down 4.4 percent in January, the worst start to a year since 2009.

Emerging markets worries drove most of the sell-off over the last two weeks. A survey last week confirmed that manufacturing in China, the world's second-biggest economy, slowed in January. And this week, the Turkish lira hit record lows, partly because a police bribery scandal there might destabilize the Turkish government.

In Argentina, the peso had its sharpest slide in 12 years earlier this month.

"The currency problems in the emerging markets caught a lot of people by surprise, and that overflowed in to U.S. markets," Lynch said.

Investors got a break from the troubles in emerging markets Thursday. The Turkish lira, Argentinian peso and the South African rand, another troubled currency, stabilized.

The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, an exchange-traded fund that tracks stocks located in less-developed countries, rose 1 percent after falling 1.5 percent the day before.

Even with Thursday's upturn, the broader trend in the market appears to be downward for the time being, strategists say. The Dow has risen only two out of the last eight trading days.

"I'm pretty focused on corporate earnings, and that's about it," said Ian Winer, director of trading at Wedbush Securities. "Earnings have been OK, but not all that great. I think we're going lower, and I think (the sell-off this month) is just the beginning."

Several investors have said the U.S. stock market will experience a "correction," meaning a decline of 10 percent or more in a benchmark index like the S&P 500, sometime this year. That chorus has gotten louder in the last couple of weeks. The last time the market had a correction was in October 2011.

"The markets have been looking for a reason to pull back and certainly the emerging markets and currency problems gave them a reason to do so," Lynch said.

The bond market also had a day of stability. The yield on the U.S. 10-year Treasury note edged up to 2.70 percent from 2.68 percent the day before.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

Stock investors were hit from all sides in January.

Concerns about the global economy and U.S. company earnings, as well as turmoil in emerging markets, led major indexes to their worst month in two years. However, many investors remain hopeful that the problems in January will not spill over into the rest of 2014.

They even see this month's downturn as healthy, given the U.S. market's torrid 30 percent rise last year.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 5.3 percent in January, the worst start to a year since 2009. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 3.6 percent this month and the Nasdaq composite fell 2 percent.

Investors entered the year with some degree of skepticism and nervousness. The stock market went basically straight up in 2013. The S&P 500 index ended 2013 with a gain of nearly 30 percent, its best year since 1997.

"No amount of negative news could derail the market last year," said Jonathan Corpina, a floor trader at the New York Stock Exchange with Meridan Equity Partners.

But no stock market can go straight up forever.

Many investors expected 2014 to be a more muddled and volatile for the market. Market strategists late last year were looking for the S&P 500 index to notch a modest gain of 4 percent to 6 percent, ending in the range of 1,850 to 1,900.

Investors were also looking for more pullbacks this year and possibly a correction, the technical term for when a stock market index like the S&P 500 falls 10 percent or more. Three months ago, analysts at Goldman Sachs said there was roughly a 60 percent chance that a correction would happen this year.

"People did look at these stock market valuations at the beginning of the year with a degree of nervousness," said David Kelly, chief market strategist with J.P. Morgan Funds. "A correction would probably be healthy for the market."

But many investors were surprised by January's turbulence. With one exception, the Dow had triple-digit moves every trading day in January.

Still, with the broader S&P 500 index down just 3.6 percent from its January 15 peak, the downturn is hardly severe.

"There's been some negative news out there — the economic data, corporate earnings and what's now going on in emerging markets — but I'm not convinced the headlines are bad enough to be a catalyst to push us into a correction," Corpina said.

Investors point to the December jobs report, released on Jan. 10, as when the troubles began. The U.S. government said employers created only 74,000 jobs in December, the worst month for job creation in since 2011 and far below expectations.

Up until then, weeks of data showed that the U.S. economic recovery was accelerating. U.S. companies were selling record levels of goods overseas; layoffs had dwindled; and the Federal Reserve was pulling back on its economic stimulus program, citing an improving economy.

Many investors called the December jobs report as a statistical fluke. But the report has weighed on stocks all month, investors say.

"It set a negative tone for the market," Kelly said.

Other economic reports also painted a picture of U.S. economic growth possibly flattening out instead of accelerating.

Investors combined these economic worries with mixed signals from U.S. companies.

The NYSE DOW closed LOWER ▼ -149.76 points or ▼ -0.94% on Friday, 31 January 2014
Symbol …........Last ......Change.....
Dow_Jones 15698.85 ▼ -149.76 ▼ -0.94%
Nasdaq___ 4103.88 ▼ -19.25 ▼ -0.47%
S&P_500__ 1782.59 ▼ -11.6 ▼ -0.65%
30_Yr_Bond 3.62 ▼ -0.01 ▼ -0.36%

NYSE Volume 4,041,407,750
Nasdaq Volume 2,236,559,000

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6510.44 ▼ -28.01 ▼ -0.43%
DAX_____ 9306.48 ▼ -67 ▼ -0.71%
CAC_40__ 4165.72 ▼ -14.3 ▼ -0.34%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….....Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord__ 5205.1 ▲ 5.7 ▲ 0.11%
Shanghai_Comp 2033.08 ▼ -16.83 ▼ -0.82%
Taiwan_Weight 8462.57 ▼ -135.74 ▼ -1.58%
Nikkei_225____ 14914.53 ▼ -92.53 ▼ -0.62%
Hang_Seng____ 22035.42 ▼ -106.19 ▼ -0.48%
Strait_Times___ 3027.22 ▲ 0 ▲ 0.00% holiday
NZX_50_Index__ 4874.58 ▲ 24.74 ▲ 0.51%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-stocks-end-tough-january-215650944.html

US stocks end tough January with another decline

Stocks end tough January with another decline; S&P 500 index down 4 pct for month

By Ken Sweet, AP Markets Writer

Stock investors were hit from all sides in January.

Concerns about the global economy and U.S. company earnings, as well as turmoil in emerging markets, led major indexes to their worst month in two years. However, many investors remain hopeful that the problems in January will not spill over into the rest of 2014.

They even see this month's downturn as healthy, given the U.S. market's torrid 30 percent rise last year.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 5.3 percent in January, the worst start to a year since 2009. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 3.6 percent this month and the Nasdaq composite fell 2 percent.

Investors entered the year with some degree of skepticism and nervousness. The stock market went basically straight up in 2013. The S&P 500 index ended 2013 with a gain of nearly 30 percent, its best year since 1997.

"No amount of negative news could derail the market last year," said Jonathan Corpina, a floor trader at the New York Stock Exchange with Meridan Equity Partners.

But no stock market can go straight up forever.

Many investors expected 2014 to be a more muddled and volatile for the market. Market strategists late last year were looking for the S&P 500 index to notch a modest gain of 4 percent to 6 percent, ending in the range of 1,850 to 1,900.

Investors were also looking for more pullbacks this year and possibly a correction, the technical term for when a stock market index like the S&P 500 falls 10 percent or more. Three months ago, analysts at Goldman Sachs said there was roughly a 60 percent chance that a correction would happen this year.

"People did look at these stock market valuations at the beginning of the year with a degree of nervousness," said David Kelly, chief market strategist with J.P. Morgan Funds. "A correction would probably be healthy for the market."

But many investors were surprised by January's turbulence. With one exception, the Dow had triple-digit moves every trading day in January.

Still, with the broader S&P 500 index down just 3.6 percent from its January 15 peak, the downturn is hardly severe.

"There's been some negative news out there — the economic data, corporate earnings and what's now going on in emerging markets — but I'm not convinced the headlines are bad enough to be a catalyst to push us into a correction," Corpina said.

Investors point to the December jobs report, released on Jan. 10, as when the troubles began. The U.S. government said employers created only 74,000 jobs in December, the worst month for job creation in since 2011 and far below expectations.

Up until then, weeks of data showed that the U.S. economic recovery was accelerating. U.S. companies were selling record levels of goods overseas; layoffs had dwindled; and the Federal Reserve was pulling back on its economic stimulus program, citing an improving economy.

Many investors called the December jobs report as a statistical fluke. But the report has weighed on stocks all month, investors say.

"It set a negative tone for the market," Kelly said.

Other economic reports also painted a picture of U.S. economic growth possibly flattening out instead of accelerating.

Investors combined these economic worries with mixed signals from U.S. companies.

Wall Street is in the middle of earnings season, when the country's major corporations report results for the final three months of the year. Half of the members of the S&P 500 have reported, and the results have been mixed. While fourth-quarter corporate earnings are up a respectable 7.9 percent from a year earlier, companies have been cutting their full-year outlooks and reporting weaker sales, according to data provider FactSet.

Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer, said Friday that earnings may come in at the low end or below its prior forecasts. It also expects sales at stores open at least a year to be flat. The company previously forecast that sales would be modestly higher.

Wal-Mart's forecast echo the comments from Macy's, Target, Best Buy and other retailers.

Of the companies who have reported so far, 44 companies have cut their full-year profit outlooks while 10 have increased their outlooks, according to data from FactSet.

Adding to concerns about the U.S. economy and earnings were problems in overseas markets.

The bad overseas news started with China. A recent report showed that manufacturing activity in the world's second-largest economy unexpectedly contracted in January. The report added to other recent signs that the Chinese economy was slowing down after years of massive growth.

Then came currency troubles in smaller emerging markets, particularly Turkey, South Africa and Argentina.

All three saw their currencies fall sharply against the dollar, as investors began to pull out of emerging markets and return their money to less-risky parts of the globe.

"These governments were financing themselves with (foreign investor money), and now that these investors are looking to go home, there's no source of money to replace them," said Krishna Memani, chief investment officer at Oppenheimer Funds.

On Friday, the U.S. stock market closed out January on yet another down note. The Dow fell 149.70 points, or 0.9 percent, to 15,698.91. The S&P 500 dropped 11.61 points, or 0.7 percent, to 1,782.57 and the Nasdaq lost 19.25 points, or 0.5 percent, to 4,103.88.

Investors shouldn't panic yet, money managers say.

They will get the January jobs report next week. Also, another 93 members of the S&P 500 are scheduled to report earnings.

"A 5 percent decline in equities is not an earthshattering event by any measure, particularly after last year," Memani said. "It's still way too early to give up on equities."

2491

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

For investors, February is starting out just as rough as January.

U.S. stocks tumbled on Monday, pushing the Dow Jones industrial average down more than 320 points after reports of sluggish U.S growth added to investor worries about the global economy. The slump follows the Dow's worst January performance since 2009.

The market stumbled from the get-go, with U.S. markets opening lower after declines in European and Japanese indexes. Then it quickly turned into a slide as a spate of discouraging economic data on everything from manufacturing to auto sales to construction spending poured in.

By late afternoon, the sell-off accelerated further, bringing the Dow down more than 7 percent for the year. The S&P 500 index was down more than 5 percent on the year.

Some stock watchers took the market's decline in stride. They considered it a necessary recalibration following the market's record highs at the end of last year.

"It's a bit painful for investors to see the equities markets drop as they have, but this is healthy for this market," said Chris Gaffney, a senior market strategist at EverBank. "We've been almost 2-1/2 years without a 10 percent correction. So we're still in that healthy correction, if you will."

All told, the Dow tumbled 326.05 points, or 2.1 percent, to 15,372.80. It fell as much as 342 points earlier in the afternoon. The Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 40.70 points, or 2.3 percent, to 1,741.89. The Nasdaq composite dropped 106.92 points, or 2.6 percent, to 3,996.96.

There were signs of worry throughout the market. The VIX index, a measure of stock market volatility, rose to its highest level since December 2012. Investors shifted into U.S. government bonds, pushing yields lower and continuing their sharp decline since the start of the year.

Staffing company Robert Half International fell the most among stocks in the S&P 500 index. CarMax and Pfizer were among the few stocks to eke out gains on the day.

Cold U.S. weather emerged as common problem for the economy last month.

Investors were discouraged Monday by a private survey showing U.S. manufacturing barely expanded last month as frigid temperatures delayed shipments of raw materials and caused some factories to shut down. Construction spending rose modestly in December, slowing from healthy gains a month earlier.

The NYSE DOW closed LOWER ▼ -326.05 points or ▼ -2.08% on Monday, 3 February 2014
Symbol …........Last ......Change.....
Dow_Jones 15372.8 ▼ -326.05 ▼ -2.08%
Nasdaq___ 3996.96 ▼ -106.92 ▼ -2.61%
S&P_500__ 1741.89 ▼ -40.7 ▼ -2.28%
30_Yr_Bond 3.54 ▼ -0.08 ▼ -2.26%

NYSE Volume 4,684,208,500
Nasdaq Volume 2,531,849,250

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6465.66 ▼ -72.79 ▼ -1.11%
DAX_____ 9186.52 ▼ -119.96 ▼ -1.29%
CAC_40__ 4107.75 ▼ -57.97 ▼ -1.39%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….....Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord__ 5201.9 ▼ -3.2 ▼ -0.06%
Shanghai_Comp 2033.08 ▼ -16.83 ▼ -0.82%
Taiwan_Weight 8462.57 ▼ -135.74 ▼ -1.58%
Nikkei_225____ 14619.13 ▼ -295.4 ▼ -1.98%
Hang_Seng____ 22141.61 ▼ -106.19 ▼ -0.48%
Strait_Times___ 2990.95 ▼ -36.27 ▼ -1.20%
NZX_50_Index__ 4849.5 ▼ -25.08 ▼ -0.51%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/tough-january-stock-extend-slide-205006613.html

After tough January, stock extend slide

US stocks slide in afternoon trading amid signs of lackluster growth

By Alex Veiga, AP Business Writer

For investors, February is starting out just as rough as January.

