Saturday, January 30, 2010

Bailout Recpients Fly Under The Radar While We Remain Exposed

Stock Assault 2.0 - Artificial Intelligence Stock Market Software

In the past quarter Verizon eliminated 7,413 jobs to net 222,927.

The SEC now allows money market funds to suspend redemptions, freezing your assets. That rule is designed to push inventors out of money market funds and into US Treasuries and Agency bonds. Anyone whoever had any doubts about the worth of government securities has to now be convenienced that their money should be in gold and silver assets. This is the only way to preserve wealth.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc., one of the biggest recipients of funds from the U.S. bailout of American International Group Inc., was seen by the public as favored by regulators, according to an internal Federal Reserve Bank of New York e-mail.

The public perception was a reason to reject a December 2008 media request for the names of securities purchased from banks during AIG’s rescue, according to the e-mail released yesterday. If the names of the assets were released, the banks, including Goldman Sachs, would be identified as beneficiaries, New York Fed employee Danielle Vicente wrote in the Dec. 4, 2008, e-mail to Fed counsel James Hennessy.

Public pension funds needing to boost their returns but frustrated with hedge funds and private-equity investments are turning to one of the oldest investment strategiesâ€"using borrowed money to boost performance.

The strategy calls for leveraging pension funds' safest assetâ€"government or other high-grade bondsâ€" while reducing exposure to stocks.

The State of Wisconsin Investment Board, which manages $78 billion, became among the first to adopt the strategy when it approved the plan Tuesday. The fund will borrow an amount equivalent to 4% of assets this year, and as much as 20% of its assets over the next three years.

*****

California Teachers Pension Fund $42.6 Billion Short

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a0jlaf2T3tW0

*****

The world and particularly the US, received some bad news last week. The new purported engine of recovery, China, is trying desperately to take the intense heat out of its economy, after pouring $1.8 trillion into it over the span of just nine months. In today’s world no economy can bail out the world, as the US was once able to do.

The world occasionally can produce some surprising events and one such event was the election of Scott Brown to the Senate. A Republican winning in a Democratic state where that seat had been held by the Kennedy’s since 1953. That deprived the Democrats and those who control them a staggering blow. The Democrats now h ave a majority of 59 votes, which means without the help of Republicans they and the President are lame ducks on almost all issues.

The President had held off his “State of the Union” address hoping his showpiece legislation, medical reform, would have been passed. That was not to be, so finally January 27th was chosen in desperation. It just happened to be the same day Secretary of the Treasury faces Congress due to his and the Federal Reserve’s criminal activity. The President’s speech will now be used as a cover for Little Timmy to hide under. Healthcare is dead and it will be very interesting to see if Mr. Geithner will be criminally charged. Historically, members of the Illuminati never go to jail. They are fined and proceed on their merry way to commit further crimes. At the same time Fed Chairman Bernanke is facing re-appointment. He probably will be re-appointed, but only with the assistance of millions of dollars handed out by the Republi can National Committee. It is called purchasing the vote.

At the same time from out of the shadows steps Paul Volcker, who advocates the end of propriety trading by brokerage houses, so that they no longer steal from their customers by front-running them. Nothing as yet has been said about “flash trading,” which is front-running as well, and naked shorting, both of which are illegal, but strangely the SEC refuses to stop. Could it be that the SEC is really working for the large banks, insurance companies and brokerage firms? Even Rep. Barney Frank, who had to speed off to Davos to the Bilderberg, World Economic Forum, is in on the act advocating Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac be abolished and be replaced with a new mortgage system? He has in the planning another taxpayer disaster. Such is life in America today.

The mainline media in America refuses to discuss real inflation numbers, U-6 and the employment birth/death ratio and the spre ading sovereign debt crisis. They feel free to talk about Greece, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Italy and England, but not the United States. No one in America believes unemployment is 10%, just as no one in the UK believes their unemployment is 7.9%. These bogus statistics as wages fall and inflation rises far beyond the official rate. Both the UK and the US will eventually face a sovereign debt crisis. If you can believe it Mr. Melvyn King, governor of the BofE wants to merge G-20 into the IMF to bring monetary reform. The leadership behind the scenes want a one-world currency, but later rather than sooner. In the US they want to squeeze the last bit of profit out of the dollar, as long as it is the world reserve currency.


Last February the Federal Reserve told us that they had swapped currencies with five major nations. We now find out the real figure was $2 trillion. The Fed used the foreign exchange to manipulate the dollar upw ard and the dollars were used to buy US Treasuries. Those swaps are now going to have to be unwound, the dollar will fall and the Treasuries will engulf the Treasury market. This is a giant event if the currencies are unwound.

