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NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks, bucking a trend of late-day selloffs, ended higher on Thursday as economic bellwether FedEx offered a bullish profit outlook that augured well for broad growth.

Stocks that performed well in 2010 were among Thursday's biggest gainers as investors sought to boost returns by the year's end. Advancing stocks outnumbered decliners by more than two to one on both the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq.

Package shipper FedEx Corp (FDX.N) raised its full-year outlook, though its quarterly profit and revenue missed expectations. Shares rose 2 percent to $94.22 while larger rival United Parcel Services (UPS.N) gained 2.1 percent to $73.76 and the Dow Jones Transportation Average (.DJT) gained 1.3 percent.

"The fact that FedEx missed its earnings is overshadowed by its very strong outlook, which is a good indicator that we're looking for good economic times ahead," said Kimberly Foss, president at the Sacramento, California-based Empyrion Wealth Management, which has more than $200 million in assets under management.

Visa Inc (V.N) and MasterCard Inc (MA.N) tumbled on heavy volume after the Federal Reserve issued a proposal that would force banks and card networks to slash the fees they charge retailers on debit cards. Visa sank 13 percent to $67.19 while MasterCard slumped 10 percent to $223.49.

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) was up 41.78 points, or 0.36 percent, at 11,499.25. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) was up 7.64 points, or 0.62 percent, at 1,242.87. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) was up 20.09 points, or 0.77 percent, at 2,637.31.

Stocks gained momentum after a slow start to the day, with big gainers for the year boosting the Nasdaq.

Intuit Inc (INTU.O), known for its tax-filing software, gained 3 percent to $49.35 after rising about 60 percent for the year.

Some shares raised hopes consumers will be less frugal over the holiday shopping season. Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) rose 1.4 percent to $178.10 and its stock was up 32 percent for the year.

After the closing bell, Oracle Corp (ORCL.O) reported a surge in new software sales in its second quarter, lifting its shares 3.2 percent to $31.24.

Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O) rose 2.3 percent to $32.59 after Goldman Sachs gave the coffee chain a "conviction buy" rating with a $44 price target.

Economic data added to the positive mood. Factory activity in the U.S. mid-Atlantic region unexpectedly rose in December, while jobless claims dipped for a second week. November housing starts rose, but permits for future home construction dropped to a 1-1/2 year low.

U.S.-listed shares of Research in Motion (RIM.TO)(RIMM.O) rose 1.8 percent to $60.28 after it reported its third-quarter results after the close.

"While we expect the market to continue growing, the slower growth we expect is going to be good for those companies that execute well, but challenging for the ones that have been struggling," said Alan Gayle, senior investment strategist at RidgeWorth Investments in Richmond, Virginia.

About 7.54 billion shares were traded on the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq, well below the year's daily average of 8.62 billion.

(Reporting by Ryan Vlastelica; Editing by Kenneth Barry)

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NEW YORK (AFP) – US stocks closed higher on Tuesday, buoyed by a strong rise in November retail sales as the all-important holiday shopping season nears its peak.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 47.98 points (0.42 percent) to close at 11,476.54, reaching its highest level in 27 months.

The S&P 500 index, a broader measure of the market, was up 1.13 points (0.09 percent) to 1,241.59, while the tech-rich Nasdaq rose 2.81 points (0.11 percent) to 2,627.72.

Financial stocks were the main laggards, with shares of Citigroup declining 2.5 percent and those of JPMorgan losing 1.7 percent and Bank of America declining 1.1 percent.

The tone for trade was set early in the day, when the Commerce Department released data showing US retail sales rose more than expected in November for a fifth straight month of gains.

Retail and food services sales for November rose 0.8 percent from the prior month to 378.7 billion dollars, the department said.

The increase was much better than the 0.5 percent rise expected by economists and signaled Americans were more willing to open their wallets, fueling consumer spending that makes up two-thirds of US economic activity.

"Overall, the November retail sales report was a strong report that flew in the face of the weak wage growth reported in the November employment report," said Patrick O'Hare at Briefing.com.

The data came shortly after electric appliance retailer Best Buy posted disappointing quarterly earnings, with a five percent drop in US sales, even though it included Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving considered one of the shopping peaks of the year.

