Market Update

UK Indexes Higher; Construction Activity Drops

Arthi Gupta
04 Jul, 2011
New York City

The UK indexes gained after financial services sector growth eased in the second quarter. The UK construction activity fell in June and individuals injected

Euro Area Confidence Rises; Spanish Unemployment Falls

Arthi Gupta
04 Jul, 2011
New York City

Euro area producer price inflation eased in May and investor confidence rose in July. Spanish unemployment fell and consumer confidence improved in June. Swiss retail sales slumped in May.

Europe Approves Aid to Greece; Bayer Settles Biotech Rice Litigation

Arthi Gupta
04 Jul, 2011
New York City

The European indexes traded higher after the European lenders approved the next tranche of aid to Greece. Bayer agreed to pay $750 million to settle biotech rice litigation. ASSA ABLOY sold Lorentzen & Wettre to ABB for SEK 750 million.

Nikkei in Tokyo Rises 1%; Bridgestone, Banks, Realty Developers Up

Nigel Thomas
04 Jul, 2011
New York City

Stocks in Tokyo advanced following a surge in U.S. indexes and a rise in manufacturing index. The Nikkei index gained 1% and traded above 10,000 for the first time since May 2 on a strong rise in real estate developers and financials. Bridgestone increased commercial vehicles tires prices by 10%.

Australian Retail Sales, Building Approvals Fall; Stocks Struggle

Marcus Jacob
04 Jul, 2011
New York City

The Australian benchmark index struggled to close higher after retail sales and building approvals fell. Retail sales fell 0.6% in May as shoppers take advantage of stronger dollar and look for bargains overseas on the Internet.

Weekly Rise of 6% in U.S. stocks, Oil Up 4.5%

Bikram Pandey
01 Jul, 2011
New York City

U.S. stocks extended gains for the fifth day in a row and surged 5.6% in the week. Indexes advanced after manufacturing index advanced more than expected in June. Eastman Kodak dropped 14% after an adverse patent ruling. Euro-area unemployment was flat near 10% and China manufacturing growth slowed.

U.S. Movers: Apollo, Blackboard, Darden, General Mills, Marathon Oil

Mukesh Buch
01 Jul, 2011
New York City

Apollo Group third quarter net income increased 17.2%. Blackboard agreed to go private $1.64 billion in cash. Darden reported fourth quarter flat revenues. Marathon Oil completed the spin-off of Marathon Petroleum.

UK Manufacturing at 21-month Low; Xyratex Swings to Loss

Arthi Gupta
01 Jul, 2011
New York City

The UK indexes climbed after manufacturing fell to a 21-month low and Irish factory sector growth declined in June. Vodafone agreed to sell its entire 24.4% interest in Polkomtel to Spartan Capital for

U.S. Indexes in 5-day Rally; Blackboard Agreed to $1.6 Billion Buyout

Arthi Gupta
01 Jul, 2011
New York City

U.S. indexes traded higher for the fifth day in a row. Nortel concluded sales of 6,000 patents to a consortium of six companies for $4.5 billion. Health Management unit agreed to buy Mercy Health Partners for $525 million. Blackboard agreed to go private for $1.64 billion.

Manufacturing Slows in Euro Area; Unemployment at 9.9%

Arthi Gupta
01 Jul, 2011
New York City

Euro area jobless rate remained flat at 9.9% in May and manufacturing growth slowed in June. French passenger car sales dropped in June. Danish retail sales fell but Italian jobless rate increased to 8.1% in May.

Japan Stocks in 4-day Rally; Sharp Increase in Capital Spending

Nigel Thomas
01 Jul, 2011
New York City

The benchmark index in Tokyo extended gains for the fourth day and added 2% in the week. The latest survey of capital spending showed a sharp jump and large companies are planning to increase capital spending by 4.2% in the current fiscal year. Japan launched electricity conservation campaign.

European Indexes Higher; General Mills Acquires Yoplait

Arthi Gupta
01 Jul, 2011
New York City

The European indexes rose after the Greek parliament approved privatization plan demanded by foreign lenders. General Mills completed acquisition of Yoplait for $1.2 billion. KBC Group finalized Centea sale for

Australian Stocks Rest on China Manufacturing Slow Down

Marcus Jacob
01 Jul, 2011
New York City

Australian stocks traded lower after rallying for two days in a row. For the week the benchmark index ASX 200 gained 1.84%. Australian dollar hovered near recent high. Suncorp guided better than expected insurance margin and Downer EDI gained after it delivered first train to NSW government.

U.S. Indexes Gain 1% as QE2 Ends; Greek Worries Ease for Now

Bikram Pandey
30 Jun, 2011
New York City

U.S. stocks closed higher on the last day of the second quarter. The day also marks the end of second round of easy monetary policy that lasted seven months. The controversial QE2 program lifted stocks by 26%, gold by 22% and the dollar declined 10%. For the year the S&P 500 index gained 4.9%.

U.S. Movers: Constellation Brands, GenCorp, McCormick, News Corp

Mukesh Buch
30 Jun, 2011
New York City

Constellation Brands first quarter net income surged 52% to $74.5 million. News Corp sold Myspace for $35 million and may have lost as much as $1 billion since acquisition six years. McCormick second quarter net income grew to $73.6 million.