The Chicago Fed December National Activity index was minus 0.61, down from November’s minus 0.32. The three-month average moved up a second month to minus 0.61 from minus 0.68. Employment was the biggest downsize contributor at minus .27, down from minus 0.11. Payrolls increased by 4,000 to 85,000. Only 36 indicators of 85 were positive.

The 7-year T-note auction had a bid-to-cover of 2.85 versus an average of 2.62 in the last ten auctions.

Foreclosures are again rising as unemployment and depression takes it toll. The hot areas were Las Vegas 12%, Cape Coral-Ft. Meyers. Fl 11.9% and Merced, CA at 10%.

In this weeks congressional hearings Mr. Henry Paulson was terrified, as he was in his last appearance, and he stammered through looking terribly unprofessional and unknowledgeable. On the other hand, Mr. Geitner looked like an arrogant lying sociopath, which he is.

The Fed returned $46 billion to the Treasury last year. The Fed owes $1.8 trillion in government debt and mortgage related securities, up from $497 billion a year earlier. Their expenses were $6 billion. Only a full audit will tell us what has been really going on.

The latest from the SEC that money market funds can suspend payouts has been put into place to keep these funds from selling Treasuries. Many of these funds are still deep into Agencies and toxic garbage, so they as well do not want this garbage marked to the market.

Home Depot Inc., the world’s largest home improvement retailer, will cut 1,000 US jobs as it shrinks its pool of human re sources and construction workers and closes three test stores.

Home Depot will start cutting most of the jobs by the end of the week, Ron Defeo, a spokesman, said yesterday. The positions being eliminated are also in finance and real estate. The company will also add 200 jobs, resulting in a net loss of 800 positions, he said.

Chairman and chief executive Frank Blake announced the reductions in a memo to employees, saying it “makes business sense to consolidate some functions’’ as store construction slows. Defeo provided a copy of the memo.

The job cuts include 150 at its Atlanta headquarters, Defeo said. Stores in Wilson, N.C.; Waveland, Miss.; and Austell, Ga., with 100 employees will close in six to eight weeks, after merchandise is sold, he said.

Verizon Communications Inc., coping with subscriber losses at its fixed-line phone business, plans to cut about 13,000 jobs at the division this year after posting fourth-quarter revenue that missed analysts’ estimates.

Massachusetts regulators have charged Securities America, a broker owned by Ameriprise Financial Inc., with selling $697 million in investments without fully warning investors about the risks involved.

The promissory notes were issued by companies owned by Medical Capital Holdings Inc., which ended up defaulting on $1 billion in obligations in August 2008. Medical Capital is under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission for fraud.

Secretary of State William F. Galvin yesterday charged Securities America because he said it placed more than one-third of Medical Capital’s $1.7 billion in notes. That includes $7.2 million in notes sold to 60 Massachusetts investors. Galvin s aid Medical Capital paid Securities America $26 million in compensation and funded trips for Securities America executives, including vacations at Las Vegas resorts and golfing outings to Pebble Beach in California.

“People invested their life savings, while this dealer hid from them the truth of what they were getting into,’’ Galvin said in a statement. He wants Securities America to reimburse Massachusetts investors for their Medical Capital holdings.

Oregon’s voters approved a $727 million tax increase on businesses and high-income earners, forestalling deeper budget cuts in a shift for a state with a history of defeating levies at the polls.

Oregonians voted to keep taxes enacted by Democratic Governor Ted Kulongoski in July, according to a count of ballots cast by more than half of the state’s registered voters. Measure 66, which raises taxes on households earning $250,000 or more, passed by 54 percent. Measure 67, which increases corporate levies, garnered favor of 53 percent.

Legislators enacted the tax boost last year to help close a $4 billion hole that the U.S. recession opened in the state’s budget. The levies spurred a challenge from foes who gathered enough signatures to force the referendum. By targeting businesses and the wealthy, proponents parried resistance from voters who twice defeated tax increases in the wake of the 2001 recession.

“It’s a go-after-the-rich strategy,” said John Matsusaka, president of the Initiative and Referendum Institute at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. “It shows that some voters have switched their minds and they’re more likely to go after the rich.”

U.S. securities regulators are abandoning a plan to ban money-market mutual funds from buying anything other than the most highly rated debt after companies said the requirement would hurt the commercial-paper market, three people familiar with the matter said.

The Securities and Exchange Commission will vote today to cut the so-called tier two securities money funds can buy, instead of barring purchases as proposed in June, said the people, who declined to be identified because the agency’s plans aren’t public. Current SEC rules allow funds to in vest up to 5 percent of their assets in debt that carries the second-highest rating from Moody’s Investors Service or Standard & Poor’s.