Best Buy's reported a 217 million dollar profit in the quarter ending November 27, compared with 227 million dollars in the same period last year. Its shares slumped nearly 15 percent on the news.

Later trade was choppy amid news that the Federal Reserve will maintain near-zero interest rates and its massive 600 billion dollar asset purchasing program launched last month.

The Federal Open Market Committee said the US economic recovery was chugging forward, but too slowly to reduce high unemployment rates.

"The FOMC statement made for a volatile afternoon as stocks sold off, treasuries sold off, and the dollar rallied," said analysts at briefing.com.

In other corporate news, shares of General Electric rose 0.4 percent after it forecast solid growth in 2011.

The bond market declined.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury bonds rose to 3.45 percent from 3.29 percent on Monday, while that of the 30-year bond climbed to 4.56 percent from 4.40 percent. Bond prices and yields move in opposite directions.

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NEW YORK (Reuters) – Steady economic improvement should fuel U.S. stock gains through 2011, according to a Reuters poll of investors and strategists, but international concerns could limit gains in the second half of the year.

Median forecasts from 50 respondents surveyed over the past week showed the Standard & Poor's 500 index (.SPX) rising to 1,285 by end of the first half of 2011, an improved outlook from a September survey, which had a target of 1,250.

"There are a number of powerful tailwinds supporting higher stock prices, including an accommodative Fed, a potentially more business and investor-friendly Washington, and a strong M&A cycle," said Jonathan Golub, chief U.S. equity strategist at UBS.

The S&P has surged over 20 percent from a low reached in July, lifted by expanded monetary policies from the Federal Reserve, the mid-term elections and improved economic data.

The poll was conducted before President Barack Obama approved a plan to extend tax cuts for all Americans, which boosted European and U.S. stocks while hitting benchmark Treasury bonds.

Europe's sovereign debt woes and China's attempts to curb inflation contributed to recent weakness, though clarity on a bailout for Ireland has partially eliminated that headwind.

Many analysts expect Europe's woes to hurt markets in 2011, and cite that as a reason why gains are expected to slow in the second half of the year.

Based on the S&P's Tuesday close of 1,223.75, the mid-year target represents gains of about 5 percent. Analysts expect the index to end the year at 1,325, a more moderate increase than the first half of the year.

"The issues in Europe won't just disappear overnight; they'll take a year just to stabilize and could blow up on us at any moment," said JJ Kinahan, chief derivatives officer at TD Ameritrade in Chicago, who has a year-end target of 1,275.

He added that there was a fear that interest rates could begin moving up partway into 2011.

The spread of the forecasts for mid-year 2011 was 400 points, in a range of 1,040 to 1,440. Compared to last quarter's poll estimates, which had a range of 500 points, the latest survey suggests less uncertainty.

For the Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI), the median estimate for the middle of the year is 12,050 among 23 respondents, which would translate into a gain of about 6 percent from Tuesday's close of 11,359.16. The new target is higher than the 11,620 forecast in the September survey.

The year-end target for the Dow is 12,105 in another signal that investors are feeling guarded about the second half of next year.

Andrew Wilkinson, senior market analyst at Interactive Brokers in Greenwich, Connecticut, said he expects the recovery to continue. But he added: "a lot has been baked into the market and analysts will start reining in their expectations. Growth will be modest and unemployment will remain high."

(Additional reporting by Rodrigo Campos, Edward Krudy, Charles Mikolajczak, Angela Moon, Leah Schnurr and Caroline Valetkevitch. Additional polling by the Bangalore Polling Unit; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)

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NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks closed their best week in a month on Friday, shrugging off tepid jobs growth in a sign that the rally may have further to run.

Late in the day, stocks gained after reports that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said in a CBS television interview recorded on November 30 that he does not rule out more than the announced $600 billion in Fed asset purchases. The interview with "60 Minutes" has yet to be televised.

The S&P 500 rose 3 percent this week, as investors were reassured by signs the economy is stabilizing and have taken a more optimistic view of Europe's debt crisis. This has helped push the S&P 500 close to a new two-year high. The Nasdaq rose to nearly a three-year high.

"We're within 5 to 6 points on the S&P of brand-new recovery cycle highs," said Jim Paulsen, chief investment officer at Wells Capital Management, in Minneapolis. "If it does break through, there is a lot of room to the upside."