U.S. stocks tumbled on Monday, pushing the Dow Jones industrial average down more than 320 points after reports of sluggish U.S growth added to investor worries about the global economy. The slump follows the Dow's worst January performance since 2009.

The market stumbled from the get-go, with U.S. markets opening lower after declines in European and Japanese indexes. Then it quickly turned into a slide as a spate of discouraging economic data on everything from manufacturing to auto sales to construction spending poured in.

By late afternoon, the sell-off accelerated further, bringing the Dow down more than 7 percent for the year. The S&P 500 index was down more than 5 percent on the year.

Some stock watchers took the market's decline in stride. They considered it a necessary recalibration following the market's record highs at the end of last year.

"It's a bit painful for investors to see the equities markets drop as they have, but this is healthy for this market," said Chris Gaffney, a senior market strategist at EverBank. "We've been almost 2-1/2 years without a 10 percent correction. So we're still in that healthy correction, if you will."

All told, the Dow tumbled 326.05 points, or 2.1 percent, to 15,372.80. It fell as much as 342 points earlier in the afternoon. The Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 40.70 points, or 2.3 percent, to 1,741.89. The Nasdaq composite dropped 106.92 points, or 2.6 percent, to 3,996.96.

There were signs of worry throughout the market. The VIX index, a measure of stock market volatility, rose to its highest level since December 2012. Investors shifted into U.S. government bonds, pushing yields lower and continuing their sharp decline since the start of the year.

Staffing company Robert Half International fell the most among stocks in the S&P 500 index. CarMax and Pfizer were among the few stocks to eke out gains on the day.

Cold U.S. weather emerged as common problem for the economy last month.

Investors were discouraged Monday by a private survey showing U.S. manufacturing barely expanded last month as frigid temperatures delayed shipments of raw materials and caused some factories to shut down. Construction spending rose modestly in December, slowing from healthy gains a month earlier.

Automakers also piled on the disappointing news, as an icy January slowed vehicle purchases.

Ford shares slipped 41 cents, or 2.7 percent, to $14.55 and General Motors shares fell 83 cents, or 2.3 percent, to $35.25 after the automakers reported a drop in U.S. January sales, hurt by harsh weather that kept customers away from dealerships.

GM sales fell 12 percent, while Ford said sales fell 7 percent. Chrysler bucked the trend with U.S. sales gains of 8 percent, and analysts still expect U.S. auto sales to reach more than 16 million this year ”” a return to pre-recession levels.

"Investors had expectations going into 2014 of a much stronger U.S. economic recovery than actually what we're seeing and we've had to reset our expectations," Gaffney said.

Fresh signs of weakness in China also weighed on the minds of investors.

An official Chinese manufacturing survey released over the weekend showed factory output grew at a slower rate in January compared with December in the world's second-largest economy. The report released on the weekend followed an HSBC survey that showed an outright contraction in manufacturing.

Investors have been looking for more pullbacks this year and possibly a correction, the technical term for when a stock market index like the S&P 500 falls10 percent or more. Three months ago, analysts at Goldman Sachs said there was roughly a 60 percent chance that a correction would happen this year.

Monday's slide moved the market closer to possibility.

Among other negative signs for the market: In 2013, the Dow had only one 300-point-plus down day. It's had two 300-plus drops in 2014, barely two months in.

"I think we are in correction phase and the bias will be to the downside for a while longer," said Frank Davis, director of trading at LEK Securities. "It would make sense to see a healthy pullback after last year. Air has to come out of the market."

All 10 sectors in the S&P 500 index fell, and telecommunications stocks posted the biggest declines, weighed down by AT&T and Verizon Communications.

Mattel fell $1.79, or 4.7 percent, to $36.05. The world's largest maker of toys reported on Friday that sales of Barbie and Fisher-Price preschool items dropped in its fourth quarter.

Also among the decliners: Jos. A Bank Clothiers, which fell $2.83, or 5 percent, to $53.39 on continued doubts that a takeover bid by rival clothier Men's Wearhouse will go through. The two retailers have been dueling since October when Jos. A. Bank offered $2.3 billion for Men's Wearhouse.

A few stocks posted gains.

Pfizer rose 20 cents, or 0.7 percent, to $30.60, after the company reported that a mid-stage study of an experimental drug for advanced breast cancer met the main goals. The drug is seen as a potential huge seller. Pfizer was the only stock to rise among the 30 members of the Dow.

Facing lower stocks and global jitters, investors moved into the relative safety of U.S. government bonds. Bond prices rose, and the yield on the U.S. 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.58 percent from 2.65 percent on Friday. The 10-year has had a dramatic move in the last two weeks. In mid-January, the 10-year note was trading at a yield around 2.9 percent.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

Investors went hunting for bargains a day after U.S. stocks racked up the biggest losses in more than seven months.

The buying helped lift major stock indexes out of the red on Tuesday. Prices of U.S. government bonds fell.

The mini-rebound seemed fragile at times, with the market giving up some of its earlier gains by late afternoon.

Markets were coming off a 326-point drop in the Dow Jones industrial average on Monday, and the blue-chip index's worst January performance in five years prompted by disappointing news about U.S. manufacturing.

"It was the biggest hole we've seen for quite a bit, so it's not surprising to see a green day after a couple days of red," said Andres Garcia-Amaya, a global market strategist with J.P. Morgan Funds.

Portfolio managers seized on the aftermath of Monday's sell-off to buy, even as many stock watchers acknowledged that the market could still be in for a correction, or a drop of at least 10 percent.

"The one thing you never know is when the bottom is going to hit in a downturn," said Quincy Krosby, a market strategist with Prudential Financial. "So what you might do is at least begin the process of building your position."

Among the biggest gainers on the day were fashion retailer Michael Kors Holdings, water technology provider Xylem and the owner of Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell restaurant chains.

Trading was relatively light for much of the day, picking up by late afternoon. But most of the active stocks were in the green.

All told, the Dow rose 72.44 points, or 0.5 percent, to close at 15,445.24 Tuesday. The Standard & Poor's 500 index climbed 13.31 points, or 0.8 percent, to 1,755.20. The Nasdaq composite gained 34.56 points, or 0.9 percent, to 4,031.52.

Even with Tuesday's gains, the Dow is down 6.8 percent this year, and the S&P 500 index is off 5 percent .

Investors are trying to gauge the strength of the U.S. economic recovery. They got some positive news on Tuesday, when the Commerce Department reported that orders to U.S. factories fell 1.5 percent in December, as aircraft orders plunged. That's the biggest drop since July, but it was less than anticipated.

On Monday, the Institute for Supply Management said its index of manufacturing activity fell to 51.3 in January, the lowest reading since May. That unnerved investors already worried about signs of a slowdown in the global economy.

Whether Tuesday's market uptick gains momentum or gives way to another sell-off may depend on what the government's latest jobs report says on Friday.

Employers added just 74,000 jobs in December, the fewest in three years and far below the average of 214,000 added in the previous four months. The consensus forecast for January calls for hiring to rebound to 170,000, according to FactSet.

"These numbers are very subject to revisions and it would be comforting for investors to see that (December) number revised upward," said Krosby. "It would console investors that the economy has not lost momentum."

Between now and then, Wall Street will parse company earnings for more clues about the economy's health.

Among companies due to report on Wednesday: Time Warner, Merck, Yelp, Walt Disney and Allstate.

"For the next couple of days, I think the volatility remains," said David Chalupnik, head of equities for Nuveen Asset Management. "I don't know if we've seen the bottom to this pullback or correction."

Investors rewarded some companies who reported earnings on Tuesday.

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 72.44 points or ▲ 0.47% on Tuesday, 4 February 2014
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 15,445.24 ▲ 72.44 ▲ 0.47%
Nasdaq____ 4,031.52 ▲ 34.56 ▲ 0.86%
S&P_500___ 1,755.20 ▲ 13.31 ▲ 0.76%
30_Yr_Bond____ 3.59 ▲ 0.05 ▲ 1.50%

NYSE Volume 4,029,751,000
Nasdaq Volume 2,118,099,750

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,449.27 ▼ -16.39 ▼ -0.25%
DAX_____ 9,127.91 ▼ -58.61 ▼ -0.64%
CAC_40__ 4,117.45 ▲ 9.70 ▲ 0.24%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,114.10 ▼ -87.80 ▼ -1.69%
Shanghai_Comp 2,033.08 ▼ -16.83 ▼ -0.82%
Taiwan_Weight 8,462.57 ▼ -135.74 ▼ -1.58%
Nikkei_225___ 14,008.47 ▼ -610.66 ▼ -4.18%
Hang_Seng.__ 21,397.77 ▼ -637.65 ▼ -2.89%
Strait_Times.__ 2,965.80 ▼ -25.15 ▼ -0.84%
NZX_50_Index_ 4,820.28 ▲ 17.66 ▲ 0.37%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/bargain-hunting-drives-slight-gains-221942976.html

Bargain-hunting drives slight gains for US stocks

Just a blip? US stocks muster modest rebound after day of heavy losses

By Alex Veiga, AP Business Writer

Investors went hunting for bargains a day after U.S. stocks racked up the biggest losses in more than seven months.

The buying helped lift major stock indexes out of the red on Tuesday. Prices of U.S. government bonds fell.

The mini-rebound seemed fragile at times, with the market giving up some of its earlier gains by late afternoon.

Markets were coming off a 326-point drop in the Dow Jones industrial average on Monday, and the blue-chip index's worst January performance in five years prompted by disappointing news about U.S. manufacturing.

"It was the biggest hole we've seen for quite a bit, so it's not surprising to see a green day after a couple days of red," said Andres Garcia-Amaya, a global market strategist with J.P. Morgan Funds.

Portfolio managers seized on the aftermath of Monday's sell-off to buy, even as many stock watchers acknowledged that the market could still be in for a correction, or a drop of at least 10 percent.

"The one thing you never know is when the bottom is going to hit in a downturn," said Quincy Krosby, a market strategist with Prudential Financial. "So what you might do is at least begin the process of building your position."

Among the biggest gainers on the day were fashion retailer Michael Kors Holdings, water technology provider Xylem and the owner of Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell restaurant chains.

Trading was relatively light for much of the day, picking up by late afternoon. But most of the active stocks were in the green.

All told, the Dow rose 72.44 points, or 0.5 percent, to close at 15,445.24 Tuesday. The Standard & Poor's 500 index climbed 13.31 points, or 0.8 percent, to 1,755.20. The Nasdaq composite gained 34.56 points, or 0.9 percent, to 4,031.52.

Even with Tuesday's gains, the Dow is down 6.8 percent this year, and the S&P 500 index is off 5 percent .

Investors are trying to gauge the strength of the U.S. economic recovery. They got some positive news on Tuesday, when the Commerce Department reported that orders to U.S. factories fell 1.5 percent in December, as aircraft orders plunged. That's the biggest drop since July, but it was less than anticipated.

On Monday, the Institute for Supply Management said its index of manufacturing activity fell to 51.3 in January, the lowest reading since May. That unnerved investors already worried about signs of a slowdown in the global economy.

Whether Tuesday's market uptick gains momentum or gives way to another sell-off may depend on what the government's latest jobs report says on Friday.

Employers added just 74,000 jobs in December, the fewest in three years and far below the average of 214,000 added in the previous four months. The consensus forecast for January calls for hiring to rebound to 170,000, according to FactSet.

"These numbers are very subject to revisions and it would be comforting for investors to see that (December) number revised upward," said Krosby. "It would console investors that the economy has not lost momentum."

Between now and then, Wall Street will parse company earnings for more clues about the economy's health.

Among companies due to report on Wednesday: Time Warner, Merck, Yelp, Walt Disney and Allstate.

"For the next couple of days, I think the volatility remains," said David Chalupnik, head of equities for Nuveen Asset Management. "I don't know if we've seen the bottom to this pullback or correction."

Investors rewarded some companies who reported earnings on Tuesday.

Michael Kors jumped $13.24, or 17.3 percent, to $89.91 after the fashion retailer reported stronger results.

Yum! Brands jumped $5.90, or 9 percent, to $72.06 after the owner of KFC reported better-than-expected earnings late Monday. It also indicated it remains confident about its earnings growth forecast for the year.

Water technology provider Xylem made a splash, rising $3.47, or 11 percent, to $36.27, after it reported better-than-anticipated results for its fourth quarter.

