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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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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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