Despite a modest day for major averages, the PHLX Semiconductor Index and the Dow Jones Transportation Average touched 52-week highs, a positive sign as both are viewed as market bellwethers.

Paulsen said the jobs number was such an outlier that it did not shake investors' new-found confidence in the economic recovery.

"The economic momentum is not doused by what we got this morning," he said. But he added, "If data reports start going weak in the next few weeks, then this jobs number is going to get a lot more attention."

Volume was at its lowest level this week, according to early data, and was well below its daily average so far this year.

But the market's breadth was overwhelmingly positive on both the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq, where about eight stocks rose for every five that fell.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 19.68 points, or 0.17 percent, to end at 11,382.09. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index added 3.18 points, or 0.26 percent, to 1,224.71. The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 12.11 points, or 0.47 percent, to close at 2,591.46.

On Friday, the Nasdaq finished at its highest level since early January 2008.

ALCOA AND BANKS RISE, VIX FALLS

Commodity-related shares benefited from a weaker dollar, which declined after the jobs report. Aluminum company Alcoa Inc gained 1 percent to $14.22.

Financials, which had their biggest day in three months on Thursday, extended gains late in Friday's session. The KBW bank index rose 0.8 percent.

Employment barely grew in November. Nonfarm payrolls rose by only 39,000, much weaker than the 140,000 new jobs that economists forecast. The U.S. unemployment rate unexpectedly jumped to a seven-month high of 9.8 percent, the Labor Department said.

But recent data, including retail sales and other labor reports, have raised optimism the recovery remains on track after hitting a soft patch in the summer when fears of a double-dip recession drove stocks sharply lower.

Investors also said the Federal Reserve would be less likely to cut stimulus to the economy while employment remained weak.

The lack of investor alarm over the jobs report was reflected in the CBOE Volatility Index, or VIX, known as Wall Street's "fear gauge," which shed 7.1 percent to 18.01

The S&P 500 faced strong technical resistance at about 1,228, near a recent high of more than two years and also the 61.8 percent Fibonacci retracement of the index's slide from October 2007 to March 2009, a key technical indicator.

Paulson said that traders wanted to stay positioned for a potential year-end rally if stocks break through resistance.

Support for the benchmark kicks in at 1,200, which was recently a stubborn resistance point, and the top end of its recent trading range, and near 1,195, its 10-day moving average.

Also helping to curb stocks' decline was the euro's gain on Friday of more than 1 percent against the U.S. dollar to $1.3422. In recent weeks, the euro's moves have been tightly coupled with U.S. and global equities.

In company news, U.S.-based mining group Walter Energy Inc agreed to buy Canada's Western Coal Corp for about $3.25 billion to create the world's leading metallurgical coal producer. Walter added 4.7 percent to $110.52.

Combined volume on the New York Stock Exchange, Amex and Nasdaq was 6.87 billion, compared with a daily average of 8.47 billion so far this year.

(Reporting by Edward Krudy; Editing by Jan Paschal)

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LONDON (AFP) – London shares rose on Thursday as the leader of Europe's largest economy sought to ease fears over the eurozone debt crisis.

The FTSE 100 index added 0.74 percent to finish at 5,698.93 points.

The index finished the day up after German Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted that stability in the 16-nation eurozone had improved despite Ireland's struggle to resolve its financial crisis.

Lloyds Banking Group (LGB) was the most traded stock, seeing 83.1 million shares switch owners, followed by Royal Bank of Scotland which saw 70.1 million units change hands.

Capital Shopping Centres Group was the top blue-chip performer, adding 43.6 pence -- or 12.9 percent -- to end at 381 pence, followed by Hammerson Plc which rose 18.4 pence -- or 4.75 percent -- to finish at 405.8 pence.

Catering firm Compass Group led the fallers, shedding 18 pence -- or 3.18 percent -- to end at 548, followed by Essar Energy which was down 4.5 pence -- or 0.89 percent -- to finish at 502 pence.

Meanwhile, the pound slipped slightly against the dollar and the euro.

At 17:03 GMT, sterling was trading at 1.5779, down from 1.5786 dollars at the same time on Wednesday, while the currency stood at 1.1790 euros, down from 1.1810 euros over the same period.