Microsoft drew a muted response from investors after the tech giant named Satya Nadella as its new CEO. Founder Bill Gates is also stepping down as chairman and will become a technology adviser to the company. The news lowered shares 13 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $36.35.

Nine out of the 10 sectors in the S&P 500 posting gains.

Utilities were the laggard, with Dominion Resources leading the decline. Shares slid $1.27, or 2 percent, to $65.85.

The Dun & Bradstreet Corp posted the biggest decline in the S&P 500. The company shed $10.80, or 10 percent, to $95.58.

Most U.S. homebuilders were trading higher following a report by real estate data firm CoreLogic that showed U.S. home prices climbed 11 percent in December from a year earlier. Home prices slipped from November to December, the third consecutive monthly decline. Builder NVR was tops among the risers, adding $27.02, or 2.4 percent, to $1,164.02.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note climbed to 2.63 percent from 2.58 percent on Monday as investors sold bonds.

For most of the year, investors have bought bonds amid concern that U.S. growth is slowing after a strong fourth quarter, and because the Federal Reserve had reduced its own purchases of bonds.

The yield remains well below the 2.97 percent it clocked on Dec. 31. That could be good news for homebuyers and companies looking to borrow money.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

Wall Street took a step backward Wednesday. Then a tiny step forward. Then back.

The tentative dance amounted to little change for major U.S. stock indexes, which ended the day just below their prior day's levels.

For the week, stocks remained down, extending the sharp downturn for the year.

"We're seeing some buyers coming in on the weakness, but not enough to push the market higher," said Joe Bell, senior equity analyst with Schaeffer's Investment Research.

Stocks were down in premarket trading and continued to slide for much of the day. A survey on U.S. hiring did little to ease uncertainty over the health of the American economy.

Many investors remain leery, waiting to see if upcoming economic reports and company earnings will show that the U.S. economic recovery is on track.

"This is about as flat as it gets," said Rex Macey, chief investment officer of Wilmington Trust Investment Advisors. "It's a market looking for direction."

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 5.01 points, or 0.03 percent, to close at 15,440.23 Wednesday. The Standard & Poor's 500 index slipped 3.56 points, or 0.2 percent, to 1,751.64. The Nasdaq composite dropped 19.97 points, or 0.5 percent, to 4,011.55.

Six of the 10 sectors in the S&P 500 finished lower. Telecoms and energy stocks registered the biggest industry declines.

Investors hammered trucking company C.H. Robinson Worldwide, which a day earlier reported fourth-quarter results that missed Wall Street estimates. Its shares fell $5.48, or 9 percent, to $53.16, to lead the S&P 500's decliners.

Cerner, a health care information technology provider, and cosmetics maker Estee Lauder were also among the stocks posting large losses. Cerner shares fell $3.39, or nearly 6 percent, to $53.21. Estee Lauder slumped $3.83, or 5.5 percent, to $65.36.

Markets started the week with a 326-point drop in the Dow, triggered by disappointing news about the U.S. manufacturing.

The Dow, which fell as much as 104 points Wednesday, ended the day down 6.9 percent for this year. The S&P 500 closed down 5.2 percent so far in 2014.

A private survey on Wednesday showed that U.S. businesses added jobs at a steady but modest pace in January, a sign that hiring has rebounded after a disappointing figure in December. Payroll processor ADP said companies added 175,000 jobs last month. That's down from 227,000 in December, which was revised lower. But it was much better than the government's official figure of just 74,000 new jobs in December. The ADP numbers cover only private businesses and often diverge from the government's more comprehensive report due out Friday.

Investors are trying to get a clear picture of the U.S. economy and the prospect for corporate earnings growth this year, but they've had to sort through a bevy of mixed signals in recent weeks.

There's been encouraging news ”” the nation's economy grew at a 3.2 percent annual rate in the October-December quarter on the strength of the strongest consumer spending in three years. But concerns are growing that the U.S. and global economies may be weakening due to slowing growth in China and in other emerging markets.

Add to this harsh winter weather, which some analysts expect could have had a negative impact on the economy in December and January.

"There's a bit of uncertainty about all of that," Macey said.

And then there's earnings season, which Macey and other analysts sum up so far as good overall. Still, many companies have offered outlooks that fell short of Wall Street's expectations.

"It's part of what's unsettling the market," Macey said.

The NYSE DOW closed LOWER ▼ -5.01 points or ▼ -0.03% on Wednesday, 5 February 2014
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 15,440.23 ▼ -5.01 ▼ -0.03%
Nasdaq____ 4,011.55 ▼ -19.97 ▼ -0.50%
S&P_500___ 1,751.64 ▼ -3.56 ▼ -0.20%
30_Yr_Bond____ 3.65 ▲ 0.06 ▲ 1.67%

NYSE Volume 3,959,435,500
Nasdaq Volume 2,084,589,120

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,457.89 ▲ 8.62 ▲ 0.13%
DAX_____ 9,116.32 ▼ -11.59 ▼ -0.13%
CAC_40__ 4,117.79 ▲ 0.34 ▲ 0.01%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,088.70 ▼ -25.40 ▼ -0.50%
Shanghai_Comp 2,033.08 ▼ -16.83 ▼ -0.82%
Taiwan_Weight 8,264.48 ▼ -198.09 ▼ -2.34%
Nikkei_225___ 14,180.38 ▲ 171.91 ▲ 1.23%
Hang_Seng.__ 21,269.38 ▼ -128.39 ▼ -0.60%
Strait_Times.__ 2,962.94 ▼ -2.86 ▼ -0.10%
NZX_50_Index_ 4,807.94 ▲ 5.32 ▲ 0.11%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-stocks-end-down-slightly-215445350.html

US stocks end down slightly, but cut losses

US stocks end slightly lower as uncertainty over US economy lingers

By Alex Veiga, AP Business Writer

Wall Street took a step backward Wednesday. Then a tiny step forward. Then back.

The tentative dance amounted to little change for major U.S. stock indexes, which ended the day just below their prior day's levels.

For the week, stocks remained down, extending the sharp downturn for the year.

"We're seeing some buyers coming in on the weakness, but not enough to push the market higher," said Joe Bell, senior equity analyst with Schaeffer's Investment Research.

Stocks were down in premarket trading and continued to slide for much of the day. A survey on U.S. hiring did little to ease uncertainty over the health of the American economy.

Many investors remain leery, waiting to see if upcoming economic reports and company earnings will show that the U.S. economic recovery is on track.

"This is about as flat as it gets," said Rex Macey, chief investment officer of Wilmington Trust Investment Advisors. "It's a market looking for direction."

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 5.01 points, or 0.03 percent, to close at 15,440.23 Wednesday. The Standard & Poor's 500 index slipped 3.56 points, or 0.2 percent, to 1,751.64. The Nasdaq composite dropped 19.97 points, or 0.5 percent, to 4,011.55.

Six of the 10 sectors in the S&P 500 finished lower. Telecoms and energy stocks registered the biggest industry declines.

Investors hammered trucking company C.H. Robinson Worldwide, which a day earlier reported fourth-quarter results that missed Wall Street estimates. Its shares fell $5.48, or 9 percent, to $53.16, to lead the S&P 500's decliners.

Cerner, a health care information technology provider, and cosmetics maker Estee Lauder were also among the stocks posting large losses. Cerner shares fell $3.39, or nearly 6 percent, to $53.21. Estee Lauder slumped $3.83, or 5.5 percent, to $65.36.

Markets started the week with a 326-point drop in the Dow, triggered by disappointing news about the U.S. manufacturing.

The Dow, which fell as much as 104 points Wednesday, ended the day down 6.9 percent for this year. The S&P 500 closed down 5.2 percent so far in 2014.

A private survey on Wednesday showed that U.S. businesses added jobs at a steady but modest pace in January, a sign that hiring has rebounded after a disappointing figure in December. Payroll processor ADP said companies added 175,000 jobs last month. That's down from 227,000 in December, which was revised lower. But it was much better than the government's official figure of just 74,000 new jobs in December. The ADP numbers cover only private businesses and often diverge from the government's more comprehensive report due out Friday.

Investors are trying to get a clear picture of the U.S. economy and the prospect for corporate earnings growth this year, but they've had to sort through a bevy of mixed signals in recent weeks.

There's been encouraging news ”” the nation's economy grew at a 3.2 percent annual rate in the October-December quarter on the strength of the strongest consumer spending in three years. But concerns are growing that the U.S. and global economies may be weakening due to slowing growth in China and in other emerging markets.

Add to this harsh winter weather, which some analysts expect could have had a negative impact on the economy in December and January.

"There's a bit of uncertainty about all of that," Macey said.

And then there's earnings season, which Macey and other analysts sum up so far as good overall. Still, many companies have offered outlooks that fell short of Wall Street's expectations.

"It's part of what's unsettling the market," Macey said.

The Federal Reserve's decision to slow its stimulus program also places more importance on what the latest economic data show.

"More and more people are starting to focus on these economic reports," Bell said. "We do want improvement now that the stock market and the economy have to kind of stand on their own two feet."

Despite Wednesday's overall decline in the market, many stocks finished in the green.

Walgreen topped the S&P 500's gainers, rising $1.90, or 3.4 percent, to $57.85. Not far off was global technology company PACCAR, which added $1.84, or 3.3 percent, to $56.90. The TJX Cos. also was among the risers, climbing $1.76, or 3.1 percent, to $57.79.

Several financial services companies also eked out gains.

Genworth Financial rose 40 cents, or 2.8 percent, to $14.93 after reporting first-quarter earnings. The Hartford Financial Services Group gained 72 cents, or 2 percent, to $33.54.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note edged up to 2.67 percent from 2.63 percent on Tuesday. The yield, which affects rates on mortgages and other consumer loans, has dropped from 3 percent at the start of the year as investors have bought bonds amid concern that U.S. growth is slowing.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

After a rocky start to the week, U.S. stocks roared back on Thursday, giving major stock indexes their biggest gain of the year.

The Dow Jones industrial average and the S&P 500 index each closed up 1.2 percent, their largest single-day increase since Dec. 18.

The rally helped the market rebound a day after a modest loss and continued a gradual comeback since a plunge of more than 2 percent on Monday.

"The market was very oversold going into the day's trading," said Jim Russell, senior equity strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth Management.

The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 188.30 points, or 1.2 percent, to close at 15,628.53. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 21.79 points, also 1.2 percent, to 1,773.43. Both indexes were still down about half a percent for the week following a steep drop on Monday.

The Nasdaq composite gained 45 points, or 1.1 percent, to 4,057.12.

Thursday's surge began overseas, where the European Central Bank decided not to cut interest rates. The move propelled major European stock indexes sharply higher.

Then the markets got a dose of good news on the U.S. job market. The Labor Department reported that fewer people applied for unemployment benefits last week.

That report, combined with a private survey on U.S. hiring released Wednesday, appeared to bolster investors' confidence that the government will issue a positive January jobs report on Friday.

"Those two numbers combined ... suggest that perhaps tomorrow's numbers might look a little stronger," Russell said.

All week, investors have been looking ahead to the employment survey and what it will augur for the economy.

Evidence of healthy U.S. job growth would suggest that the world's biggest economy is still expanding at a solid pace. That would comfort investors, many of whom became uneasy in recent weeks after signs of weaker global growth emerged.

Those concerns were seen by some other investors as a buying opportunity.

"The fear in the markets has subsided some," said Marc Doss, regional chief investment officer at Wells Fargo Private Bank.

Thursday's gains were broad. All 10 of the S&P 500's sectors rose. Three stocks rose for every one that fell.

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 188.3 points or ▲ 1.22% on Thursday, 6 February 2014
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 15,628.53 ▲ 188.30 ▲ 1.22%
Nasdaq____ 4,057.12 ▲ 45.57 ▲ 1.14%
S&P_500___ 1,773.43 ▲ 21.79 ▲ 1.24%
30_Yr_Bond____ 3.67 ▲ 0.02 ▲ 0.60%

NYSE Volume 3,808,918,000
Nasdaq Volume 1,883,495,250

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,558.28 ▲ 100.39 ▲ 1.55%
DAX_____ 9,256.58 ▲ 140.26 ▲ 1.54%
CAC_40__ 4,188.10 ▲ 70.31 ▲ 1.71%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,147.40 ▲ 58.70 ▲ 1.15%
Shanghai_Comp 2,033.08 ▼ -16.83 ▼ -0.82%
Taiwan_Weight 8,311.01 ▲ 46.53 ▲ 0.56%
Nikkei_225___ 14,155.12 ▼ -25.26 ▼ -0.18%
Hang_Seng.__ 21,423.13 ▲ 153.75 ▲ 0.72%
Strait_Times.__ 2,988.27 ▲ 28.18 ▲ 0.95%
NZX_50_Index_ 4,807.94 ▲ 5.32 ▲ 0.11%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-stocks-end-higher-dow-220707829.html

US stocks end higher; Dow has its best day of 2014

US stocks rebound on unemployment claims news, Disney earnings; Dow clocks best day of 2014

By Alex Veiga, AP Business Writer

After a rocky start to the week, U.S. stocks roared back on Thursday, giving major stock indexes their biggest gain of the year.

