That stock News

By DAVID K. RANDALL and MATTHEW CRAFT, AP Business Writers David K. Randall And Matthew Craft, Ap Business Writers – Fri?Dec?17, 6:01?pm?ET

NEW YORK – Stocks ended flat on Friday as investors shrugged off encouraging economic signs and a tax-cut package expected to lift economic growth. Trading ended shortly before President Barack Obama signed a tax bill into law.

The $850 billion package extends Bush-era tax cuts for another two years and expiring unemployment benefits through next year. House Democrats had pledged to block the tax proposal, a compromise worked out between Obama and Senate Republicans. But the House passed the bill late Thursday night. Critics said the cost didn't justify the expected boost to economic growth.

In a hopeful sign for the economy, the Conference Board said its index of leading economic indicators rose 1.1 percent in November, the fastest pace since March. The index — which tracks data such as orders for new goods and materials — rose 0.4 percent in October.

Stocks wavered in a tight range Friday, a day after major indexes hit two-year highs. The Dow Jones industrial average edged lower on Friday, but added 82 points over the week. The index of 30 large company shares has now gained 400 points, or 3.6 percent, over the last three weeks.

The Dow Jones fell 7.34 points, or 0.06 percent, to close at 11,491.91.

The broader S&P 500 eked out another 2010 high. The index rose 1.04, or 0.08 percent, to close at 1,243.91. The Nasdaq composite rose 5.66, or 0.2 percent, to 2,642.97.

Rising shares barely outpaced falling ones on the New York Stock Exchange. Consolidated volume was 5.4 billion shares.

The Dow gained 0.7 percent for the week. The S&P 500 rose 0.3 percent and the Nasdaq rose 0.2 percent.

Bond yields fell at the end of this year's last full week of trading. The yield on the 10-year Treasury dropped to 3.33, after notching a seven-month high of 3.56 percent on Thursday. The 10-year yield is widely used by lenders to set borrowing rates for mortgages, corporate debt and other loans.

Boeing Co. rose 1 percent to $65.03 to lead the 30 stocks that make up the Dow. American Express Co. was the index's laggard. It fell 1.3 percent to $44.01.

Canadian bank BMO Financial Group said it will buy Wisconsin-based Marshall & Ilsley Corp. for $4.1 billion in stock. BMO, which operates the Bank of Montreal, said it will repay the preferred shares that Marshall & Ilsley issued as part of the Troubled Asset Relief Program before the deal closes in July. Shares of Marshall & Ilsley bounced 18.3 percent to $6.85.

Oracle Corp.'s stock jumped 3.9 percent to $31.46. After the market closed Thursday, the software giant reported a 28 percent rise in net income last quarter.

Research in Motion Ltd., maker of the BlackBerry, also said late Thursday that its third quarter earnings beat analyst expectations. The company's stock rose 1.6 percent to $60.20.

The dollar rose 0.3 percent against an index of six countries' currencies.

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By MATTHEW CRAFT and DAVID K. RANDALL, AP Business Writers Matthew Craft And David K. Randall, Ap Business Writers – Fri?Dec?10, 5:38?pm?ET

NEW YORK – An encouraging trade report and signs that a tax cut package would pass the Senate sent stocks to their highest levels in two years Friday. Bond prices fell for another day as investors expected the tax deal to lead to economic growth and higher budget deficits.

The Commerce Department reported that the U.S. trade deficit fell to its lowest level in nine months in October. Growing demand for American goods overseas pushed exports to their highest level in more than two years.

Separately, the Treasury Department said the federal government's budget shortfall hit $150.4 billion in November. Treasury prices dropped after the report was released, pushing their yields higher. The yield for the 10-year note rose to 3.33 percent, up from 3.21 percent late Thursday.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 7.40, or 0.6 percent, to 1,240.40. It was the third straight day that the S&P index closed at a new high for the year. The index has gained 11.2 percent this year and is now trading at the same price it did the week before Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy in September 2008.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 40.26, or 0.4 percent, to 11,410.32. General Electric Co. led the 30 stocks that make up the index with a 3.4 percent jump to $17.72. GE said it planned to raise its dividend by 17 percent.

The Nasdaq composite index rose 20.87, or 0.8 percent, to 2,637.54.

The Dow was the weakest of the three main stock average for the week, gaining just 0.3 percent. The S&P 500 added 1.3 percent and the Nasdaq rose 1.8 percent.

Investors were encouraged to see that prospects were improving that the Senate would approve legislation aimed at avoiding sweeping tax increases Jan. 1. Negotiators added a few sweeteners to promote ethanol and other forms of alternative energy. A test vote was set for Monday.

House Democrats have balked at the proposal to extend tax cuts, voting in a closed-door meeting Thursday not to allow the package to reach the floor for a vote without changes to scale back tax cuts for the rich.

Tom di Galoma, head of fixed income trading at Guggenheim Partners in New York, said traders see passage of the deal as nearly inevitable. "To stimulate the economy, it really has to be done," he said. "The last thing you want to do is raise taxes in the middle of a recession."