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By DAVID K. RANDALL, AP Business Writer David K. Randall, Ap Business Writer – Mon?Nov?15, 5:58?pm?ET

NEW YORK – Stocks slumped to a mixed finish Monday as the dollar posted its second day of gains over concerns that Europe is on the edge of another bailout.

Investors believe that Ireland may seek help from its fellow members in the European Union as its economy sputters. The dollar also spiked in May when Europe bailed out Greece. Ireland's finances are under strain after the government bailed out five banks after the country's real estate boom collapsed.

The rising value of the dollar, which hurts U.S. exports, resulted in stocks paring their gains late in the day. Stocks had risen for most of the day following following a spike in corporate dealmaking and news that retail sales in October jumped to the highest level in seven months.

Consumer spending rose 1.2 percent last month thanks to higher demand for automobiles, the Commerce Department reported. The gain was nearly double what analysts were expecting. Shares of Ford Motor Co. rose 4.3 percent following the announcement.

Treasury prices fell following stronger the economic data and a backlash against the Federal Reserve's recent bond-buying program intended to spur the ecnoomy. The price drop sent interest rates to their highest levels in more than three months. Bond yields and prices move in opposite directions.

Caterpillar Inc., the world's largest construction machinery maker, said it would buy mining equipment maker Bucyrus International Inc. for $7.6 billion in cash, a 32 percent premium over the company's closing price on Friday. Shares of Caterpillar rose 1 percent.

Data storage company EMC Corp. also announced that it had reached a deal to buy competitor Isilon Systems Inc. for $2.2 billion in cash. It is offering $33.85 per share, a 29 percent premium over its closing price on Friday.

The push for mergers and acquisitions is a good sign for investors, said Uri Landesman, the president of Platinum Partners, a hedge fund in New York City. "It's a statement that companies are moving out from under the bombshells of 2008 and 2009 and that they don't think there will be another disaster," he said.

Corporations are holding records amount of cash on their balance sheets. Using that cash to buy rivals or to expand into new areas could be a sign that companies are less concerned about the possibility that that economy will slide into another recession soon.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 9.39, or 0.1 percent, to close at 11,201.97. It had been up as much as 88 points earlier.

The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 1.46, or 0.1 percent, to 1,197.75, while the technology-focused Nasdaq composite index fell 4.39, or 0.2 percent, to 2,513.82.

Six out of the 10 industry groups within the S&P 500 index fell. Companies in the materials industry fell the most, down 0.9 percent. Financial companies posted the index's largest gains with a 0.4 rise. JP Morgan Chase gained 1.3 percent to become the top stock among the 30 companies that make up the Dow. Walt Disney's 1.3 fall made it the laggard.

In addition to Ireland's debt woes, investors are also worried about international pushback on the Federal Reserve's plan to buy $600 billion in Treasury bonds, which U.S. trading partners say will further weaken the dollar.

Yields for Treasury bonds rose for the third straight day, lifting interest rates to their highest level in four months. The 10 year Treasury bond's yield rose to 2.95 percent, the highest since before the Federal Reserve announced that it would spend $600 billion to buy bonds in an attempt to spur the economy.

The Fed's plan came under another round of criticism on Monday after economists, hedge fund investors and historians tied to Republicans called on the Fed to halt its effort. The group believes that the Fed's plan may result in rampant inflation and a weaker dollar.

Gaining and falling shares were even on the New York Stock Exchange, where consolidated volume came to 3.6 billion shares.

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DEALMAKING DAYS: Caterpillar Inc. and data storage company EMC Corp announced acquisitions Monday, giving investors a bullish sign that companies are no longer planning to hoard cash.

RETAIL SURPRISE: A spike in demand for automobiles helped push consumer spending dollars up to their highest levels in seven months, according to the Commerce Department.

DOLLAR GAINS STRENGTH: The dollar rose against an index of other currencies as investors flocked to safe assets. The euro fell 0.9 percent against the dollar amid continuing concerns that Europe will need to bail out Ireland.

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TOKYO – Asian stocks dropped Tuesday as markets pulled back from a rally that has driven some of the region's benchmarks to record highs.