The SEC recommended new rules six months ago to increase the liquidity and stability of money-market funds after the collapse of the $62.5 billion Reserve Primary Fund in 2008 raised concerns about whether the industry could meet investor redemptions during financial panics. The agency changed its proposal after the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Time Warner Inc. and Comcast Corp. said in comment letters that the ban on lower- rated assets would make it harder for companies to fund payrolls and other short-term expenses through sales of commercial paper.

Traders are buying protection against defaults on sovereign debt at more than five times the rate of company bonds as governments fund ballooning deficits.

The net amount of credit-default swaps outstanding on 54 governments from Japan to Italy jumped 14.2 percent since Oct. 9, compared with 2.6 percent for all other contracts, according to Depository Trust & Clearing Corp. data. European countries led the jump, with the amount of protection on Portugal climbing 23 percent, Spain 16 percent and Greece 5 percent.

Rising use of derivatives to insure against defaults or speculate on government bond prices is spilling over into the corporate debt market, stemming a rally that drove yields to the lowest relative to sovereign benchmarks since December 2007, according to BNP Paribas SA. The global financial system remains “fragile,” with sovereign debt posing a risk to markets, the Washington-based International Monetary Fund said yesterday in its Global Financial Stability Report.

The perception of rising risk “can puncture a country’s ability to access the capital markets,” said Scott MacDonald, head of credit and economics research at Stamford, Connecticut- based Aladdin Capital Management LLC, which oversees $11.9 billion. “Maybe it’s not an end-all be-all indicator. But when these countries get into a position where they need to raise capital, it becomes a confidence game,” he said.

Elsewhere in credit markets, the extra yield investors demand to own corporate bonds instead of Treasuries held at 164 basis points, or 1.64 percentage points, yesterday, Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Glo bal Broad Market Corporate Index showed. The spread has widened from this year’s low of 160 basis points on Jan. 14.

Airline passenger traffic fell the most ever last year and a recovery in demand in recent months has yet to translate into higher fares, the International Air Transport Association said.

Traffic, a measure of passengers flown multiplied by distance travelled, dropped 3.5 percent, with declines exceeding 5 percent in Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region, IATA, which represents 230 carriers, said in a statement today.

“The industry starts 2010 with some enormous challenges,” Giovanni Bisignani, the organization’s chief executive officer, said in a statement. “Revenue improvements will be at a much slower pace than the demand growth that we are starting to see. Profitability will be even slower to recover.”

While yields, or revenues per passenger, have begun to improve after airlines slashed capacity, they’re still 5 to 10 percent below 2008 levels, IATA said. That suggests airlines are struggling to raise fares even as demand begins to pick up.

The recession and credit crisis have cost carriers 2 ½ years of growth in passenger markets and 3 ½ years in the airfreight industry, so that 2010 will be “another spartan year” of cost controls and capacity caps, Bisignani said.

Global losses will amount to $5.6 billion this year, IATA reiterated, after a deficit of about $11 billion in 2009.

While the indu stry’s worst loss to date was almost $13 billion in 2001 following the Sept. 11 terror attacks, an $80 billion revenue decline last year was “vastly bigger” than anything previously experienced, IATA Chief Economist Brian Pearce said in a telephone interview. Net losses were limited only by a decline in oil prices, he said.

[This is a direct result of the insanity of the TSA and its counterparts worldwide. People do not believe the terrorism threat and more and more are simply refusing to fly at all. This will get much worse. As a result tickets that used to cost $350 now cost $850, which in and of itself is financially daunting.]

 

 



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Friday, January 29, 2010

Indications: Futures extend rise after strong GDP data

Stock Assault 2.0 - Artificial Intelligence Stock Market Software Alert Email Print

By Simon Kennedy & Kate Gibson, MarketWatch

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stock market futures added to earlier gains on Friday after the government said the economy grew at its fastest pace in six years in the fourth quarter.

The Commerce Department reported gross domestic product climbed 5.7% in the final three months of 2009, even as consumer spending and business investment remained tepid. Read about inventory slowdown.

"Even if the inventory build is taken away the growth figures are impressive at 2.0% and the IT spend is encouraging," said Stephen Pope, chief global equity strategist at Cantor Fitzgerald in London.

Up about 50 points ahead of the report, futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were lately up 68 points at 10,130, ahead of the last trading session of the month.

S&P 500 futures rose 8.8 points to 1,088 and Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 17.25 points to 1,787.75

A reading of consumer sentiment will come after the market opens.