The Dow Jones industrial average and the S&P 500 index each closed up 1.2 percent, their largest single-day increase since Dec. 18.

The rally helped the market rebound a day after a modest loss and continued a gradual comeback since a plunge of more than 2 percent on Monday.

"The market was very oversold going into the day's trading," said Jim Russell, senior equity strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth Management.

The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 188.30 points, or 1.2 percent, to close at 15,628.53. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 21.79 points, also 1.2 percent, to 1,773.43. Both indexes were still down about half a percent for the week following a steep drop on Monday.

The Nasdaq composite gained 45 points, or 1.1 percent, to 4,057.12.

Thursday's surge began overseas, where the European Central Bank decided not to cut interest rates. The move propelled major European stock indexes sharply higher.

Then the markets got a dose of good news on the U.S. job market. The Labor Department reported that fewer people applied for unemployment benefits last week.

That report, combined with a private survey on U.S. hiring released Wednesday, appeared to bolster investors' confidence that the government will issue a positive January jobs report on Friday.

"Those two numbers combined ... suggest that perhaps tomorrow's numbers might look a little stronger," Russell said.

All week, investors have been looking ahead to the employment survey and what it will augur for the economy.

Evidence of healthy U.S. job growth would suggest that the world's biggest economy is still expanding at a solid pace. That would comfort investors, many of whom became uneasy in recent weeks after signs of weaker global growth emerged.

Those concerns were seen by some other investors as a buying opportunity.

"The fear in the markets has subsided some," said Marc Doss, regional chief investment officer at Wells Fargo Private Bank.

Thursday's gains were broad. All 10 of the S&P 500's sectors rose. Three stocks rose for every one that fell.

Stock buyers got going early on, reacting to better-than-expected earnings late Wednesday from The Walt Disney Co. The media giant got a lift from its movie hit "Frozen" and sales of the "Disney Infinity" video game. The stock rose $3.80, or 5.3 percent, to $75.56.

Akamai Technologies led the gainers in the S&P 500 index after the online content delivery company allayed fears that it had lost Apple as a customer. Akamai soared $9.76, or 20.6 percent, to $57.18. Among the other big risers were construction industry supplier Vulcan Materials, which added $5.47, or 9.1 percent, to $65.66, and O'Reilly Automotive, which rose $12.16, or 9 percent, to $146.72.

Investors also cheered Dunkin' Brands Group, which reported that more people visited stores owned by the chain restaurant in the last quarter and spent more there once they got inside. The stock added $1.59, or 3.4 percent, to $48.89.

Other stocks didn't fare as well.

Twitter's first earnings report since becoming a public company stirred concerns that growth is slowing at the online messaging service. The stock lost $15.94, or 24.2 percent, to $50.03.

A couple of energy companies were among the biggest decliners in the S&P 500.

Chesapeake Energy skidded after the oil and gas company gave its outlook for production and spending in 2014. The company lost $1.80, or 6.9 percent, to $24.41. Petroleum refiner Tesoro shed $2.35, or 4.7 percent, to $47.60.

Health care supplier Perrigo also fell sharply, losing $6.79, or 4.4 percent, to $146.49.

Investors had moved money into bonds in recent weeks on concern that U.S. growth is slowing. That trend continued to do a gradual reversal on Thursday.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note ticked up to 2.70 percent from 2.67 percent on Wednesday. The yield, which affects rates on mortgages and other consumer loans, had fallen to 2.58 percent on Monday, the lowest in more than two months.

All told, major indexes gained a little bit of the ground lost since Monday, when the Dow sank 326 points as disappointing news about U.S. manufacturing unnerved investors.

How Wall Street interprets Friday's employment report will determine whether the market will continue rebounding from Monday's losses.

In December, the economy added a disappointing 74,000 jobs. That was the fewest in three years and far below the average of 214,000 added in the previous four months.

The Labor Department said Thursday that the number of people applying for U.S. unemployment benefits declined 20,000 last week to 331,000. That suggests Americans are facing fewer layoffs and better job prospects.

"We do think that a little bit of a pause in the market was absolutely due and at hand as we finished 2013, so we think much of that has occurred," said Russell. "If tomorrow's numbers come in weak, you can blame the weather. If they come in a little stronger, of course that's what we want."

 

[qldfrog]

interesting
Thursday, the US roared back supposely on expected great job creation report pending; figures released are abysmal: lowest in 3 years if I am not wrong and the market still surges up on Friday
In summary
US market at its peak, company profit are below expectation, tampering is not going to stop, growth is stalled, never since the 70s have so few americans had a job and what jobs....
And the market surges
I am short term bear and can not see any sence in the last 3 days...ASX obviously following here

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

As comebacks go, this one was a couple of days in the making.

On Friday, the U.S. stock market rebounded from a deep slump earlier in the week to muster the first positive five-day stretch after three weeks of declines.

The day's modest gains added to a strong finish for stocks a day earlier, enough for the Dow Jones industrial average to eke out a 0.6 percent gain for the week, while the S&P 500 index finished up 0.8 percent. Both are still down for the year.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 165.55 points, or 1.1 percent, to 15,794.08. The Standard & Poor's 500 rose 23.59 points, or 1.3 percent, to 1,797.02. The Nasdaq composite increased 68.74 points, or 1.7 percent, to 4,125.86.

Expedia led the gains in the S&P 500 index, surging 14 percent after reporting that its profit and revenue jumped as hotel bookings increased.

Friday's rally didn't seem likely to happen as the day got going.

A widely anticipated jobs report from the Labor Department showed U.S. employers added 113,000 jobs last month, less than the average monthly gain of 194,000 in 2013. This followed December's tepid increase of just 75,000.

The overall payroll figure disappointed markets, and index futures fell before regular stock trading began. Stocks moved higher in mid-morning trading as investors dug deeper into the details of the report, which also showed that manufacturers, construction firms and mining and drilling companies added 76,000 jobs combined, a strong showing.

"The market had a tough time figuring out what to do with the (jobs) number when it first came out," said J.J. Kinahan, chief strategist with TD Ameritrade. "As the day went on, it just kind of discounted some of the negatives in there to say, 'What do we really want? We want a growing economy, and these are the jobs we got for a growing economy."

The government also reported that the nation's unemployment rate dipped to 6.6 percent in January from 6.7 percent in December. It was the lowest rate since October 2008.

The market dug itself a hole at the start of the week, plunging more than 2 percent on Monday. The slide began with investor anxiety over an industry survey that found that manufacturing grew much more slowly in January than in December. Lackluster U.S. auto sales for January added to the bad news.

The outlook began to brighten at midweek, with a survey of private businesses that showed companies added 175,000 jobs in January, roughly in line with average monthly gains the past two years. On Thursday, news that fewer people applied for unemployment benefits last week helped lift the market.

The Dow is still down 4.7 percent for the year, while the S&P 500 is down 2.8 percent.

Did the government's latest survey of the job market give investors reason to feel better about the economy? Hard to say.

Many analysts have been predicting that stocks were due for a decline after reaching record highs at the end of last year. On Monday, it seemed the market was headed firmly for just such a decline, which is known among investors as a "correction," or a drop of 10 percent or more from a recent peak.

Some market watchers, however, pointed to this week's rebound as a sign that stocks have become more stable.

"It appears we sort of found our sea legs here in the middle of the week and we're starting to rally back into a more normal valuation pattern," said Phil Orlando, chief equity strategist at Federated Investors.

Others saw the potential for more turbulence.

"This is sort of the new market we live in," Kinahan said. "There are going to be gyrations where we're higher, we're lower, some quick corrections, some quick rallies. This is going to set a tone for the first half of the year."

Investors will have no shortage of potentially market-moving news to watch out for in the coming weeks.

The bulk of the latest quarterly earnings cycle is over, but the markets will be watching how Washington grapples with another debt ceiling deadline, and how quickly the Federal Reserve moves to reduce its monthly bond purchases.

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 165.55 points or ▲ 1.06% on Friday, 7 February 2014
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 15,794.08 ▲ 165.55 ▲ 1.06%
Nasdaq____ 4,125.86 ▲ 68.74 ▲ 1.69%
S&P_500___ 1,797.02 ▲ 23.59 ▲ 1.33%
30_Yr_Bond____ 3.67 ▼ -0.01 ▼ -0.27%

NYSE Volume 3,773,687,750
Nasdaq Volume 2,007,959,380

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,571.68 ▲ 13.40 ▲ 0.20%
DAX_____ 9,301.92 ▲ 45.34 ▲ 0.49%
CAC_40__ 4,228.18 ▲ 40.08 ▲ 0.96%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,184.50 ▲ 37.10 ▲ 0.72%
Shanghai_Comp 2,044.50 ▲ 11.41 ▲ 0.56%
Taiwan_Weight 8,387.35 ▲ 76.34 ▲ 0.92%
Nikkei_225___ 14,462.41 ▲ 307.29 ▲ 2.17%
Hang_Seng.__ 21,636.85 ▲ 213.72 ▲ 1.00%
Strait_Times.__ 3,013.14 ▲ 24.87 ▲ 0.83%
NZX_50_Index_ 4,840.79 ▲ 32.85 ▲ 0.68%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stock...-221800377.html;_ylt=AwrSyCWMZfVS_y0AKPeTmYlQ

Stocks rebound to post gain for the week

US stocks finish ahead for the week as investors see bright spots in a mixed employment survey

By Alex Veiga, AP Business Writer

As comebacks go, this one was a couple of days in the making.

On Friday, the U.S. stock market rebounded from a deep slump earlier in the week to muster the first positive five-day stretch after three weeks of declines.

The day's modest gains added to a strong finish for stocks a day earlier, enough for the Dow Jones industrial average to eke out a 0.6 percent gain for the week, while the S&P 500 index finished up 0.8 percent. Both are still down for the year.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 165.55 points, or 1.1 percent, to 15,794.08. The Standard & Poor's 500 rose 23.59 points, or 1.3 percent, to 1,797.02. The Nasdaq composite increased 68.74 points, or 1.7 percent, to 4,125.86.

Expedia led the gains in the S&P 500 index, surging 14 percent after reporting that its profit and revenue jumped as hotel bookings increased.

Friday's rally didn't seem likely to happen as the day got going.

A widely anticipated jobs report from the Labor Department showed U.S. employers added 113,000 jobs last month, less than the average monthly gain of 194,000 in 2013. This followed December's tepid increase of just 75,000.

The overall payroll figure disappointed markets, and index futures fell before regular stock trading began. Stocks moved higher in mid-morning trading as investors dug deeper into the details of the report, which also showed that manufacturers, construction firms and mining and drilling companies added 76,000 jobs combined, a strong showing.

"The market had a tough time figuring out what to do with the (jobs) number when it first came out," said J.J. Kinahan, chief strategist with TD Ameritrade. "As the day went on, it just kind of discounted some of the negatives in there to say, 'What do we really want? We want a growing economy, and these are the jobs we got for a growing economy."

The government also reported that the nation's unemployment rate dipped to 6.6 percent in January from 6.7 percent in December. It was the lowest rate since October 2008.

The market dug itself a hole at the start of the week, plunging more than 2 percent on Monday. The slide began with investor anxiety over an industry survey that found that manufacturing grew much more slowly in January than in December. Lackluster U.S. auto sales for January added to the bad news.

The outlook began to brighten at midweek, with a survey of private businesses that showed companies added 175,000 jobs in January, roughly in line with average monthly gains the past two years. On Thursday, news that fewer people applied for unemployment benefits last week helped lift the market.

The Dow is still down 4.7 percent for the year, while the S&P 500 is down 2.8 percent.

Did the government's latest survey of the job market give investors reason to feel better about the economy? Hard to say.

Many analysts have been predicting that stocks were due for a decline after reaching record highs at the end of last year. On Monday, it seemed the market was headed firmly for just such a decline, which is known among investors as a "correction," or a drop of 10 percent or more from a recent peak.

Some market watchers, however, pointed to this week's rebound as a sign that stocks have become more stable.

"It appears we sort of found our sea legs here in the middle of the week and we're starting to rally back into a more normal valuation pattern," said Phil Orlando, chief equity strategist at Federated Investors.

Others saw the potential for more turbulence.

"This is sort of the new market we live in," Kinahan said. "There are going to be gyrations where we're higher, we're lower, some quick corrections, some quick rallies. This is going to set a tone for the first half of the year."

Investors will have no shortage of potentially market-moving news to watch out for in the coming weeks.

The bulk of the latest quarterly earnings cycle is over, but the markets will be watching how Washington grapples with another debt ceiling deadline, and how quickly the Federal Reserve moves to reduce its monthly bond purchases.

On Friday, the market's gains were broad.

All 10 sectors in the S&P 500 index moved higher, led by industrial and health care stocks. Three stocks rose for every one that fell.

It was a good day for some travel stocks.