Oil prices also fell following a string of gains but gold reached a new high above $1,400 an ounce as some investors sought a safe haven.

Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average fell 40.33 points, or 0.4 percent, to 9,692.59 with exporters pressured by the dollar resuming its fall against the yen.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.8 percent to 24,774.05 and South Korea's Kospi slipped 0.1 percent to 1,940.49. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.5 percent to 4,755.00.

China's Shanghai Composite Index declined 0.4 percent to 3,146.91. Markets in Singapore and Taiwan were also lower.

Gains in global stocks and commodities were extended last week after the U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday announced it would sink $600 billion into buying Treasurys over the next eight months to stimulate the sluggish economy by lowering long-term interest rates.

Indexes in India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia have recently hit new highs while others have touched multiyear peaks.

But the rally began to run out of steam by Friday in the U.S despite the Labor Department reported a better-than-expected increase in the number of new jobs.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 37.24, or 0.3 percent, to close at 11,406.84 on Monday. It surged 2.9 percent last week after the Fed announced its stimulus plan.

The Standard and Poor's 500 index fell 2.60, or 0.2 percent, to 1,223.25. The Nasdaq composite index continued to outperform other market measures, as it has done all year, edging up 1.07, or 0.04 percent, to 2,580.05.

In currencies, the dollar fell to 81.03 yen, from 81.20 yen in New York late Monday. The euro rose to $1.3876 from $1.3849.

Benchmark crude for December delivery was down 37 cents at $86.69 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract settled up 21 cents at $87.06 on Monday.

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TOKYO – Asian markets rallied Friday after U.S. shares closed at their highest level since just before Lehman Brothers collapsed in 2008 as the Fed's latest attempt to lower long-term interest rates sent investors flocking to stocks.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index jumped 251.52 points, or 2.7 percent, to 9,610.30 in the morning session. South Korea's Kospi added 0.5 percent to 1,952.30 and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 1.0 percent to 4,867.60.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng index climbed 1.5 percent to 24,914.60. China's Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.1 percent to 3,120.81. Shares in New Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan were all higher.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average surged 219 points, or 1.9 percent, to close at 11,434.84 on Thursday, the highest closing level since just before Lehman Brothers went under in September 2008, triggering the global financial crisis.

The Federal Reserve's decision Wednesday to spend $600 billion buying Treasury bonds over the next eight months in an attempt to spur economic growth is expected to lower long-term interest rates, making stocks a more attractive investment.

The move has also boosted the prices of commodities like oil since expectations the Fed would increase the money supply have weakened the dollar, which is the currency most commodities are traded in. A weaker dollar makes commodities more attractive to investors holding other currencies.

In currencies, the dollar inched up to 80.78 yen from 80.73 yen in New York late Thursday. The euro rose to $1.4212 from $1.4211

Benchmark crude for December delivery was up 40 cents at $86.89 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $1.80 to settle at $86.49 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

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NEW YORK – Stocks turned lower Thursday as investors have dug around a raft of income tax returns that paints a mixed picture of the economy.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell to 27 points at the end of morning market commerciaux.Le has increased steadily in the moments of the opening of exchanges for a surprise drop first unemployment benefits claims.

There is encouraging news in Eastman Kodak Co., Motorola Inc. and ExxonMobil Corp. .but reports solid results in these companies were offset by disappointments co.M 3, actions Avon Products Inc. and Colgate-Palmolive Co. Apple Inc. has also after the company warned that its profit margin could restrict the next year.

Mixed earnings in the last few days undermined energy from a recovery on the stock market, which has been on an increase of almost unbroken since early September.

Pharmaceutical companies Bayer AG, Sanofi-aventis SA and automaker Hyundai Motor Co. blow gains worldwide with optimist, sending results overseas stocks higher before the u.s. markets.

A surprise decline in unemployment insurance claims provided most encouragement .revendications economy fell to their lowest level in three months, strengthen hopes that businesses could begin to ramping up hiring bient?t.Première times claims decreased by 21,000 to is last week, then that economists expected to increase. Claims were approximately 450,000 in much of the year, which is regarded as a signal that employers do are not fired many people come but not hiring many either.

Dow Jones index fell 27.17 or 0.2 percent, to 11,099.11 in late morning trade.He was 53 points earlier in the day.

