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World Markets Trade Sideways; Dow Up 6.6% in Volatile Quarter, Oil Up 17%

Bikram Pandey
31 Mar, 2011
New York City

U.S. indexes traded sideways after weekly jobless claims declined. For the quarter the Dow added 6.6%, S&P 500 index increased 5.6% and the Nasdaq gained 4.7%. Oil soared 17% and gold gained 1.3%. In Europe, French budget deficit was lower than expected but debt to GDP ratio hovered near Spain

U.S. Movers: Acuity Brands, CarMax, EnergySolutions, Robbins & Myers

Mukesh Buch
31 Mar, 2011
New York City

Acuity Brands second quarter net income surged to $19.9 million. CarMax fourth quarter net earnings rose 19% to $89.5 million. Cybex reported fourth quarter net loss of $57.1 million. PepsiCo estimates fiscal year 2011 earnings per share growth of 7% to 8% to $4.13 billion in 2010.

Irish Stress Test in Focus, UK Home Prices Rise

Arthi Gupta
31 Mar, 2011
New York City

The UK indexes gained after home prices rose in March. Ireland trade surplus fell in January. Taylor Wimpey agreed to sell North American business for $955 million. Vodafone paid $5 billion to buy Essar Stake in JV.

U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Drop 6,000; NY Fed Rejects AIG Offer

Arthi Gupta
31 Mar, 2011
New York City

U.S. indexes traded sideways after weekly jobless claims fell 6,000 to 388,000. SunTrust completed repurchase of $3.50 billion of preferred stock under TARP. CarMax quarterly earnings rose boosted by used vehicle unit sales.

European Indexes Ease; Hennes & Mauritz Falls on Sales Weakness

Arthi Gupta
31 Mar, 2011
New York City

The European indexes declined after inflation rose to 2.6% in March. Infineon planned to invest $160 million in Malaysian expansion. Inmarsat agreed to acquire Norway-based Ship Equip International A.S. for $159.5 million.

Euro Area Inflation 2.6%; German Jobless Rate Drops to 7.1%

Arthi Gupta
31 Mar, 2011
New York City

Euro-zone annual inflation rose in March. French and Italian producer price inflation climbed in February. German unemployment declined more than estimated in March and retail sales fell in February. Danish jobless rate dropped in February.

Vodafone Pays $5 Billion to Essar; DoCoMo Invests $180 Million in Tata Tele

Devan Biswas
31 Mar, 2011
New York City

Stocks in Mumbai gained for the eight day in a row after foreign investors ratchet up deals. NTT DoCoMo Inc agreed to invest $180 million, Vodafone Group paid $5 billion to Essar Group to increase its stake in Vodafone India and International Paper acquired 54% stake in Andhra Pradesh Paper Mills.

Nikkei Drop of 0.5% Extends March Loss to 8.2%

Nigel Thomas
31 Mar, 2011
New York City

Japan

Australian Retail Sales Rise 0.5%; Buildings Approval Fall 7.4%

Marcus Jacob
31 Mar, 2011
New York City

Australian stocks closed higher after retail sales in February increased 2.3% from a year ago on a rise in department stores sales and food sales. However, home construction approvals declined 7.4% in February. Total credit to private sector increased 0.5% in February from banks.

The Dow, S&P Reach mid-2008 Highs; Nasdaq Nears 10-year Peak

Bikram Pandey
30 Mar, 2011
New York City

U.S. stocks advanced for the sixth day in last seven days of trading and crude oil eased. The Dow and the S&P 500 indexes are hovering near the highs last seen in mid-2008 and the tech heavy Nasdaq rose to the high last seen in November 207. China based Qihoo 360 doubled on the first day of trading.

U.S. Movers: Apollo Global, Cephalon, Family Dollar, Qihoo, Visa

Mukesh Buch
30 Mar, 2011
New York City

Cephalon received proposal from Valeant Pharmaceuticals valued approximately $5.7 billion. Family Dollar second quarter net income grew 9.8% to $123.18 million. Apollo Global Management declined on the first day of trading. Qihoo 360 Technology more than doubled on its debut.

UK Retail Sales, Services Index Climbs; Tullow in $2.9 Billion Deal

Arthi Gupta
30 Mar, 2011
New York City

The UK indexes edged higher after retail sales rose in March and services index climbed in January. Tullow sold one-third interest in Uganda oil field for $2.9 billion. Dixons plunged after lowering its earnings estimate for fiscal 2011.

U.S. Private Sector Adds Jobs, Mortgage Lending Falls

Arthi Gupta
30 Mar, 2011
New York City

U.S. indexes gained after the private sector added 201,000 jobs in March and U.S. mortgage and refinancing activity fell. Canada-based Valeant proposed to acquire Cephalon for $5.7 billion. Salesforce.com agreed to buy Radian6 for $326 million.

European Indexes Rebound; Basler Up, Praktiker Down

Arthi Gupta
30 Mar, 2011
New York City

The European indexes soared after better-than-estimated global economic data. Sovereign debt worries were in focus but stocks in the region traded higher. Bilfinger Berger reported fiscal year 2010 net surged.

Euro Area Sentiment Dips; Spanish Inflation 3.6%, Retail Sales Drop 4.8%

Arthi Gupta
30 Mar, 2011
New York City

Euro-zone economic sentiment dipped in March. Dutch factory price inflation accelerated in February. The Bank of Spain forecasted 0.8% GDP growth in 2011. Spanish retail sales fell in February. Portuguese retail sales decreased and factory output rose in February.

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