Expedia soared $9.31, or 14.3 percent, to $74.45, while TripAdvisor leapt $7.31, or 9.5 percent, to $84.45.

Among the stocks that ended with sizable gains Friday were publishing company News Corp., which rose $1.39, or 8.7 percent, to $17.41. The Gap also added $2.29, or 5.8 percent, to $42.

Some stocks missed the rally.

LinkedIn fell $13.86 or 6.2 percent, to $209.59 after the company said its performance may falter this year as it spends more on long-term projects and revenue growth slows.

Cigna led the declines in the S&P 500 after reporting earnings that fell short of analysts' expectations. The stock sank $7.90, or 9.3 percent, to $77.47. Also sliding was Flir Systems, which makes thermal imaging systems. It shed $1.48, or 4.6 percent, to $30.71.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note edged down to 2.69 percent from 2.70 percent as investors moved money into bonds. It slid as low as 2.63 percent shortly after the jobs report came out at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time.

The yield, which affects rates on mortgages and other consumer loans, had been edging higher after falling to 2.58 percent on Monday, the lowest level in more than two months.

3051

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

The stock market ended up more or less where it began Monday in a quiet day for investors who had little economic data or company earnings to react to.

Analysts said the market is likely to remain in a holding pattern until traders hear from Janet Yellen in her first testimony before Congress since becoming head of the Federal Reserve.

After spending most of the day lower, the Dow Jones Industrial average turned slightly higher in late trading and closed up 7.71 points, or 0.1 percent, at 15,801.79.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 2.82 points, or 0.2 percent, to 1,799.84 and the Nasdaq composite rose 22.31 points, or 0.5 percent, to 4,148.17.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq was pushed higher by Apple, which rose $9.31, or 2 percent, to $528.99. Apple rose after the activist investor Carl Icahn said he has dropped his shareholder proposal to force Apple to increase its stock buybacks. Apple recently disclosed it had bought $14 billion of its own stock.

Yellen, who started her term as head of the central bank this month, is scheduled to testify before Congress on Tuesday and Wednesday. Yellen's comments will be closely watched, especially after recent disappointing economic news and the Fed's decision to further reduce on its monthly bond purchases.

Despite recent volatility in the market, investors believe that Yellen will likely continue her predecessor's plan to continue winding down the Fed's economic stimulus program. Last week, the Fed cut its bond purchases to $65 billion a month.

"We should expect more volatility as the Fed transitions away from its (economic stimulus plan)," said Doug Cote, chief investment strategist at ING Investment Management.

Investors got a respite from a recent deluge of earnings and economic reports. Wall Street remains in the middle of earnings season, when the bulk of the nation's publicly traded companies report their quarterly results. Only two out of the 55 companies announcing this week reported their results Monday: the toy maker Hasbro and the industrial conglomerate Loews Corp.

Hasbro rose $2.27, or 5 percent, to $52.36. Hasbro's said its fourth-quarter profits fell from a year ago, due to a slow holiday season, but it also boosted its dividend and issued a bright outlook for 2014.

Loews, which owns a variety of businesses including insurance, oil drilling and hotels and resorts, fell $1.92, or 4 percent, to $43.26. The company reported a loss of 51 cents a share, due to some one-time charges tied to its ownership of insurance company CNA Financial.

So far this quarter, 344 members of the S&P 500 index have reported their results. While the earnings results have been solid ”” up 8.1 percent from a year ago, according to FactSet ”” many companies have been lowering their forecasts for 2014. Fifty-seven companies have cut their forecasts for 2014, while only 14 have raised them, according to Factset.

"The guidance for the upcoming quarters has not been good at all," said Sam Stovall, chief equity strategist with S&P Capital IQ.

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 7.71 points or ▲ 0.05% on Monday, 10 February 2014
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 15,801.79 ▲ 7.71 ▲ 0.05%
Nasdaq____ 4,148.17 ▲ 22.31 ▲ 0.54%
S&P_500___ 1,799.84 ▲ 2.82 ▲ 0.16%
30_Yr_Bond____ 3.66 ▲ 0.00 ▼ -0.05%

NYSE Volume 3,292,073,000
Nasdaq Volume 1,787,827,120

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,591.55 ▲ 19.87 ▲ 0.30%
DAX_____ 9,289.86 ▼ -12.06 ▼ -0.13%
CAC_40__ 4,237.13 ▲ 8.95 ▲ 0.21%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,236.50 ▲ 52.00 ▲ 1.00%
Shanghai_Comp 2,086.07 ▲ 41.57 ▲ 2.03%
Taiwan_Weight 8,391.95 ▲ 4.60 ▲ 0.05%
Nikkei_225___ 14,718.34 ▲ 255.93 ▲ 1.77%
Hang_Seng.__ 21,579.26 ▼ -57.59 ▼ -0.27%
Strait_Times.__ 3,017.20 ▲ 4.06 ▲ 0.13%
NZX_50_Index_ 4,833.06 ▼ -7.73 ▼ -0.16%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-stocks-end-slightly-higher-214201906.html

US stocks end slightly higher in quiet trading

US stocks drift higher in quiet trading following a rally late last week; Apple rises

By Ken Sweet, AP Markets Writer

The stock market ended up more or less where it began Monday in a quiet day for investors who had little economic data or company earnings to react to.

Analysts said the market is likely to remain in a holding pattern until traders hear from Janet Yellen in her first testimony before Congress since becoming head of the Federal Reserve.

After spending most of the day lower, the Dow Jones Industrial average turned slightly higher in late trading and closed up 7.71 points, or 0.1 percent, at 15,801.79.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 2.82 points, or 0.2 percent, to 1,799.84 and the Nasdaq composite rose 22.31 points, or 0.5 percent, to 4,148.17.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq was pushed higher by Apple, which rose $9.31, or 2 percent, to $528.99. Apple rose after the activist investor Carl Icahn said he has dropped his shareholder proposal to force Apple to increase its stock buybacks. Apple recently disclosed it had bought $14 billion of its own stock.

Yellen, who started her term as head of the central bank this month, is scheduled to testify before Congress on Tuesday and Wednesday. Yellen's comments will be closely watched, especially after recent disappointing economic news and the Fed's decision to further reduce on its monthly bond purchases.

Despite recent volatility in the market, investors believe that Yellen will likely continue her predecessor's plan to continue winding down the Fed's economic stimulus program. Last week, the Fed cut its bond purchases to $65 billion a month.

"We should expect more volatility as the Fed transitions away from its (economic stimulus plan)," said Doug Cote, chief investment strategist at ING Investment Management.

Investors got a respite from a recent deluge of earnings and economic reports. Wall Street remains in the middle of earnings season, when the bulk of the nation's publicly traded companies report their quarterly results. Only two out of the 55 companies announcing this week reported their results Monday: the toy maker Hasbro and the industrial conglomerate Loews Corp.

Hasbro rose $2.27, or 5 percent, to $52.36. Hasbro's said its fourth-quarter profits fell from a year ago, due to a slow holiday season, but it also boosted its dividend and issued a bright outlook for 2014.

Loews, which owns a variety of businesses including insurance, oil drilling and hotels and resorts, fell $1.92, or 4 percent, to $43.26. The company reported a loss of 51 cents a share, due to some one-time charges tied to its ownership of insurance company CNA Financial.

So far this quarter, 344 members of the S&P 500 index have reported their results. While the earnings results have been solid ”” up 8.1 percent from a year ago, according to FactSet ”” many companies have been lowering their forecasts for 2014. Fifty-seven companies have cut their forecasts for 2014, while only 14 have raised them, according to Factset.

"The guidance for the upcoming quarters has not been good at all," said Sam Stovall, chief equity strategist with S&P Capital IQ.

Stocks are also coming off of a strong finish last week.

The Dow rose 188 points on Thursday and 166 points on Friday. The market rallied Friday despite a government report that U.S. employers added just 113,000 jobs in January, fewer than economists were anticipating.

The Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq are all still negative for 2014, although the Nasdaq is down less than 1 percent. The Dow is down almost 5 percent this year, the S&P 500 almost 3 percent.

Trading volume was lighter than normal due to the lack of economic data and company news. Roughly 3.3 billion shares were traded on the New York Stock Exchange, slightly below the recent average of 3.4 billion shares.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

Reassuring words from the new head of the Federal Reserve sent stocks soaring on Tuesday and gave the market its longest winning streak this year.

The Dow Jones industrial average jumped nearly 200 points after Fed Chair Janet Yellen said she would continue the central bank's market-friendly, low-interest rate policies.

Investors also welcomed news that Congress appeared poised to raise the U.S. borrowing limit without the political drama that happened late last year. That would avert the threat of a disastrous default on the U.S. government's debt.

"Many of the risks everyone had their eyes on for 2014 are quickly being cleared away," said Kristina Hooper, head of U.S. investment strategies for Allianz Global Investors.

On Tuesday, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 192.98 points, or 1.2 percent, to 15,994.77. It was the Dow's third triple-digit advance in four days.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 19.91 points, or 1.1 percent, to 1,819.75 and the Nasdaq composite rose 42.87 points, or 1 percent, to 4,191.04. The Nasdaq is now in positive territory for 2014, while the S&P 500 and Dow are down 1.5 percent and 3.5 percent the year, respectively.

Investors had two points of worry resolved this week, analysts said.

Yellen, in her first public comments since taking over for Ben Bernanke at the Federal Reserve last week, told Congress that she expects a "great deal of continuity" with her predecessor.

Yellen said she supports Bernanke's view that the economy is strengthening enough to withstand a pullback in the Fed's stimulus, but that interest rates should stay low to encourage more growth. Last week, the Fed announced it would reduce its bond purchases by $10 billion to $65 billion a month.

"She's being well received (by investors)," said Rob Stein, CEO of Astor Investment Management in Chicago.

Politicians also appear to have reached an agreement over raising the nation's borrowing limit, sometimes called the "debt ceiling."

House Speaker John Boehner said Tuesday that he would allow a vote to raise the borrowing limit without any conditions attached. The announcement came a few days after Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said the federal government would exhaust its ability to borrow money by Feb. 27. Lew urged Congress to pass a bill to raise the limit as soon as possible.

The approaching deadline had been a lingering source of worry for investors, who still bear scars from the last two debt debates.

The political tussle over raising the borrowing limit in August 2011 eventually led Standard & Poor's to downgrade the United States' credit rating, which in turn caused the stock market to go through three months of nauseating swings. During the October 2013 debate, the United States came within days of running out of cash, causing investors to flee some parts of the U.S. Treasury market out of fear that the federal government could not pay its debts.

"Investors were preparing for the debt ceiling negotiations to become a disaster," said Brian Reynolds, market strategist with Rosenblatt Securities.

The surge in the last four days has helped the market avoid its first "correction" since 2011. That's when an index falls 10 percent or more from a recent peak.

The S&P 500's recent decline brought the index down as much as 5.8 percent from its peak of 1,848 reached on Jan. 15.

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 192.98 points or ▲ 1.22% on Tuesday, 11 February 2014
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 15,994.77 ▲ 192.98 ▲ 1.22%
Nasdaq____ 4,191.04 ▲ 42.87 ▲ 1.03%
S&P_500___ 1,819.75 ▲ 19.91 ▲ 1.11%
30_Yr_Bond____ 3.68 ▲ 0.02 ▲ 0.60%

NYSE Volume 3,667,912,500
Nasdaq Volume 1,960,525,000

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,672.66 ▲ 81.11 ▲ 1.23%
DAX_____ 9,478.77 ▲ 188.91 ▲ 2.03%
CAC_40__ 4,283.32 ▲ 46.19 ▲ 1.09%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,267.30 ▲ 30.80 ▲ 0.59%
Shanghai_Comp 2,103.67 ▲ 17.60 ▲ 0.84%
Taiwan_Weight 8,430.56 ▲ 38.61 ▲ 0.46%
Nikkei_225___ 14,718.34 ▲ 255.93 ▲ 1.77%
Hang_Seng.__ 21,962.98 ▲ 383.72 ▲ 1.78%
Strait_Times.__ 3,029.10 ▲ 11.90 ▲ 0.39%
NZX_50_Index_ 4,848.88 ▲ 15.82 ▲ 0.33%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-stocks-surge-fed-chief-221236847.html

US stocks surge after Fed chief reassures

Dow jumps after new Federal Reserve chief signals that she'll continue Bernanke's policies

By Ken Sweet, AP Markets Writer

Reassuring words from the new head of the Federal Reserve sent stocks soaring on Tuesday and gave the market its longest winning streak this year.

The Dow Jones industrial average jumped nearly 200 points after Fed Chair Janet Yellen said she would continue the central bank's market-friendly, low-interest rate policies.

Investors also welcomed news that Congress appeared poised to raise the U.S. borrowing limit without the political drama that happened late last year. That would avert the threat of a disastrous default on the U.S. government's debt.

"Many of the risks everyone had their eyes on for 2014 are quickly being cleared away," said Kristina Hooper, head of U.S. investment strategies for Allianz Global Investors.

