Market Update

Europe Higher on M&A, Upgrades

Ivaylo
26 Feb, 2007
New York City

European markets gained on Monday, dpowered by a combination of firm results, broker upgrades and reports of bid activity. Endemol, the maker of Big Brother and Deal Or No Deal was approached by French group LVMH. Allianz, the biggest insurer in Europe was upgraded on strong full-year results. By mid morning, Frankfurt Xetra Dax added 0.5%, the CAC 40 in Paris gained 0.9% and London FTSE 100 climbed 0.6%.

Corn Dips, Gold Gains

Ivaylo
26 Feb, 2007
New York City

Corn futures ended lower Friday on the Chicago Board of Trade, while soybean futures finished in negative territory under pressure from commodity fund selling and profit-taking. Gold and silver futures extended their recent gains as follow-through buying from funds continued. Momentum-based buying continued in copper futures helping send copper to its highest level since the first trading day of the year.

Nasdaq Down 10, Subprime Drags Lenders

123jump.com Staff
24 Feb, 2007
New York City

Concerns realted to weakness in sub-prime loans spread to financial stocks. Several leading financial stocks includning Bear Stearn and Lehman Bros fell sharply. Popular averages closed lower for the third day in a row. Housing stocks fell on the news that KB Home is under criminal investigation for stock options scandal. TXU Corp rose as much as 12% in the after-market trading on the news that KKR is to acquire the utility firm. Loews rose 4% on better than expected fourth quarter earnings.

Tech and Oil Stocks Fuel European Gains

Elena
23 Feb, 2007
New York City

European stocks ended Friday session higher, lifted by gains for oil companies and resource firms on the back of higher commodities prices. Telecom-equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent also contributed to the upward mood, helping to offset weakness from banking and travel stocks. BP rose 2.7% and Royal Dutch Shell added 1%. Mining stocks Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton advanced 1.5% and 1.3%, respectively. The U.K. FTSE 100 rose 0.3%, the German DAX 30 added 0.3% and the French CAC-40 added 0.2%.

Rising Oil Weighs

Elena
23 Feb, 2007
New York City

U.S. stocks kept trading in the negative territory, reversing a course of recent gains. Rising oil prices weighed on the sentiment, along with a court ruling that Microsoft must pay $1.5 billion to Alcatel-Lucent to settle a patent dispute. Higher oil prices hit shares of General Electric, United Technology and Caterpillar. Investors were also awaiting speeches by Federal Reserve officials later in the session.

Lowe's Tops Estimate

Elena
23 Feb, 2007
New York City

U.S. stock averages started trading slightly lower on Friday, weighed down by a notable advance in crude oil prices. Tech stocks came under pressure on news of a patent ruling against Microsoft Corp. BEA Systems was a notable decliner, falling 7% on lower-than-expected Q1 revenue forecast. Other decliners included Dell, Intel and Microsoft, each down about 1%.

London Declines on Lloyds, Rolls Royce

Ivaylo
23 Feb, 2007
New York City

Weakness in the banking sector dragged the FTSE lower on Friday as results from Lloyds TSB failed to impress investors. Lloyds fell despite posting another strong performance in 2006. Firmer metal prices sent mining companies higher, while oil shares gained due to the crude price rising above $61 a barrel. By mid-day, the FTSE 100 had recovered some of its poise and was trading 10 points lower at 6370.2.

Market to Open Lower on Rising Oil

Elena
23 Feb, 2007
New York City

U.S. stock futures declined on Friday, pressured by recovering oil prices and patent concerns dragging down software giant Microsoft. Shares of the software maker slipped 0.5% in pre-open trade following a court ruling that it owned Alcatel-Lucent $1.52 billion over a dispute on MP3 music-related patents. Lowe

Japan Rallies, HK Declines

Ivaylo
23 Feb, 2007
New York City

Asian markets mostly advanced on Friday with the benchmark Nikkei index in Japan extending gains farther above the 18000 mark Seoul and Sydney recording closing-highs. In Japan, shares ended higher on buying due to the increase in commodity prices, while in Hong Kong profit-taking sent stocks lower. In South Korea the stock market continued its winning streak to close at a new high while in Australia takeover speculation sent the market to another record high.

Microsoft Owes $1.52 B to Alcatel-Lucent

Elena
23 Feb, 2007
New York City

According to a court ruling, software company Microsoft Corp. is obliged to pay $1.52 billion in damages to telecommunications equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent SA for violating two patents which govern the conversion of audio into the digital MP3 file format on personal computers.

Sensex Plummets 2.8% on Budget Worries

Ivaylo
23 Feb, 2001
New York City

Sensex opened with a positive bias above the psychologically important 14,000 level, but plummeted on selling in large-caps. Traders were unwinding long positions, wary ahead of the Union Budget. Bank, cement and pharma stocks were the worst hit with Grasim leading the decliners. Only Tata Steel advanced from the stocks in the Sensex. Wholesale inflation fell to 6.6%. Mukesh Ambani may be forced to inject $2.2 billion in Reliance Industries.

Europe Flat on Bank Weakness

Ivaylo
23 Feb, 2007
New York City

European equity markets turned flat by mid morning on Friday, as support from resource stocks was undermined by profit taking in the financial sectors. The technology sector was led higher by Alcatel-Lucent, which won a suit against Microsoft. Deutsche B

Corn Rallies, Gold Declines

Ivaylo
23 Feb, 2007
New York City

Corn futures hogged the limelight as they climbed to 10-year highs Thursday on the Chicago Board of Trade as a combination of fund and technical buying pushed prices higher. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, high-grade copper futures rallied to their strongest levels since the first week of the year. Gold and silver ended lower after their rally on Wednesday. Palladium peaked but then but could not sustain the level.

Dow Falls 52, Nasdaq Adds 6

123jump.com Staff
22 Feb, 2007
New York City

U.S stocks closed Thursday session mixed, reflecting tempered tech stocks rally and negative sentiment generated by Iran

Analog Devices Gains on Earnings

123jump.com Staff
22 Feb, 2007
New York City

U.S. stocks moved lower, as news that Iran had failed to meet a deadline to stop nuclear enrichment helped push oil prices close to $61 a barrel and offset upbeat merger news and a tech stocks rally. Analog Devices spearheaded the tech advance, trading higher 10% on Q1 earnings rise and upbeat outlook. The Dow Jones Industrial Average moved down 55 points, led by Caterpillar and General Motors.