On the off chance it failed, di Galoma said, stocks would probably lose the gains made over the past two weeks. Treasurys would jump, causing their yields to plummet.

Movie rental company Netflix Inc. rose 1.9 percent to $194.63 after Standard and Poor's added it to the S&P 500 index. The company has gained 250 percent this year.

Cablevision Systems Co., F5 Networks Inc. and Newfield Exploration Co. were added to the S&P 500 as well. The index dropped The New York Times Co., Eastman Kodak Co. and Office Depot Inc.

Two stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange. Consolidated volume was 4.6 billion shares.

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Gregory Bull / AP

Satila Higgins, of Evansville, Ind., speaks with a prospective employer career fair in San Diego.

By Allison Linn, business writer

Looking for a job in a robust economy can feel like riding roller coasters - one day things seem to be tumbling, next day things seem to recover.

Species: despite the bad news showing the unemployment rate increased in November, last week a separate report for Tuesday offered more hope.

It showed the number of employment opportunities increased again in October - level higher than two years - while the number of separations has decreased.

And again in October, most people leave their jobs that have been dismissed.

The number of people hired in October, at nearly $ 4.2 million was approximately the same as the previous month and a bit of a year earlier, according to the survey of labour turnover and job offers.

Were approximately $ 3.4 million job openings in October, up to approximately 3 million in September and about 2.5 million in October of 2009, according to the report. Although the Government is the highest level since August 2008, it is still about 1 million job openings less when the recession began in December 2007.

About 4 million people left a job in October, down slightly from last month and a year earlier. However, a little more these people smoking that have been developed by foot or rejected. It is a sign that perhaps people are feeling more at ease leaving a job for a world better.

Despite this new anyone who seeks knows that the labour market remains extremely difficult. The unemployment rate rose 9.8% in November, with more than 15 million people were labour Declaration and looking for a job.

See also:

Most people leave that have been made redundant

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By DAVID K. RANDALL, AP Business Writer David K. Randall, Ap Business Writer – 15?mins?ago

NEW YORK – A report that small businesses are hiring more workers than economists expected sent stocks sharply higher Wednesday.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 200 points in early trading. All 30 stocks in the index rose. 3M Co. and United Technologies Corp. each rose more than 3 percent.

ADP Employer Services said employment at private companies jumped by 93,000 in November as small businesses added the largest amount of workers in three years. Economists had expected private companies to add 70,000 jobs. Private sector employment grew by 83,000 in October, ADP said.

"The U.S. economy is all about jobs and anything that leads folks to believe that there's a better job market will be good for equities," said Paul Zemsky, the head of asset allocation at ING Investment Management.

Stock rose overseas before the U.S. market opened. Investors were cheered by a reports that indicated the Chinese economy is growing. A Chinese state index of manufacturing activity rose to 55.2 in November from 54.7 in October. Any number above 50 indicates economic expansion. Monthly readings have stayed above that number for 21 straight months. A competing Chinese survey by HSBC rose to an eight-month high.

Fears that the European financial crisis would spread eased after European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet suggested that the bank could buy bonds issued by struggling countries within the European Union. That, along with a better-than-expected bond auction by Portugal, helped send the euro and European stock indexes sharply higher. Investors worry that the country could be the next member of the European Union to need help from its neighbors.

The euro rose 0.9 percent after the auction. The Euro Stoxx 50 index, which tracks blue chip companies in countries that use the euro, rose 1.6 percent.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 1.1 percent. China's benchmark Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.1 percent. Stocks have fallen in Asia since early November after China raised a key interest rate to combat inflation.

Several economic reports being released Wednesday may give a better indication of where the U.S. economy is headed.

Before the U.S. market opened, the Labor Department reported that productivity grew at an annual rate of 2.3 percent during the third quarter, better than the initial estimate a month ago.

November figures for auto sales and manufacturing activity will also come out by the end of the day. The Federal Reserve will also put out its report on regional economic activity.

The Dow Jones industiral average rose 200.01, or 1.8 percent, to 11,206.13 in early trading. The S&P 500 rose 19.97, or 1.7 percent, to 1,200.52. The Nasdaq composite rose 46.18, or 1.9 percent, to 2,544.29.

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News Corporation UK arm said 105 000 customers paid for a monthly subscription to access the contents of the Times or the Sunday Times online.

There is also another print 100,000 subscribers in The Times who have activated their free digital account.

The figures give an indication of how many people start is willing to pay to read General news content online and will be closely examined by groups rival newspaper.

News International is the first group of UK newspaper generalist charging for online content.

Rebekah Brooks, Executive Director of News International, that it is an encouraging start while James Harding, editor of The Times, said the program today that it was the first time in more than 200 years that a document has reached to get anyone to pay for a print size.

International press did not reveal how many of the 105,000 had paid for the application of more expensive iPad or to read the documents on the Amazon Kindle.

Approximately half of subscribers pay monthly ￡-8 for the Web site or ￡ 9.99 for the application of iPad - and the rest are ￡ 1 to access a day from and ￡ 2 for a week.

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