On Tuesday, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 192.98 points, or 1.2 percent, to 15,994.77. It was the Dow's third triple-digit advance in four days.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 19.91 points, or 1.1 percent, to 1,819.75 and the Nasdaq composite rose 42.87 points, or 1 percent, to 4,191.04. The Nasdaq is now in positive territory for 2014, while the S&P 500 and Dow are down 1.5 percent and 3.5 percent the year, respectively.

Investors had two points of worry resolved this week, analysts said.

Yellen, in her first public comments since taking over for Ben Bernanke at the Federal Reserve last week, told Congress that she expects a "great deal of continuity" with her predecessor.

Yellen said she supports Bernanke's view that the economy is strengthening enough to withstand a pullback in the Fed's stimulus, but that interest rates should stay low to encourage more growth. Last week, the Fed announced it would reduce its bond purchases by $10 billion to $65 billion a month.

"She's being well received (by investors)," said Rob Stein, CEO of Astor Investment Management in Chicago.

Politicians also appear to have reached an agreement over raising the nation's borrowing limit, sometimes called the "debt ceiling."

House Speaker John Boehner said Tuesday that he would allow a vote to raise the borrowing limit without any conditions attached. The announcement came a few days after Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said the federal government would exhaust its ability to borrow money by Feb. 27. Lew urged Congress to pass a bill to raise the limit as soon as possible.

The approaching deadline had been a lingering source of worry for investors, who still bear scars from the last two debt debates.

The political tussle over raising the borrowing limit in August 2011 eventually led Standard & Poor's to downgrade the United States' credit rating, which in turn caused the stock market to go through three months of nauseating swings. During the October 2013 debate, the United States came within days of running out of cash, causing investors to flee some parts of the U.S. Treasury market out of fear that the federal government could not pay its debts.

"Investors were preparing for the debt ceiling negotiations to become a disaster," said Brian Reynolds, market strategist with Rosenblatt Securities.

The surge in the last four days has helped the market avoid its first "correction" since 2011. That's when an index falls 10 percent or more from a recent peak.

The S&P 500's recent decline brought the index down as much as 5.8 percent from its peak of 1,848 reached on Jan. 15.

With the recent surge and signs of volatility fading, the market's "mini" correction may have been just enough for investors. The CBOE Volatility Index, known better as the "VIX" and an often-quoted sign of fear among investors, dropped by 5 percent Tuesday. The VIX is at its lowest level in three weeks.

"So many people expected a significant correction that it seemed like it was almost pre-destined to happen," Allianz's Hooper said. "Even though it was a 'mini-correction,' investors were able to check the box and now there's a greater comfort to move back into stocks."

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

Weak earnings from tobacco company Lorillard and household products maker Procter & Gamble helped end the stock market's longest winning streak of the year Wednesday.

Lorillard dropped after the maker of Newport cigarettes said its profit fell as higher costs offset an increase in revenue from both traditional and electronic cigarettes. Procter & Gamble fell after the company lowered its sales and earnings forecasts.

The losses were relatively small. Before Wednesday's drop, stocks had gained for the previous four days, mitigating some of the market's weakness in January caused by signs of slowing growth in China and doubts about how strong the U.S. economy was.

"At this point, boring is good," said Kate Warne, an investment strategist at Edward Jones, an investment adviser. "People are a bit tired of the ups and downs we've seen and a relatively flat day would be a sign of confidence," Warne said.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell half a point, less than 0.1 percent, to close at 1,819.26. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 30.83 points, or 0.2 percent, to 15,963.94. The Nasdaq composite rose 10.24 points, or 0.2 percent, to 4,201.29.

Makers of consumer staples, a category that includes everyday products like soap, diapers and cigarettes, fell the most of the 10 sectors in the S&P 500.

Lorillard had the biggest drop in the index. The stock lost $2.48, or 5 percent, to $47.47 after its earnings disappointed investors.

Procter & Gamble, the world's largest household products maker, fell $1.35, or 1.7 percent, to $77.49 after the company said it would take a hit because of declines in emerging market currencies against the dollar. Currencies in developing countries such as Turkey, South Africa and Argentina have slumped against the dollar this year.

Concerns about the outlook for emerging markets shook the stock market in January. Those losses continued as investors started to worry about the U.S. economy after some lackluster economics reports.

Stocks have rebounded in the past week. They jumped on Tuesday after Janet Yellen, the new head of the Federal Reserve, said she would continue the central bank's market-friendly, low-interest rate policies.

The S&P 500 was down almost 6 percent for the year as of Feb. 3, but has since pared that loss to 1.5 percent thanks to gains in health care and technology stocks. Both sectors have jumped 4.5 percent in the past week.

For the market to advance from here, investors will want to see further evidence that the economy is improving said, Cameron Hinds, a regional chief investment officer for Wells Fargo Private Bank. While the economic reports have been weak, many economists believe that the unusually cold winter has been a factor.

"People are going to start looking for strength in the economy to get the market going," said Hinds.

The NYSE DOW closed LOWER ▼ -30.83 points or ▼ -0.19% on Wednesday, 12 February 2014
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 15,963.94 ▼ -30.83 ▼ -0.19%
Nasdaq____ 4,201.29 ▲ 10.24 ▲ 0.24%
S&P_500___ 1,819.26 ▼ -0.49 ▼ -0.03%
30_Yr_Bond____ 3.72 ▲ 0.04 ▲ 1.03%

NYSE Volume 3,313,824,250
Nasdaq Volume 2,009,958,750

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,675.03 ▲ 2.37 ▲ 0.04%
DAX_____ 9,540.00 ▲ 61.23 ▲ 0.65%
CAC_40__ 4,305.50 ▲ 22.18 ▲ 0.52%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,319.80 ▲ 52.50 ▲ 1.00%
Shanghai_Comp 2,109.96 ▲ 6.28 ▲ 0.30%
Taiwan_Weight 8,510.87 ▲ 80.31 ▲ 0.95%
Nikkei_225___ 14,800.06 ▲ 81.72 ▲ 0.56%
Hang_Seng.__ 22,285.79 ▲ 322.81 ▲ 1.47%
Strait_Times.__ 3,035.45 ▲ 6.35 ▲ 0.21%
NZX_50_Index_ 4,869.97 ▲ 21.09 ▲ 0.43%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-stocks-decline-first-time-220524352.html

US stocks decline for the first time in five days

Stocks edge lower, ending their longest rally of the year; Lorillard and P&G fall on earnings

By Steve Rothwell, AP Markets Writer

Weak earnings from tobacco company Lorillard and household products maker Procter & Gamble helped end the stock market's longest winning streak of the year Wednesday.

Lorillard dropped after the maker of Newport cigarettes said its profit fell as higher costs offset an increase in revenue from both traditional and electronic cigarettes. Procter & Gamble fell after the company lowered its sales and earnings forecasts.

The losses were relatively small. Before Wednesday's drop, stocks had gained for the previous four days, mitigating some of the market's weakness in January caused by signs of slowing growth in China and doubts about how strong the U.S. economy was.

"At this point, boring is good," said Kate Warne, an investment strategist at Edward Jones, an investment adviser. "People are a bit tired of the ups and downs we've seen and a relatively flat day would be a sign of confidence," Warne said.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell half a point, less than 0.1 percent, to close at 1,819.26. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 30.83 points, or 0.2 percent, to 15,963.94. The Nasdaq composite rose 10.24 points, or 0.2 percent, to 4,201.29.

Makers of consumer staples, a category that includes everyday products like soap, diapers and cigarettes, fell the most of the 10 sectors in the S&P 500.

Lorillard had the biggest drop in the index. The stock lost $2.48, or 5 percent, to $47.47 after its earnings disappointed investors.

Procter & Gamble, the world's largest household products maker, fell $1.35, or 1.7 percent, to $77.49 after the company said it would take a hit because of declines in emerging market currencies against the dollar. Currencies in developing countries such as Turkey, South Africa and Argentina have slumped against the dollar this year.

Concerns about the outlook for emerging markets shook the stock market in January. Those losses continued as investors started to worry about the U.S. economy after some lackluster economics reports.

Stocks have rebounded in the past week. They jumped on Tuesday after Janet Yellen, the new head of the Federal Reserve, said she would continue the central bank's market-friendly, low-interest rate policies.

The S&P 500 was down almost 6 percent for the year as of Feb. 3, but has since pared that loss to 1.5 percent thanks to gains in health care and technology stocks. Both sectors have jumped 4.5 percent in the past week.

For the market to advance from here, investors will want to see further evidence that the economy is improving said, Cameron Hinds, a regional chief investment officer for Wells Fargo Private Bank. While the economic reports have been weak, many economists believe that the unusually cold winter has been a factor.

"People are going to start looking for strength in the economy to get the market going," said Hinds.

TripAdvisor was among the day's winners. The online travel company gained $6.07, or 7.2 percent, to $90.27 after posting fourth-quarter results that led an RBC Capital Markets analyst to upgrade his rating on the stock. TripAdvisor said late Tuesday that its fourth-quarter revenue jumped and was stronger than analysts expected. Most of its revenue came from click-based advertising.

In government bond trading, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note climbed to 2.76 percent from 2.73 percent on Tuesday.

In commodities trading, oil rose 43 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $100.37 a barrel. The price of gold rose $5.20, or 0.4 percent, to $1,295 an ounce.

Among other stocks making big moves:

”” Amazon.com fell $12.54, or 3.5 percent, to $349.25 after analysts at UBS lowered their rating on the stock from "buy" to "neutral" on concern about revenue from the internet retailer's "Prime" customers. Amazon was among the biggest decliners in the S&P 500.

”” DaVita HealthCare Partners jumped $2.02, or 3.1 percent, to $66.35, a day after the kidney dialysis provider said it reached an agreement to resolve a government investigation and reported fourth-quarter income that soared 36 percent and topped analyst expectations.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 63.65 points or ▲ 0.40% on Thursday, 13 February 2014
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 16,027.59 ▲ 63.65 ▲ 0.40%
Nasdaq____ 4,240.67 ▲ 39.38 ▲ 0.94%
S&P_500___ 1,829.83 ▲ 10.57 ▲ 0.58%
30_Yr_Bond____ 3.69 ▼ -0.04 ▼ -0.99%

NYSE Volume 3,252,217,750
Nasdaq Volume 2,234,558,250

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,659.42 ▼ -15.61 ▼ -0.23%
DAX_____ 9,596.77 ▲ 56.77 ▲ 0.60%
CAC_40__ 4,312.80 ▲ 7.30 ▲ 0.17%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,318.70 ▼ -1.10 ▼ -0.02%
Shanghai_Comp 2,098.40 ▼ -11.55 ▼ -0.55%
Taiwan_Weight 8,467.70 ▼ -43.17 ▼ -0.51%
Nikkei_225___ 14,534.74 ▼ -265.32 ▼ -1.79%
Hang_Seng.__ 22,165.53 ▼ -120.26 ▼ -0.54%
Strait_Times.__ 3,039.90 ▲ 4.45 ▲ 0.15%
NZX_50_Index_ 4,873.53 ▲ 3.56 ▲ 0.07%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stocks-rise-investors-assess-earnings-201435163.html

Stocks rise as investors assess earnings

Stocks rise as earnings gains offset weak economic data; Time Warner Cable up on deal news

By Steve Rothwell, AP Markets Writer

The stock market rose for the fifth time in six days Thursday as higher earnings from several big U.S. companies helped investors shrug off discouraging news about jobs and retail spending.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber surged to its highest level in almost six years after the company's earnings beat analysts' forecasts. CBS also jumped after the broadcaster beat Wall Street's profit expectations and speed up its stock buyback program.

Investors' focus has returned to company earnings after concerns about growth in emerging markets and the health of the U.S. economy pushed the Standard & Poor's 500 index to its lowest level in more than three months at the start of February. Analysts at S&P Capital IQ expect that earnings at companies in the index increased last quarter at the fastest pace in a year.

"The momentum from earnings continues," said Andres Garcia-Amaya, a global market strategist at JPMorgan Funds.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 10.47 points, or 0.6 percent, to 1,829.83. The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 63.65 points, or 0.4 percent, to 16,027.59. The Nasdaq composite rose 39.38 points, or 0.9 percent, to 4,240.67.

Stocks also got a lift from deal news.

Time Warner Cable surged $9.50, or 7 percent, to $144.81 after the company agreed to be acquired by rival Comcast for $45.2 billion in stock. The deal would combine the top two cable TV companies in the United States. Comcast fell $2.27, or 4.1 percent, to $52.97.

The biggest gains in the S&P 500 were posted by utility companies. Gains in these stocks suggest investors are looking to play it safe. Utilities don't have the best growth prospects, but they pay steady dividends and operate in stable industries.

Stocks opened lower Thursday following lackluster reports on the U.S. job market and retail sales.

The number of people seeking unemployment benefits rose 8,000 last week to 339,000, the Labor Department said. Economist had forecast claims of just 330,000.