TODAY'S INTERNATIONAL MARKET STORIES

Global Dow

• MarketWatch Topics: Greece • Asia Markets | Europe Markets | LatAm Markets • Canadian Markets | Israel Stocks | London • U.S.: Market Snapshot | After Hours

Tools• Latin American/Canadian indexes • European indexes | Asian indexes

More on the Markets • Bond Report | Oil News | Earnings Watch • Currencies | U.S. Economic Calendar

/conga/story/misc/international.html 53366

Friday's data will likely be closely watched after disappointing updates on both jobless claims and durable goods orders in the previous session.

Also as markets were closing Thursday the Senate voted to confirm Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to a second four-year term. The vote on final confirmation was 70 to 30.

The dollar climbed against the yen, up 0.9% to 90.64 yen.

Oil futures edged higher, with the March-dated light crude contract adding $1.04 at $74.68 a barrel in electronic trading.

Among the companies in focus, Microsoft Corp. /quotes/comstock/15*!msft/quotes/nls/msft (MSFT 28.54, -0.62, -2.13%) late Thursday posted a 60% rise in fiscal second-quarter profit to $6.66 billion, or 74 cents a share as the software giant benefited from improving personal computer sales and recent release of its flagship Windows 7 operating system. See story on Microsoft's forecast-beating numbers.

Microsoft rose 2.9% in pre-market trading.

Amazon.com /quotes/comstock/15*!amzn/quotes/nls/amzn (AMZN 128.70, +2.67, +2.12%) added 3% in pre-market action after reporting a 71% profit surge.

Among companies reporting results Friday, Mattel Inc. /quotes/comstock/15*!mat/quotes/nls/mat (MAT 19.96, -0.08, -0.40%) topped expectations with an 86% rise in net profit to $328 million, or 89 cents a share, while Honeywell International /quotes/comstock/13*!hon/quotes/nls/hon (HON 38.93, -0.89, -2.24%) said its fourth-quarter earnings slipped to 91 cents a share from 97 cents a share.

Chevron Corp. /quotes/comstock/13*!cvx/quotes/nls/cvx (CVX 73.02, -0.22, -0.30%) , reported earnings of $1.53 a share, falling under expectations.

European markets climbed Friday, helped by well-received updates from BMW and Infineon.

Most Asian markets declined as the overnight fall on Wall Street triggered a renewed bout of risk aversion, with Japan's Nikkei 225 dropping 2.1%.

A day-long slide in stocks Thursday, fueled by weakness in the technology sector, left the market poised for its worst monthly decline since last February. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended Thursday's session down 115.7 points to 10,120.46.

Simon Kennedy is the City correspondent for MarketWatch in London. Kate Gibson is a reporter for MarketWatch, based in New York.


Indications: Futures edge higher ahead of GDP data

Stock Assault 2.0 - Artificial Intelligence Stock Market Software Alert Email Print

By Simon Kennedy, MarketWatch

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stock market futures edged slightly higher Friday as markets awaited the latest figures on GDP and consumer sentiment, with earnings from Microsoft Corp. also in focus.

S&P 500 futures rose 2.8 points to 1,082 and Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 4 points to 1,774.50.

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 23 points ahead of the last trading session of the month.

On the economic front, the first estimate of fourth-quarter gross domestic product is due at 8:30 a.m. Eastern, while a reading of consumer sentiment will come after the market opens.

TODAY'S INTERNATIONAL MARKET STORIES

Global Dow

• MarketWatch Topics: Greece • Asia Markets | Europe Markets | LatAm Markets • Canadian Markets | Israel Stocks | London • U.S.: Market Snapshot | After Hours

Tools• Latin American/Canadian indexes • European indexes | Asian indexes

More on the Markets • Bond Report | Oil News | Earnings Watch • Currencies | U.S. Economic Calendar

/conga/story/misc/international.html 53366

Economists surveyed by MarketWatch are expecting a bumper 5.4% rise in GDP -- the fastest growth rate in nearly four years -- though most of that growth is seen coming from adjustments to inventories, rather than sales of goods and services. See story on GDP expectations.

Friday's data will also likely be especially closely watched after disappointing updates on both jobless claims and durable goods orders in the previous session. Also as markets were closing Thursday the Senate voted to confirm Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to a second four-year term. The vote on final confirmation was 70 to 30.

The dollar climbed against the yen and was broadly steady against the euro ahead of the data. The dollar rose 0.5% to 90.21 yen.

Oil futures edged higher, with the March-dated light crude contract adding 5 cents at $73.69 a barrel in electronic trading.