Standard & Poor 500 index fell 1.74, or 0.2 percent, to 1,180.71, while the Nasdaq composite index dropped 8.96 or 0.4%, 2,494.30.

Not even a drop of the dollar could support the market support.Stocks and commodities were very sensitive to movement of the dollar last semaines.Une the dollar makes active risky to price in the currency, such as gold, oil and domestic stocks more attractive for investors.

Back above $1.38 to the dollar, the euro has increased jeudi.Or increased 10.20 and $ 1,332.80 an ounce.

Bond price rose.Le note reference 10 years of the Treasury, which moves opposite its price, yield fell to 2.67% 2.72% late Wednesday.

? 2010 The Associated rights Press.Tous réservés.Ce hardware cannot be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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NEW YORK – Mixed earnings reports and helped dollar stock finish on where they began Tuesday.

The Dow Jones industrial average has increased by 5 points.Stocks started the lowest day after weak results of Texas Instruments Inc., US Steel Corp. and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. shares of the Dow component that DuPont has fallen after chimique.Un consumer confidence in this month stocks gain manufacturer gains helped reduce their losses and then the top edge in afternoon trade.

"Consumer confidence numbers have been encouraging," said Bernie McSherry, vice President of strategic initiatives Cuttone and co .c ' is a sign shoppers 'may be achieved in their position portfolios in the holiday season shopping.

Ford Motor Co. and Coach Inc. are among a few bright spots in the jackpot pay other reports published Tuesday.

Drugmaker Bristol - Myers Squibb has reported a better than expected profit, but revenue fell from forecasts.

US Steel surprised analysts reporting quarterly, loss while Texas Instruments chip manufacturer said that it expects that sales to moderate in the fourth quarter due to consumer demand low.

Dow Jones index increased 5.41, 0.1% to 11,169.46.

Dow Jones index was hovering near to its highest level commercial of the year in the last few days, but he was unable to maintain the momentum towards haut.Deux times in three days the Dow Jones index exchanged briefly above to its highest level of the year, only to withdraw before the end of the day of closing.

Standard & Poor 500 index is past 0.02 to 1,185.64, while the technology Nasdaq composite index rose by 6.44, 0.3%, 2,497.29.

Shopkeepers were risky assets that renforcé.Un stronger dollar dollar makes stock and products more expensive because they are valued in dollars.The dollar rose against the Japanese yen and the euro Tuesday.

Real estate prices have slipped in the month of August, renew concerns about health estate .Quinze 20 cities in the standard & Poor s/case-Shiller home price index saw price declines.

Bond prices fell légèrement.Le note reference yield 10-year Treasury, which moves opposite its price is passed to 2.62% 2.56% late Monday.

Trade volume on the floor of the exchange of New York came to 965 billion shares.

"This is a meandering market," said Kimberly Foss, President of Empyrion Wealth Management.Elle said that it was likely to remain that way until after the midterm elections and the Federal Reserve meeting next week.

New disappointing European companies such as banking giant UBS, turbine manufacturer Vestas Wind and steel maker ArcelorMittal have led to reduced inventories overseas .FTSE 100 Great Britain fell 0.8 percent, CAC - 40 the France fell to 0.5 %.L'Allemagne DAX fell by 0.4%.

Ford pink 21 cents to $average after that beat expectations and announced its intention to accelerate the repayment of the loan.

? 2010 The Associated rights Press.Tous réservés.Ce hardware cannot be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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The confidence of consumers, by any measure, taken another success this summer, as consumption Michigan reflecting increasing uncertainty of the economic sentiment index statements. But in the case where you are an optimist cockeyed, or unwilling to skepticism, a look at some of the most commonly searched economic phrases on Google and other search engines might cause you change your mind.

When you type the word "stock" on Google, you will not see the same autocompletes - feature automatically ends a sentence based on popular - research as you in January. Instead of "stock less than 1" or "inventory less than 10", now you get "stocks short" and "stocks and bonds. on Yahoo! "own stocks in a recession" is the top of the page autocomplete, according to a report of August 5 by Nicholas Colas, Chief market strategist BNY ConvergEx Group.Type "I want to sell my" outside of the predictable suggestions such as home, cars and eggs, you'll see now, ranked dog cinquième.Ce is not on the list, there are seven months said report.