A separate report showed that cold weather caused U.S. retail sales to drop in January as Americans spent less on autos and clothing and at restaurants during a brutally cold month. The Commerce Department says retail sales fell 0.4 percent last month, the second straight decline after a 0.1 percent drop in December.

The stock market inched higher throughout the morning. Major indexes turned positive by late morning as investors assessed a handful of encourage corporate earnings reports.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber surged $2.77, or 11.5 percent, to $26.94 after it reported a big earnings gain. Strong sales in the company's core North American market helped the tire maker's results.

CBS rose $2.76, or 4.5 percent, to $64.61 after reporting fourth-quarter earnings and revenue growth that beat Wall Street's expectations. Advertising revenue was flat, but there was growth in content licensing thanks to the sale of shows such as "Hawaii Five-O" for domestic reruns.

Despite the recent signs of stabilization, the stock market is still going through a pullback driven largely by the Federal Reserve's decision to cut back on its economic stimulus program, said Barry Knapp, the head of U.S. equity portfolio strategy at Barclays.

The stimulus underpinned the stock market's rally last year, but policy makers have reduced it at each of their last two meetings. The Fed has scaled back its bond purchases from $85 billion a month to $65 billion a month.

Typically, pullbacks that are prompted by a change in Fed policy last between two and three month and push stocks lower by as much as 9 percent, according to Knapp.

"It seems a little too soon for (stocks) to have worked their way through this yet," said Knapp. "We don't think the uptrend is going to resume right away, stocks will probably still struggle a bit in the first half of the year."

In government bond trading, the yield on the 10-year note fell to 2.73 percent from 2.76 percent on Wednesday. The price of oil was little changed at $100.35 a barrel. Gold gained $5.10, or 0.5 percent, to $1,300.10 an ounce.

Among other stocks making big moves:

”” Whole Foods dropped $4, or 7.2 percent, to $51.46 after the grocery chain reported fiscal first-quarter profit and revenue that came in below analysts' forecasts. The company, known for its organic and natural food offerings, also lowered its earnings projections for the year again as the company faces more and more competition.

”” Cisco Systems fell 58 cents, or 2.5 percent, to $22.27, after the company reported late Wednesday that weaker revenue and special charges weighed down its second-quarter earnings.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 126.8 points or ▲ 0.79% on Friday, 14 February 2014
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 16,154.39 ▲ 126.80 ▲ 0.79%
Nasdaq____ 4,244.03 ▲ 3.35 ▲ 0.08%
S&P_500___ 1,838.63 ▲ 8.80 ▲ 0.48%
30_Yr_Bond____ 3.70 ▲ 0.01 ▲ 0.38%

NYSE Volume 3,088,587,000
Nasdaq Volume 1,851,974,000

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,663.62 ▲ 4.20 ▲ 0.06%
DAX_____ 9,662.40 ▲ 65.63 ▲ 0.68%
CAC_40__ 4,340.14 ▲ 27.34 ▲ 0.63%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,366.90 ▲ 48.20 ▲ 0.91%
Shanghai_Comp 2,115.85 ▲ 17.45 ▲ 0.83%
Taiwan_Weight 8,513.68 ▲ 45.98 ▲ 0.54%
Nikkei_225___ 14,313.03 ▼ -221.71 ▼ -1.53%
Hang_Seng.__ 22,298.41 ▲ 132.88 ▲ 0.60%
Strait_Times.__ 3,038.71 ▼ -1.19 ▼ -0.04%
NZX_50_Index_ 4,888.40 ▲ 14.87 ▲ 0.31%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/p-500-index-logs-best-220617926.html

S&P 500 index logs its best week of the year

S&P 500 logs its best week of the year as investors focus on earnings; Campbell Soup climbs
By Steve Rothwell, AP Markets Writer

U.S. financial markets will be closed Monday for Presidents' Day.

The stock market closed out its best week of the year on Friday as investors focused on company earnings and brushed off another weak economic report.

Campbell Soup climbed after reporting earnings that beat the estimates of Wall Street analysts. Cliffs Natural Resources, a mining company, also jumped after its earnings beat analysts' expectations and the company named a new Chief Executive Officer.

The Standard & Poor's 500 has wiped out almost all of its loss for the year after a big slump in January, and is now just 10 points below its record close of 1,848 reached Jan. 15. Stocks slumped last month because of concerns about the outlook for growth in China and other emerging markets and worries about the health of the U.S. economy.

"For all practical purposes, we're back," said Jonathan Golub, Chief U.S. Market Strategist at RBC Capital Markets. "We've effectively recovered this pullback."

The S&P 500 rose 8.80 points, or 0.5 percent, to 1,838.63. For the week, the index rose 2.3 percent.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 126.80 points, or 0.8 percent, to 16,154.39. The Nasdaq composite rose 3.35 points, or 0.1 percent, to 4,244.03, its highest close since July 2000.

The stock market got a lift on Tuesday when Janet Yellen, the new head of the Federal Reserve, said she would continue the central bank's low-interest rate policies and as Congress moved toward raising the U.S. borrowing limit without the political drama of last year.

The stock market started lower Friday following news that U.S. factory output fell sharply in January. Manufacturers made fewer cars and trucks, appliances, furniture and carpeting, as the recent cold spell ended five straight months of increased production.

The Federal Reserve said factory production plunged 0.8 percent in January, following gains of 0.3 percent in both December and November.

Investors are hopeful that much of the weakness seen in recent economic reports is due in large part to the unusually cold winter weather this year, said Kristina Hooper, US investment strategist at Allianz Global Investors.

"Investors are choosing to look at very mixed data through a positive lens," Hooper said.

By late morning, stocks had edged higher. They kept on rising throughout the day.

Among the big gainers, Campbell Soup rose $2.04, or 5 percent, to $43.01 after the company reported that its second-quarter profit and revenue came in above Wall Street's expectations. Campbell Soup also stood by its 2014 forecasts for sales and earnings growth. Cliffs Natural Resources climbed $1.26, or 5.8 percent, to $23.16 after its own earnings beat analysts' forecasts.

About 80 percent of the companies in the S&P 500 have now reported earnings for the fourth quarter, according to S&P Capital IQ. Earnings are forecast to rise 7.8 percent compared with the same period a year ago and 5.6 percent in the third quarter of 2013.

Among the day's losers were clothing retailer Men's Wearhouse and Weight Watchers International.

Men's Wearhouse dropped $2.46, or 5.3 percent, to $44.07, after Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, which Men's Wearhouse had been pursuing, announced a deal of its own. Jos. A. Bank said that it was buying the parent company of Eddie Bauer.

Weight Watchers plunged $8.48, or 27.7 percent, to $22.10 after reporting a big drop in earnings that was worse than analysts' had been forecasting. The company also issued a weak earnings forecast, saying 2014 would be a "very challenging year."

In government bond trading, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.75 percent from 2.73 percent Thursday.

Among other stocks making big moves, J.M. Smucker, the maker of fruit spreads, peanut butter and syrups, dropped $3.33, or 3.5 percent, to $91.81 after it reported earnings that fell short of analysts' expectations and lowered its guidance for the year, citing more competitive pricing and unfavorable currency movements.

U.S. financial markets will be closed Monday for Presidents' Day.

3655

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

U.S. financial markets closed Monday for Presidents' Day.

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 126.8 points or ▲ 0.79% on Friday, 14 February 2014
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 16,154.39 ▲ 126.80 ▲ 0.79% holiday
Nasdaq____ 4,244.03 ▲ 3.35 ▲ 0.08% holiday
S&P_500___ 1,838.63 ▲ 8.80 ▲ 0.48% holiday
30_Yr_Bond____ 3.70 ▲ 0.01 ▲ 0.38% holiday

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,736.00 ▲ 76.58 ▲ 1.15%
DAX_____ 9,656.76 ▼ -5.64 ▼ -0.06%
CAC_40__ 4,335.17 ▼ -4.97 ▼ -0.11%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,394.80 ▲ 27.90 ▲ 0.52%
Shanghai_Comp 2,135.41 ▲ 19.57 ▲ 0.92%
Taiwan_Weight 8,519.55 ▲ 5.87 ▲ 0.07%
Nikkei_225___ 14,393.11 ▲ 80.08 ▲ 0.56%
Hang_Seng.__ 22,535.94 ▲ 237.53 ▲ 1.07%
Strait_Times.__ 3,069.28 ▲ 30.57 ▲ 1.01%
NZX_50_Index_ 4,894.99 ▲ 6.59 ▲ 0.13%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/market-focus-italys-change-government-122047199.html

Market focus on Italy's change of government

Markets steady as Renzi poised to become new premier; trading subdued on US Presidents Day

By Pan Pylas, AP Business Writer

Global markets were steady on Monday as investors sought clarity over Italy's political and economic future and took to the sidelines as Wall Street remained shut for a holiday.

Now that Italy's President Giorgio Napolitano has asked Matteo Renzi to form a new government, investors want to see how quickly he tackles reforms needed to get the economy going.

Renzi, who is the mayor of Florence and poised to be the country's youngest premier at 39 years of age, engineered last week's ouster of Enrico Letta, who had only been Italy's leader for 10 months. Renzi argued a change of government was needed to get on with reforms.

Italy only recently emerged from recession, figures showed last week, but growth remains paltry. Its debt burden is also the second-highest in the 18-country eurozone, behind Greece.

"While political turmoil is nothing new in Italy, the return to growth last week was, but it was meagre at best, and Renzi may not have much of a honeymoon period if all we get is more of the same," said Michael Hewson, senior market analyst at CMC Markets.

By the close, Italy's FTSE MIB index was up 0.1 percent at 20,459.65, while Germany's DAX fell 0.1 percent to 9,65.76. The CAC-40 in France ended 0.1 percent lower at 4,335.17.

The FTSE 100 in Britain outperformed its counterparts, closing 1.1 percent higher at 6,736.00, gaining momentum as it broke through the 6,700 level for the first time in over 3 weeks.

"It is not often that Europe struggles to keep pace with the bullish moves of U.K. traders, but today looks to be that exception to the rule," said Alastair McCaig, market analyst at IG.

One reason why trading has proved lackluster in Europe is the fact that U.S. markets are closed for Presidents Day.

There was an equally subdued feel in currency markets, where the euro was flat at $1.3707 and the dollar fell 0.2 percent to 101.30 yen.

Earlier, in Asia, the mood was a little bit more upbeat, after figures showed that lending by Chinese banks and in the largely unregulated underground market rebounded to 2.6 trillion yuan ($430 billion) in January from December's 1.2 billion yuan. Lending usually surges at the start of a new year but January's rise exceeded forecasts and might help to ease worries about cooling retail sales, manufacturing and other activity.

Among the gainers was the Shanghai Composite Index, which added 0.9 percent to 2,135.41. Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 0.6 percent to 14,393.11 while Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 1 percent to 22,520.74.

Tokyo's rise came despite Japan's latest quarterly economic growth disappointing forecasters, holding steady at 0.3 percent. Growth in private consumption accelerated to 0.5 percent from the previous quarter's 0.2 percent but fell short of forecasts.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

The NYSE DOW closed LOWER ▼ -23.99 points or ▼ -0.15% on Tuesday, 18 February 2014
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 16,130.40 ▼ -23.99 ▼ -0.15%
Nasdaq____ 4,272.78 ▲ 28.76 ▲ 0.68%
S&P_500___ 1,840.76 ▲ 2.13 ▲ 0.12%
30_Yr_Bond____ 3.68 ▼ -0.02 ▼ -0.54%

NYSE Volume 3,405,726,750
Nasdaq Volume 1,862,530,880

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,796.43 ▲ 60.43 ▲ 0.90%
DAX_____ 9,659.78 ▲ 3.02 ▲ 0.03%
CAC_40__ 4,330.71 ▼ -4.46 ▼ -0.10%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,402.20 ▲ 7.40 ▲ 0.14%
Shanghai_Comp 2,119.07 ▼ -16.35 ▼ -0.77%
Taiwan_Weight 8,556.23 ▲ 36.68 ▲ 0.43%
Nikkei_225___ 14,843.24 ▲ 450.13 ▲ 3.13%
Hang_Seng.__ 22,587.72 ▲ 51.78 ▲ 0.23%
Strait_Times.__ 3,070.78 ▲ 1.50 ▲ 0.05%
NZX_50_Index_ 4,895.10 ▲ 0.11 ▲ 0.00%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stocks-edge-higher-quiet-post-215826720.html

Stocks edge higher in quiet, post-holiday trading

US stocks end mostly higher in quiet, post-holiday trading; Coca-Cola pulls the Dow lower

By Ken Sweet, AP Markets Writer

Stocks closed mostly higher Tuesday on Wall Street as traders got back to work after a long holiday weekend.

It was a fairly quiet day for traders, who had relatively little news to react to.

Health care stocks far more than the rest of the market after pharmaceutical company Actavis said it was buying rival Forest Laboratories for $25 billion in cash and stock.