Among the companies in focus, Microsoft /quotes/comstock/15*!msft/quotes/nls/msft (MSFT 29.16, -0.51, -1.72%) late Thursday posted a 60% rise in fiscal second-quarter profit to $6.66 billion, or 74 cents a share as the software giant benefited from improving personal computer sales and recent release of its flagship Windows 7 operating system. See story on Microsoft's forecast-beating numbers.

Microsoft rose 1.3% in pre-market trading.

Amazon.com /quotes/comstock/15*!amzn/quotes/nls/amzn (AMZN 126.03, +3.28, +2.67%) added nearly 3% in pre-market action after reporting a 71% profit surge.

Among companies reporting results Friday, Mattel Inc. /quotes/comstock/15*!mat/quotes/nls/mat (MAT 20.04, +0.08, +0.40%) topped expectations with an 86% rise in net profit to $328 million, or 89 cents a share, while Honeywell International /quotes/comstock/13*!hon/quotes/nls/hon (HON 39.82, -0.44, -1.09%) said its fourth-quarter earnings slipped to 91 cents a share from 97 cents a share.

Still ahead are results from Chevron Corp. /quotes/comstock/13*!cvx/quotes/nls/cvx (CVX 73.24, -0.46, -0.62%) , which is expected to post earnings of $1.70 a share.

European markets climbed Friday, helped by well-received updates from BMW and Infineon, with the German DAX 30 index climbing 0.9%.

Most Asian markets declined as the overnight fall on Wall Street triggered a renewed bout of risk aversion, with Japan's Nikkei 225 dropping 2.1%.

A day-long slide in stocks Thursday, fueled by weakness in the technology sector, left the market poised for its worst monthly decline since last February. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended Thursday's session down 115.7 points to 10,120.46.

Simon Kennedy is the City correspondent for MarketWatch in London.


NYSE Arca Morning Update - 08:30:00 ET

NYSE Arca Morning Update for Friday, Jan 29, 2010 :

STOCKS TRADING ON NYSE Arca AT A PRICE 15% OR MORE AWAY FROM
THE PREVIOUS TRADE DAY'S CONSOLIDATED CLOSE PRICE (AS OF 08:30:00 ET)

Stock Thursday's Close Current Price Pct Change Current NYSE ARCA Vol
YTEC $6.75 $3.95 (41.5%) 172,035
SNV $2.72 $3.17 16.5% 127,575


10 MOST ACTIVE STOCKS ON NYSE ARCA AS OF 08:30:00 ET

BASED ON DOLLARS TRADED: | BASED ON SHARES TRADED:
Stock $ Volume Price PctChg | Stock Share Vol Price PctChg
SPY $133925878 $108.97 0.4% | SPY 1,231,062 $108.97 0.4%
GLD $37,639,203 $106.43 ( 0.0%) | C 1,077,734 $3.27 0.8%
MSFT $24,270,039 $29.91 2.5% | MSFT 814,471 $29.91 2.5%
AMZN $13,149,026 $129.50 2.8% | GLD 354,173 $106.43 ( 0.0%)
AAPL $8,560,680 $200.80 0.9% | SIRI 238,906 $0.85 4.8%
QQQQ $8,426,655 $43.83 0.6% | CRBC 222,700 $0.69 (18.8%)
BHP $5,830,748 $71.77 0.1% | QQQQ 192,507 $43.83 0.6%
IWM $5,798,398 $60.92 0.2% | YTEC 172,035 $3.95 (41.5%)
C $3,510,573 $3.27 0.8% | F 159,302 $11.54 1.1%
SSO $2,778,702 $36.41 0.7% | SHIP 127,840 $1.20 (33.3%)


Price changes may be affected by symbol splits and dividends.

Consolidated close price is the last print (excluding prints with trade
conditions) prior to 4PM ET.

This information is also updated on our web page every morning at 8:35ET:
http://www.tradearca.com/data/volume/daily_update.asp

This material is for informational purposes only.
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Copyright [2010] by NYSE Euronext. All rights reserved. Reproduction and redistribution prohibited without prior express consent.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Indications: U.S. futures pare gains after early data

Stock Assault 2.0 - Artificial Intelligence Stock Market Software Alert Email Print

By Steve Goldstein & Kate Gibson, MarketWatch

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stock futures remained mostly higher on Thursday as markets assessed President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, while upbeat results from Ford Motor Co. and others also contributed to a positive tone.

Stock futures pared early gains after economic data showed weekly jobless claims falling by 8,000 to 470,000, and orders for durable goods climbing 0.3% in December.

S&P 500 futures rose 2.6 points to 1,097.2 and Nasdaq 100 futures fell 2 points to 1,807. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 23 points to 10,218.

