Market Update

FedEx Earnings Gain on Revenue

Elena
20 Jun, 2007
New York City

U.S. stock averages turned in a lackluster performance for the third straight session, due to a lack of significant economic data. Investors were also cautious about Treasury bond yields. The 10-year note''s yield was at 5.11%, up from 5.09% late Tuesday. Some positive sentimeent was generated by falling oil prices and Home Depot''s $22.5 billion stock-repurchase program.

CarMax Jumps 11% on Profit Rise

Elena
20 Jun, 2007
New York City

CarMax surged 11% after the retailer said its Q1 net income rose 15% to 30 cents a share, up from 27 cents a share a year ago, meeting analyst estimates. CarMax reaffirmed 2008 earnings forecast of $1.03-$1.14 a share. FedEx rose 2% after the company reported a 7% quarterly profit rise.

Circuit City Swings to Loss

123jump.com Staff
20 Jun, 2007
New York City

Wall Street opened higher, lifted by falling bond yields, better-than-forecast profit at Morgan Stanley and a $22.5 billion buyback at Home Depot. Circuit City shares declined after the electronics retailer posted Q1 loss of 33 cents per share, compared with a profit of 4 cents a share last year, missing estimates of a loss of 32 cents per share. Revenue fell 4% to $2.49 billion, as more customers purchased low-margin products.

UK Higher as Miners Surge

Ivaylo
20 Jun, 2007
New York City

The UK market advanced by mid-day on upbeat mining sector as Goldman Sachs raised their price target on six biggest miners.Retailers were in demand, like J Sainsbury, after Tesco issued a negative results statement yesterday. Cadbury Schweppes led the decliners in the FTSE 100 after the company announced yesterday a dramatic reorganisation plan. By mid-day, the FTSE 100 rose 0.6% to 6,689.

Home Depot Leads U.S. Market to Higher Opening

Elena
20 Jun, 2007
New York City

U.S. stocks advanced in pre-open trading on Wednesday, boosted by higher-than-expected earnings from Morgan Stanley and lower bond yields. Morgan Stanley advanced 2.2% after posting 40% earnings increase, beating analyst estimates. Positive sentiment was also generated by a $22.5 billion share buy-back from Home Depot. The Dow component shares jumped 6.2% in the pre-open.

Japan Advances, China Falls

Ivaylo
20 Jun, 2007
New York City

Asian markers ended on a mixed note with Japan finishing higher on advances in auto and electronics stocks and Hong Kong ending up, supported by strong gains in Chinese oil producers, while the Chinese benchmark index declined on weakness in steel producers. South Korea also dipped as brokerage stocks plunged. Australia hit a record high on strong financials.

Morgan Stanley Profit Jumps 40%

Elena
20 Jun, 2007
New York City

Morgan Stanley announced that its Q2 net income rose 40% to $2.58 billion, or $2.45 a share, from $1.84 billion, or $1.75 a share a year ago. Company

Sensex Up 0.8%; SBI, Tata Motors Offer Bonds

Ivaylo
20 Jun, 2001
New York City

The market finished higher for a second straight session in firm trading. Volatility was seen only in the latter part of trading. Banks led the advance as Goldman Sachs boosted their recommendation for India''''s financial sector and successful secondary offering of shares by ICICI lifted the market. Gujarat Ambuja and the State Bank of India led the advancers, while Ranbaxy and TCS were the worst performing stocks.

Insurers, Banks Boost Europe

Ivaylo
20 Jun, 2007
New York City

European markets advanced for the first time in three days as a declining in borrowing costs in the U.S. and Europe buoyed insurers and banks. Advancers in mining and autos also offset weakness from retailers H&M and DSG International. The German DAX index rose 0.9% after striking a seven-year high of 8,104.39 early in the session. The French CAC-40 index advanced 0.5% and the U.K. FTSE 100 index climbed 0.5%.

Gold Gains, Grain Falls

Ivaylo
20 Jun, 2007
New York City

Gold futures advanced for the fourth day in a row Tuesday, edging higher on weakening U.S. Treasury yields and a softer U.S. dollar. It was a mixed day overall for commodities, with grains retreating sharply as investors took profits from last week significant advance, and crude oil declining and then rebounding on labor unrest in Nigeria and Brazil.

Housing Report Limits NY Gain; Gold, Oil Rise

123jump.com Staff
19 Jun, 2007
New York City

In New York, averages rose in cautious trading on weak housing starts. May starts fell 2.1%, hurting builder stocks, dollar and copper in commodities trading. Home Depot agreed to sell its division to private equity group for $10.3 billion and said that it plans to spend $22.5 billion to purchase its stock. Expedia rose 14%, company announced to buyback 42% of its stock. Tesco in London fell 5% on slower growth. India gained 1.5% on $8 billion of IPO. Korea and Shanghai close at record level.

Retailers, Airlines Drag Europe Down

Elena
19 Jun, 2007
New York City

European stock markets finished in the red on Tuesday, led by weakness in retail and airlines stocks. British supermarket giant Tesco fell 4.9% after it reported weaker sales. U.K. rivals J Sainsbury and William Morrison also moved to the downside, while France''s Carrefour lost 1.5%. The U.K.''s FTSE 100 fell 0.8%, the French CAC-40 declined 0.3%, and the German DAX Xetra 30 edged down 8,033.52.

Home Depot to Sell a Division for $10 B

Elena
19 Jun, 2007
New York City

U.S. stocks turned in a lackluster performance, reflecting mixed housing data showing that May home construction fell roughly in line with estimates, while building permits rose more than expected. Quarterly earnings decline posted by electronics retailer Best Buy weighed on the sentiment, raising concerns about consumer spending. In other earnings news, Carnival added 1% after the world''s largest cruise group posted a 3% profit increase in Q2.

Expedia Soars 16% on Buyback Program

Elena
19 Jun, 2007
New York City

Expedia, online travel site operator, surged 16% after the company said it will repurchase up to 42% of its common stock for $3.5 billion. The company is considering repurchase of as many as 116.7 million shares for at least $27.50. In other corporate news, Home Depot agreed to sell its supply division to three private equity firms in a deal worth approxiamtely $10 billion.

Blackstone to Price IPO

Elena
19 Jun, 2001
New York City

Wall Street opened below the flat line after data showing a smaller-than-expected drop in home construction failed to offset disappointing earnings from Best Buy, as well as concerns about rising crude oil prices. In corporate news, Blackstone Group is expected to price its long-awaited IPO on Thursday. The private equity fund plans to sell investors a 12.3% equity stake in its management business for about $4 billion, with shares expected to price between $29 to $31.