Investors liked the deal, which is intended to make the companies more competitive in a rapidly changing industry and allow them to command higher prices from insurance companies. Actavis makes the generic versions of hyperactivity disorder medication Concerta and the cholesterol drug Lipitor, while Forest Labs makes the Alzheimer's treatment Namenda.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 23.99 points, or 0.2 percent, to 16,130.40. The Dow was dragged lower by Coca-Cola, which fell $1.46, or 4 percent, to $37.47.

Coke reported that its income and sales fell in the fourth quarter compared with the same period a year ago. The company said sales volume declined 1 percent in North America, its largest market.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 2.13 points, or 0.1 percent, to 1,840.76. The Nasdaq composite rose 28.76 points, or 0.7 percent, to 4,272.78.

Forest Labs and Actavis were among the biggest gainers in the S&P 500 index. Forest Labs soared $19.65, or 28 percent, to $91.04 and Actavis rose $9.59, or 5 percent, to $201.47.

Other drug makers also rose sharply. Gilead Sciences rose $2.60, or 3 percent, to $83.81 and Eli Lilly rose $1.05, or 2 percent, to $55.25.

The Forest Labs-Actavis deal is the latest in big-name, big-budget deals to be announced so far this year. Last week cable giant Comcast announced a deal to buy Time Warner Cable for $45 billion and Japan's Suntory Holdings announced last month it was buying Beam, the maker of Jim Beam and Maker's Mark whiskey, for $13.9 billion.

Investors should expect more large deals this year, said Mike Serio, regional chief investment officer at Wells Fargo Private Bank.

"This has been building up for three or four years now," he said. "Companies have so much money on their balance sheets and there's only so much you can do with it. You could increase your dividend. You could buy back stock. You could spend it on (business investments), or you can do deals."

The stock market is extending its gain from last week, when the S&P 500 increased 2.3 percent. Investors liked what they heard from Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, who said she planned to continue her predecessor's market-friendly policies for the time being.

The market's turnaround last week was especially notable given the rough start to the year. The S&P 500 has risen seven out of the last eight days.

"I would be very surprised if we don't see the market move back to its highs very soon," said Randy Frederick, a managing director at Charles Schwab.

Even with the market's recent rise, both the Dow and the S&P 500 are still down slightly for 2014. The Dow has lost 2.7 percent, the S&P 500 just 0.4 percent.

Investors had two minor economic reports on Tuesday to work through. Both suggested that the bitter winter weather that has enveloped much of the nation the last two months has been holding back the U.S. economy.

The New York Federal Reserve's Empire State survey showed that manufacturing slowed in the region in February far more than economists expected. Meanwhile, a survey of the housing market showed homebuilder confidence fell sharply in February, due to the severe weather.

Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.71 percent from 2.75 percent on Friday.

Gold rose $5.80, or 0.4 percent, to $1,324.40, continuing a weeklong rally. A report from the World Gold Council showed that Chinese demand for gold rose 32 percent in 2013 from 2012, a sign that overseas demand may not be as weak as originally thought.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

The NYSE DOW closed LOWER ▼ -89.84 points or ▼ -0.56% on Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 16,040.56 ▼ -89.84 ▼ -0.56%
Nasdaq____ 4,237.95 ▼ -34.83 ▼ -0.82%
S&P_500___ 1,828.75 ▼ -12.01 ▼ -0.65%
30_Yr_Bond____ 3.71 ▲ 0.03 ▲ 0.73%

NYSE Volume 3,639,807,250
Nasdaq Volume 1,906,611,000

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,796.71 ▲ 0.28 ▲ 0.00%
DAX_____ 9,660.05 ▲ 0.27 ▲ 0.00%
CAC_40__ 4,341.10 ▲ 10.39 ▲ 0.24%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,415.50 ▲ 13.30 ▲ 0.25%
Shanghai_Comp 2,142.55 ▲ 23.49 ▲ 1.11%
Taiwan_Weight 8,577.01 ▲ 20.78 ▲ 0.24%
Nikkei_225___ 14,766.53 ▼ -76.71 ▼ -0.52%
Hang_Seng.__ 22,664.52 ▲ 76.80 ▲ 0.34%
Strait_Times.__ 3,088.79 ▲ 18.01 ▲ 0.59%
NZX_50_Index_ 4,914.14 ▲ 19.04 ▲ 0.39%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stocks-slip-fed-rate-talk-221235793.html

Stocks slip as Fed rate talk spooks some investors
US stocks slip as talk of a possible Fed rate increase spooks some investors; Netflix falls

By Ken Sweet, AP Markets Writer

Stocks fell Wednesday as investors were left uneasy by news that Federal Reserve policymakers were willing to start raising short-term interest rates sooner than previously expected.

The market was mixed most of the day, then turned lower after 2 p.m., when the Fed released the minutes from its January policy meeting.

The minutes revealed that some policymakers "raised the possibility that it might be appropriate to increase the federal funds rate relatively soon."

That came as an unwelcome surprise to many investors, who haven't had to worry about increases in the Federal Reserve's benchmark short-term interest rate for about five years.

"The working assumption among investors was that the Fed was going to keep short-term interest rates as low as possible for as far as the eye can see," said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at BMO Private Bank, which oversees $66 billion in assets.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 89.84 points, or 0.6 percent, to 16,040.56. It had been up as much as 95 points earlier in the day. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 12.01 points, or 0.7 percent, to 1,828.75 and the Nasdaq composite fell 34.83 points, or 0.8 percent, to 4,237.95.

The Federal Reserve has kept the federal funds rate, the interest banks charge each other to borrow money, near zero since December 2008 in an effort to support the U.S. financial system by keeping borrowing costs low. The rate has remained close to zero since then.

In more normal years, short-term interest rates were the Fed's main tool for regulating the U.S. economy. Even small changes in its benchmark borrowing rate could have an impact throughout the economy by raising or lowering interest rates on many kinds of loans, including home mortgages and business loans. Since the financial crisis, the Fed has turned to less traditional ways of stimulating the economy, including the Fed's current bond-buying program.

It's unlikely that the Fed would raise interest rates soon, especially since the Fed is in the middle of winding down its bond-buying program. Newly installed Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen and her predecessor Ben Bernanke both repeatedly indicated that the central bank wouldn't raise rates until 2015 at the earliest.

Nonetheless, the comments from Fed policymakers caught many investors off guard.

"Any time we hear 'increase in rates,' we listen," said Jonathan Corpina, a trader on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange with Meridian Equity Partners.

Energy stocks were among the few sectors to close higher, helped by a surge in natural gas prices.

Natural gas jumped 60 cents, or 11 percent, to $6.15 per 1,000 cubic feet, the first time it's been over $6 in four years. Natural gas has climbed sharply this year, due in large part to the cold weather that has plagued most of the country, leading to higher-than-usual demand.

Natural gas companies Chesapeake Energy and Devon Energy rose more than 2 percent. Energy giant Chevron rose 89 cents, or 1 percent, to $113.60, making it the second-biggest gainer in the Dow 30.

Investors also reacted to the latest merger of name-brand companies Wednesday, this time in the jewelry industry.

Signet Jewelers, which owns Kay Jewelers and Jared the Galleria of Jewelry, said it is buying Zale's for $21 per share in cash, a 40 percent premium to where Zale's was trading at Tuesday. The news sent both stocks sharply higher. Zales jumped $6.01, or 40 percent, to $20.92 and Signet rose $14.38, or 18 percent, to $93.65.

The Zales-Signet combination is the latest in a series of notable deals that have been announced in the last few weeks. On Monday, pharmaceutical giants Forest Laboratories and Actavis announced they would merge in a $25 billion deal.

"I suspect we'll see more M&A, with all the money these companies have on their balance sheets," said Ian Winer, director of trading at Wedbush Securities.

In other company news:

”” Netflix fell $8.62, or 2 percent, to $428.23. The company is reportedly in a dispute with Verizon and other telecom companies over the cost of carrying Netflix's programming over their networks. Netflix is one of the biggest users of Internet bandwidth in the U.S., and it usage continues to grow as more high-definition video becomes available. Verizon and other Internet service providers want Netflix to pay more to use their network, according to The Wall Street Journal and other news outlets. Verizon rose 55 cents, or 1 percent, to $46.53.

”” U.S. Steel fell $1.88, or 7 percent, to $24.65. The Commerce Department decided not to impose tariffs on South Korean steel pipe makers. The U.S. is South Korea's biggest market for steel, and imports from Korea push down steel prices in the U.S., hurting companies like U.S. Steel.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 92.67 points or ▲ 0.58% on Thursday, 20 February 2014
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 16,133.23 ▲ 92.67 ▲ 0.58%
Nasdaq____ 4,267.55 ▲ 29.59 ▲ 0.70%
S&P_500___ 1,839.78 ▲ 11.03 ▲ 0.60%
30_Yr_Bond____ 3.73 ▲ 0.02 ▲ 0.51%

NYSE Volume 3,373,328,750
Nasdaq Volume 1,946,346,620

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,812.99 ▲ 16.28 ▲ 0.24%
DAX_____ 9,618.85 ▼ -41.20 ▼ -0.43%
CAC_40__ 4,355.49 ▲ 14.39 ▲ 0.33%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,421.30 ▲ 5.80 ▲ 0.11%
Shanghai_Comp 2,138.78 ▼ -3.77 ▼ -0.18%
Taiwan_Weight 8,524.62 ▼ -52.39 ▼ -0.61%
Nikkei_225___ 14,449.18 ▼ -317.35 ▼ -2.15%
Hang_Seng.__ 22,394.08 ▼ -270.44 ▼ -1.19%
Strait_Times.__ 3,085.57 ▼ -3.22 ▼ -0.10%
NZX_50_Index_ 4,909.83 ▼ -4.31 ▼ -0.09%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stocks-rise-us-manufacturing-expands-195218813.html

Stocks rise as US manufacturing expands
Stocks climb after strong US manufacturing report offsets weak data from China; Safeway jumps

By Steve Rothwell, AP Markets Writer

The pendulum swung again for stocks on Thursday.

After slumping a day earlier as investors digested minutes from the Federal Reserve's January policy meeting, the stock market got a boost on Thursday from a couple of encouraging surveys that suggested the economy may be poised to pick up after a winter slump.

Manufacturing in the U.S. expanded at the fastest pace in almost four years in February, according to a private survey by Markit. In a separate report, the Conference Board said that its index of leading indicators posted a moderate gain in January, suggesting that the economy will continue to expand in the first half of the year.

"Today's market is reflecting the fact that the economy has gone through the doldrums due to the weather and we should now see a substantial pickup," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Rockwell Global Capital.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 11.03 points, or 0.6 percent, to 1,839.78. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 92.67 points, or 0.6 percent, to 16,133.23. The Nasdaq composite climbed 29.59 points, or 0.7 percent, to 4,267.55.

The stock market is now close to erasing all of its losses after a volatile start to the year. Concerns about slowing growth in China and other emerging markets, as well as worries about the health of the U.S. economy, had pushed the S&P 500 down almost six percent for the year by the start of February.

Among individual stocks, Safeway rose after the grocer said it was in talks to put itself up for sale. The grocer's stock climbed 71 cents, or 2.1 percent, to $35.32 after the company said late Wednesday that discussions are ongoing but that it hasn't yet reached an agreement on a transaction.

Tesla Motors was also another winner after posting strong earnings and forecasting a sharp rise in sales this year. Tesla's stock jumped $16.33, or 8.4 percent, to $209.97.

Stocks moved between small gains and losses in the first hour of trading as investors weighed the data from the U.S. against a survey that showed manufacturing in China contracted for a second straight month in February.

Data showing weakness in China's manufacturing sector had pushed stocks lower in January, but on Thursday investors decided to focus on the positive news out of the U.S., and by late morning stocks moved decisively higher. The S&P 500 ended the day nine points short of its record high of 1,848.38 set Jan. 15.

After a surge of almost 30 percent in the S&P 500 in 2013, the market has become more volatile this year. Given those strong gains, the market will struggle to climb much further this year, said Tom Karsten, an investment adviser at Karsten Advisors.

"While we may see continued economic growth, I don't think that it's powerful enough to justify that there would really be much upward possibility for equity prices," said Karsten.

Among the day's losers were Wal-Mart and oil and gas company Denbury.

Wal Mart's stock fell $1.33, or 1.8 percent, to $73.52 after it offered a weak profit outlook, signaling that it expects economic pressures to keep weighing on its low-income shoppers around the world. The world's largest retailer also said Thursday that its fourth-quarter profit, which covers the crucial holiday season, dropped 21 percent.

Energy company Denbury Resources fell 24 cents, or 1.5 percent, to $15.95 after it posted earnings that fell short of the expectations of Wall Street analysts. The company also said that its 2014 production would likely be at the lower end of its expectations.

In government bond trading, the yield on the 10-year note rose to 2.75 percent from 2.74 percent on Wednesday. The price of oil fell 39 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $102.92. The price of gold fell $3.50, or 0.3 percent, to $1,316.90 an ounce.