News Hub: In Speech, Obama Says Jobs a Priority

WSJ's Kate Kelly and Jerry Seib parse President Barack Obama's first State of the Union address on The News Hub. They tell Kelly Evans that while there were plenty of digs to go around, the president ultimately focused on job growth.

Speaking to the nation and members of Congress in a high-stakes policy address, President Barack Obama late Wednesday used his first State of the Union speech to call for a host of job creation measures and a redoubled effort to finish health-care reform in the midst of a newly challenging political environment for him and his party.

Stock markets in Europe and Asia -- which also were getting their first opportunity to react to the Federal Reserve interest-rate decision and statement -- were generally stronger, with the Nikkei 225 up 1.6% in Tokyo and the pan-European Dow Jones Stoxx 600 rising 1%.

Obama's call for tax breaks, as well as a less strident attack on banks vs. what was seen last week, appeared to go down well overseas.

A vote in the Senate on the confirmation of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke also is due, with expectations that the Fed chairman will squeak through.

Earnings rolled in from giants including Ford Motor Co. /quotes/comstock/13*!f/quotes/nls/f (F 11.45, -0.10, -0.87%) , up 1.8% after returning to a profit and as Toyota Motor /quotes/comstock/13*!tm/quotes/nls/tm (TM 77.14, -2.63, -3.30%) expanded its car recall; Nokia /quotes/comstock/13*!nok/quotes/nls/nok (NOK 13.90, +0.98, +7.59%) , up 10% after stronger-than-forecast quarterly profit; and Eastman Kodak /quotes/comstock/13*!ek/quotes/nls/ek (EK 5.56, +0.81, +17.05%) , up nearly 18% after a profit from the ex-Dow component.

However, the auto industry was hit with another recall, as Ford has stopped production of its full-size commercial vehicles in China after discovering that the gas pedal used came from the supplier involved in the recall at Toyota, The Wall Street Journal reported.

On the downside, Qualcomm /quotes/comstock/15*!qcom/quotes/nls/qcom (QCOM 40.80, -6.40, -13.56%) tumbled nearly 9% on a cut sales outlook, and Nokia rival Motorola /quotes/comstock/13*!mot/quotes/nls/mot (MOT 6.59, -0.81, -10.94%) dropped on a worse-than-forecast quarter.

After the close, Microsoft /quotes/comstock/15*!msft/quotes/nls/msft (MSFT 29.03, -0.64, -2.15%) and Amazon.com /quotes/comstock/15*!amzn/quotes/nls/amzn (AMZN 124.33, +1.58, +1.29%) report results.

Yields on 10-year Treasury notes were steady at 3.65%, and the dollar index /quotes/comstock/11j!i:dxy0 (DXY 78.92, +0.24, +0.31%) rose slightly.

Platinum futures surged by $26 an ounce, while crude oil futures rose 44 cents a barrel.

On an event-filled Wednesday -- the Fed growing more optimistic on the economy as it held rates, Apple /quotes/comstock/15*!aapl/quotes/nls/aapl (AAPL 200.56, -7.32, -3.52%) introducing the iPad, Toyota Motor /quotes/comstock/13*!tm/quotes/nls/tm (TM 77.14, -2.63, -3.30%) recalling cars, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner defending the AIG bailout and several earnings -- U.S. stocks rose, with the Dow industrials rising 41 points, the Nasdaq Composite adding 17 points and the S&P 500 growing 5 points.

Steve Goldstein is MarketWatch's London bureau chief. Kate Gibson is a reporter for MarketWatch, based in New York.


Indications: U.S. futures rise post-Obama speech; Ford climbs

Stock Assault 2.0 - Artificial Intelligence Stock Market Software Alert Email Print

By Steve Goldstein, MarketWatch

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stock futures rose on Thursday as markets assessed President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, while upbeat results from Ford Motor Co. and others also contributed to a positive tone.

S&P 500 futures rose 5.1 points to 1,099.70 and Nasdaq 100 futures rose 4.75 points to 1,813.70. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 37 points.

News Hub: In Speech, Obama Says Jobs a Priority

WSJ's Kate Kelly and Jerry Seib parse President Barack Obama's first State of the Union address on The News Hub. They tell Kelly Evans that while there were plenty of digs to go around, the president ultimately focused on job growth.

Speaking to the nation and members of Congress in a high-stakes policy address, President Barack Obama late Wednesday used his first State of the Union speech to call for a host of job creation measures and a redoubled effort to finish health-care reform in the midst of a newly challenging political environment for him and his party.

Stock markets in Europe and Asia -- which also were getting their first opportunity to react to the Federal Reserve interest-rate decision and statement -- were generally stronger, with the Nikkei 225 up 1.6% in Tokyo and the pan-European Dow Jones Stoxx 600 rising 1%.

