Market Update

Sensex Rallies 1.2%, Bajaj Auto Plummets

Ivaylo
17 May, 2007
New York City

The market was firm throughout Thursday on a strong performance mainly from banking stocks and a rally in Reliance Industries. Bajaj Auto was in focus today as lack of clarity on the demerger issue pushed the share sharply lower at close. SBI and Reliance Industries led the advancers today, while Bajaj Auto was the worst performing stock. The government said licenses of cable operators will be cancelled if they overcharge.

Europe Boosted by Insurers

Ivaylo
17 May, 2007
New York City

European markets advanced in early trading on Thursday, with U.K. insurer Prudential leading gainers on talk that it may be bought out and by conglomerates including Siemens and Philips Electronics. Volumes were low in Europe with many traders on vacation for the Ascension Day holiday. The U.K. FTSE 100 gain 0.3%, the German DAX 30 advanced 0.5% and the French CAC 40 improved 0.4%.

Gold Plummets, Soybean Rallies

Ivaylo
17 May, 2007
New York City

Gold and silver futures plunged Wednesday, pulled down by the firmer U.S. dollar and technical selling. The most-active July copper contract dipped also injured by the the stronger dollar, news about a decline in building permits and chart-based factors. On the Chicago Board of Trade, soybean futures closed sharply higher after climbing to 6-week highs on aggressive fund buying interest.

Markets in Americas Rise, Oil and Gold Drop

123jump.com Staff
16 May, 2007
New York City

U.S. stocks advanced after billionaire investors Buffett, Lampert and Carl Icahn increased their holdings of drug companies, banks and railroads. Bausch & Lomb jumped 9% after it agreed to be acquired by Warburg Pincus for $65 per share. Agile Software rose 13% on agreement to be bought by Oracle for $495 million. Applied Materials slid 3.4% after forecasting flat sales in third quarter. Brazilian currency rose on debt rating upgrade. HP reported earnings fall of 7% on revenue gain of 13%.

Copa Up on Earnings, Quanex Rise on Spin-off

123jump.com Staff
16 May, 2007
New York City

U.S. stocks advanced mainly on a mixed reading on the housing sector that had briefly helped send stocks lower. Citigroug rose 4% after billionaire hedge fund manager Ed Lampert said he acquired more than 15 million shares of the financial services conglomerate. Dell Inc. rose 4.2%.

Weak Airlines Weigh on Europe

Elena
16 May, 2007
New York City

European stock markets closed in the negative territory on Wednesday, pressured by weakness among airlines stocks as well as mixed earnings from Credit Agricole and Vivendi. Air France-KLM dropped 2.1% after UBS downgraded the company to neutral from buy. Shares in the French Credit Agricole slipped 4.1%, while Vivendi shares rose 1.1%. The U.K. FTSE 100 edged down 0.1%, the French CAC-40 declined 0.2%, and the German DAX Xetra 30 lost 0.3%.

Agile Jumps 13% on Buyout Offer from Oracle

Elena
16 May, 2007
New York City

In late morning trading, U.S. stocks reversed from earlier gains made on the back of better-than-expected economic data. The Commerce Department said that construction of homes and apartments rose 2.5% in April, while a Fed report showed that industrial output rebounded by 0.7% in April. While the Dow and the Nasdaq traded below the flat line, the S&P 500 managed to remain in positive territory on strong gains by Compuware and Bausch & Lomb, rising 12.2% and 8%, respectively.

Jack in the Box Profit Jumps 25%

Elena
16 May, 2007
New York City

Compuware surged 14.5% after it reported 20% earnings increase in Q4. Jack in The Box was another earnings-related gainer, rising 3.6% after posting better-than-expected profit rise of 25% as revenue grew 6.8% to $660.7 million. Deere & Co. declined 1.8% on the back of 16% drop in Q2 earnings. Arcelor Mittal fell 1.2% after it reported 40% increase in Q1 profit on 17% higher sales. The company also projected higher Q2 earnings, driven by higher prices.

Applied Materials Declines on Outlook

Elena
16 May, 2007
New York City

U.S. stocks advanced at opening on Wednesday, reflecting mixed housing data, speculation about Citigroup and a cautious outlook at chip-equipment maker Applied Materials. Dow component Citigroup jumped 3% after hedge-fund manager disclosed he bought more than 15 million shares in the bank. Tech stocks were pressured by Applied Materials which fell 4.6% after forecasting flat Q3 sales and up to a 15% drop in orders. Rival chip equipment makers KLA-Tencor fell 2.1% and Lam Research slipped 2.7%.

Citigroup Leads Stock Futures Slightly Up

Elena
16 May, 2007
New York City

U.S. stock futures moved slightly higher on Wednesday. Pre-market sentiment was supported by Citigroup which rose 1.7% after a hedge-fund manager bought the stock, but a cautious outlook at chip-equipment maker Applied Materials weighed, sending the stock down 4.2%. The Commerce Department posted mixed housing data, as U.S. home builders pulled back on filing for permits to build homes in April, but housing starts advanced.

Japan Ends Higher Despite Builders

Ivaylo
16 May, 2007
New York City

Asian markets finished higher on Wednesday with Japanese shares advancing despite drops from its building sector, while gains in large-cap stocks pushed Hong Kong slightly higher. Financial companies and makers of alcoholic beverages aidded Chinese recovery from losses yesterday. Australia, South Korea and Singapore also finished in positive territory.

Bausch & Lomb to Be Acquired for $4.5 B

Elena
16 May, 2007
New York City

The eye-care company announced on Wednesday that it agreed to be acquired by affiliates of private equity firm Warburg Pincus in a deal worth $4.5 billion. The acquisition deal includes about $830 million in debt. Under the terms of agreement, affiliates of Warburg Pincus will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Bausch & Lomb common stock for $65 a share in cash. The stock jumped 9.5% in pre-market trading.

FTSE down on Retail Stocks

Ivaylo
16 May, 2007
New York City

A weak real estate sector and poorly received update from fashion retailer Next has offset gains from miners and strong figures from Compass on Wednesday, sending the benchmark index a slightly lower. The FTSE recovered from earlier losses by mid-day after the the Bank of England indicated that inflation would decline later in the year. The FTSE 100 fell 5 points, 0.1%, to 6,564.4.

Sensex up 1.5%, Vijay Mallya Buys W&M

Ivaylo
16 May, 2007
New York City

The benchmark index traded firm throughout the day on strong performances from banking, telecom, media and property stocks. Trading intensified toward the end of the session when a rally in Reliance Industries boosted the market. SBI, Bajaj Auto, Tata Motors all advanced sharply. Hero Honda, Infosys and TCS led the decliners. Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya has bought the Scottish whisky distiller Whyte & Mackay.

Banks Drag Europe Lower

Ivaylo
16 May, 2007
New York City

Losses for banking stocks sent European stock markets lower on Wednesday, paring gains for oil stocks and carmakers. Banks dipped, led by Credit Agricole after the French lender reported first-quarter net profit that failed to meet market forecasts. In mid morning trade, Frankfurt Xetra Dax lost 0.2%, the CAC 40 in Paris shed 0.2% and London FTSE 100 was flat.