With these scans nothing no. evidence "much in search engine land for better economic times changed has", concludes colas. "Anyone interested in stocks appear to be more prone to risk aversion" while "unemployment" replaced "" bankruptcy"as the most popular Google autocomplete for the word"deposit"."

RBC markets capital most recent index U.S. Consumer Outlook, published August 5, 40% of consumers said it's a bad time to invest in stocks, more than 34% by juillet.La part of 1008 respondents regarded as a good time to invest on the stock exchange was 16%, unchanged in July. The same index showed that 62% of respondents plan to spend less this year than last, or nothing at all on back to school purchases. Yet, the index bounced 63.9 in August a reading of 47.2 in July, mainly because of less negative sentiment on the security of employment and economic opportunities.

It is difficult to establish the merits of a strong correlation between consumer confidence and a sense of the stock market. The correlation between RBC consumer Outlook index and the level of the index standard & Poor 500 in a given month is quite low at 0.27, Tom Porcelli, RBC u.s. market Economist, said in an interview with Bloomberg BusinessWeek.(A correlation of 1 indicates that the two variables move in the same direction as a whole) .the correlation between the University of Michigan consumer sentiment index and the S & P 500 is even less than 0.21, he adds.

Michigan consumer sentiment index dropped considerably to 67.8 in July of 76.0 in June and should climb to 69.0 for the month of August, acoridng a preliminary report of the economic action. July reading was the lowest since November 2009 in June figure was the highest since January 2008, said economic action. While the
Michigan index is still above the 55.3 low set in November 2008 "confidence-building measures remain the territory recession despite the recovery of the economy and the recent weakness is a concern of notable," says economic action.

If anything, Porcelli was concerned the reverse relationship — the effect more low stock could have on consumer behaviour. "When people begin to get their mail 401 and they were very poor, I wonder what impact that will have on the audience of retail," said. Most investors are not track high and low stock on a daily basis, although the harsh reality tends to define once a quarter when they receive this envelope of their retirement account provider. Reaction to the performance of the second quarter is likely positive that he says.

Who submits to monthly data on consumer sentiment to investments with a grain of salt, taking into account the effect of offset between investigations evidence and consumers of 401 quarterly, said.

Low consumer confidence arises from minimal reduction of unemployment rather than the stock market, says David Lockwood, consumer insights Manager of Chicago Mintel international group.It recognizes that it is more less of a link between measures of consumer confidence and the stock market sentiment.

"State of mind of the average consumer, is that the recession is no more."This high proportion of families were without a job or someone they know someone [is unemployed] nude.what ' is what is really being felt by half top of society, not so much talk about stocks, he said."Stocks can achieve, but everyone always thinks that we are in a recession."These two things are not related.

This seems to be corroborated by 0.37% minimum passage S & P 500 lower August 6 at the Payroll report agricultural index shows that the American economy has lost 131,000 jobs in July, more than double down under.August 4, the S & P 500 finished by 0.6 per cent higher despite a smaller than expected increase in number of private July jobs.

The increase in the number of individuals seeking to sell their dogs discovered by Colas ConvergEx taunts with recent research by Mintel said Lockwood.Contraintes economic showing that care for pets has not come with the recession, forcing people to give up not only a more discretionary spending, but "even once they consider family members are now expendible".

The recent recession will be much more sustainable effects the previous few slowdowns, despite any technical expansion, we can see, prevents Lockwood .c ' is largely due to problems with the banks have not been solved. until they are ready to lend to households and small business once, any economic recovery remains slow, he said.

Outside gross domestic product U.S. 1990s growth rates were driven out by selling to the détail.Actuellement robust spending, consumers are not able to stimulate the growth of economic GDP, he said. "Companies can do really bien.Vous can have a 1.5 to 2% of GDP growth without consumer spending, but you won't be 4% on a consistent basis, "he said."

Porcelli of RBC also provides the "weak growth in the foreseeable future", but not a double dip.Productvity remained high and that contributes to delay wages, which will help to avoid a return to the recession, he said.

-David Bogoslaw

(Corrected to show that the final correlation is between index sense consumption Michigan and the S & P 500 index in the fifth paragraph).

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