Obama's call for tax breaks, as well as a less strident attack on banks vs. what was seen last week, appeared to go down well overseas.

The economics calendar features weekly jobless claims and December durable goods orders, with both sets of reports due at 8:30 a.m. Eastern.

A vote in the Senate on the confirmation of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke also is due, with expectations that the Fed chairman will squeak through.

Earnings rolled in from giants including Ford Motor Co. /quotes/comstock/13*!f/quotes/nls/f (F 11.55, +0.36, +3.22%) , up 3% after returning to a profit and as Toyota Motor /quotes/comstock/13*!tm/quotes/nls/tm (TM 79.77, -7.01, -8.08%) expanded its car recall; Nokia /quotes/comstock/13*!nok/quotes/nls/nok (NOK 12.92, +0.24, +1.89%) , up 11% after stronger-than-forecast quarterly profit; and Eastman Kodak /quotes/comstock/13*!ek/quotes/nls/ek (EK 4.75, +0.25, +5.56%) , up nearly 14% after a profit from the ex-Dow component.

On the downside, Qualcomm /quotes/comstock/15*!qcom/quotes/nls/qcom (QCOM 47.20, +0.31, +0.66%) tumbled nearly 9% on a cut sales outlook, and Nokia rival Motorola /quotes/comstock/13*!mot/quotes/nls/mot (MOT 7.40, +0.21, +2.92%) dropped on a worse-than-forecast quarter.

After the close, Microsoft /quotes/comstock/15*!msft/quotes/nls/msft (MSFT 29.67, +0.17, +0.58%) and Amazon.com /quotes/comstock/15*!amzn/quotes/nls/amzn (AMZN 122.75, +3.27, +2.74%) report results.

Yields on 10-year Treasury bonds were steady at 3.66%, and the dollar index /quotes/comstock/11j!i:dxy0 (DXY 78.74, +0.06, +0.08%) rose slightly.

Platinum futures surged by $26 an ounce, while crude oil futures rose 54 cents a barrel.

On an event-filled Wednesday -- the Fed growing more optimistic on the economy as it held rates, Apple introducing the iPad, Toyota Motor recalling cars, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner defending the AIG bailout and several earnings -- U.S. stocks rose, with the Dow industrials rising 41 points, the Nasdaq Composite adding 17 points and the S&P 500 growing 5 points.

Steve Goldstein is MarketWatch's London bureau chief.


NYSE Arca Morning Update - 08:30:00 ET

NYSE Arca Morning Update for Thursday, Jan 28, 2010 :

STOCKS TRADING ON NYSE Arca AT A PRICE 15% OR MORE AWAY FROM
THE PREVIOUS TRADE DAY'S CONSOLIDATED CLOSE PRICE (AS OF 08:30:00 ET)

Stock Wednesday's Close Current Price Pct Change Current NYSE ARCA Vol
NFLX $50.97 $61.28 20.2% 90,346
EK $4.75 $5.70 20.0% 347,779


10 MOST ACTIVE STOCKS ON NYSE ARCA AS OF 08:30:00 ET

BASED ON DOLLARS TRADED: | BASED ON SHARES TRADED:
Stock $ Volume Price PctChg | Stock Share Vol Price PctChg
SPY $125249982 $110.44 0.6% | C 5,694,779 $3.25 1.6%
NOK $54,604,453 $14.32 10.7% | NOK 3,819,728 $14.32 10.7%
QQQQ $35,927,704 $44.65 ( 0.1%) | F 2,740,829 $11.83 2.5%
F $32,691,391 $11.83 2.5% | SPY 1,134,061 $110.44 0.6%
C $18,450,070 $3.25 1.6% | QQQQ 803,762 $44.65 ( 0.1%)
AAPL $14,277,401 $207.25 ( 0.3%) | BAC 645,743 $15.42 1.4%
GLD $12,217,381 $106.69 0.2% | MOT 467,133 $7.02 ( 5.1%)
QCOM $10,434,653 $43.15 ( 8.6%) | XLF 357,320 $14.50 1.1%
BAC $9,941,867 $15.42 1.4% | EK 347,779 $5.70 20.0%
AZN $7,817,204 $47.88 ( 3.6%) | QCOM 242,525 $43.15 ( 8.6%)


Price changes may be affected by symbol splits and dividends.

Consolidated close price is the last print (excluding prints with trade
conditions) prior to 4PM ET.

This information is also updated on our web page every morning at 8:35ET:
http://www.tradearca.com/data/volume/daily_update.asp

This material is for informational purposes only.
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This material is not to be construed as an offer to buy or sell any security in any jurisdiction where such an offer or solicitation would be illegal.
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NYSE Arca undertakes no obligation to update any of the information contained in this material in light of new information or future events.
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IN NO EVENT SHALL NYSE ARCA BE LIABLE FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOST PROFITS, TRADING LOSSES AND DAMAGES THAT MAY RESULT FROM THE USE
OF THIS MATERIAL, ANY DELAY OR INTERRUPTION OF SERVICE OR OMISSIONS OR INACCURACIES IN THE MATERIAL) WITH RESPECT TO THIS MATERIAL.

Copyright [2010] by NYSE Euronext. All rights reserved. Reproduction and redistribution prohibited without prior express consent.

Indications: U.S. stock futures inch up post-Obama speech

Stock Assault 2.0 - Artificial Intelligence Stock Market Software Alert Email Print

By Steve Goldstein, MarketWatch

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stock futures were a touch higher on Thursday as markets assessed President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, with data on durable-goods orders and earnings from giants including AT&T on deck.

S&P 500 futures edged up eight-tenths of a point to 1,095.40 and Nasdaq 100 futures were up a quarter point to 1,809.20. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2 points.

News Hub: In Speech, Obama Says Jobs a Priority

WSJ's Kate Kelly and Jerry Seib parse President Barack Obama's first State of the Union address on The News Hub. They tell Kelly Evans that while there were plenty of digs to go around, the president ultimately focused on job growth.

On an event-filled Wednesday -- the Fed growing more optimistic on the economy as it held rates, Apple introducing the iPad, Toyota Motor recalling cars, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner defending the AIG bailout and several earnings -- U.S. stocks rose, with the Dow industrials rising 41 points, the Nasdaq Composite adding 17 points and the S&P 500 growing 5 points.

Speaking to the nation and members of Congress in a high-stakes policy address, President Barack Obama late Wednesday used his first State of the Union speech to call for a host of job creation measures and a redoubled effort to finish health-care reform in the midst of a newly challenging political environment for him and his party.

Stock markets in Europe and Asia -- which also were getting their first opportunity to react to the Fed statement -- were generally stronger, with the Nikkei 225 up 1.6% in Tokyo and the pan-European Dow Jones Stoxx 600 rising 0.9%.

Obama's call for tax breaks, as well as a less strident attack on banks vs. what was seen last week, appeared to go down well overseas.

On tap on Thursday are results from corporate heavyweights including Ford Motor Co. /quotes/comstock/13*!f/quotes/nls/f (F 11.55, +0.36, +3.22%) , Procter & Gamble /quotes/comstock/13*!pg/quotes/nls/pg (PG 60.81, +0.12, +0.20%) and AT&T /quotes/comstock/13*!t/quotes/nls/t (T 25.62, +0.29, +1.14%) , and after the close, Microsoft /quotes/comstock/15*!msft/quotes/nls/msft (MSFT 29.67, +0.17, +0.58%) and Amazon.com /quotes/comstock/15*!amzn/quotes/nls/amzn (AMZN 122.75, +3.27, +2.74%) .

Ford also will be in the spotlight as rival Toyota Motor /quotes/comstock/13*!tm/quotes/nls/tm (TM 79.77, -7.01, -8.08%) expanded its recall of cars in the U.S.

The economics calendar features weekly jobless claims and December durable goods orders, with both sets off reports due at 8:30 a.m. Eastern.

Yields on 10-year Treasury bonds rose 3 basis points to 3.68%, and the dollar index /quotes/comstock/11j!i:dxy0 (DXY 78.65, -0.02, -0.03%) was a touch lower.

Platinum futures surged over $28 an ounce, while crude oil futures rose 58 cents a barrel.

Steve Goldstein is MarketWatch's London bureau chief.


Wednesday, January 27, 2010

A New Approach To Regulating Wall Street Could Be More Than Wishful Thinking

Stock Assault 2.0 - Artificial Intelligence Stock Market Software

Paul Volcker is back and things are about to change in Washington. A split has occurred between the paper forces of Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Chase. Mr. Volcker represents Morgan interests. Both sides are Illuminists, but the Morgan side is tired of Goldman’s greed and arrogance. Volcker cannot be called old school or anachronistic. He represents sanity in an insane financial world even though he is an integral and powerful part of the elitist structure. He represents a change in gears and approach. The present administration and the Democratic Party has lost its moorings and is in on a path of political suicide. They have tried to get passed impossible legislation that the American people do not want, and they will abandoning those positions, because they are no longer tenable. The election of Scott Brown in Massachusetts was a major defeat for all administration programs. As you will see Mr. Obama and fellow Democrats will start sounding like popular conservatives and populist talk show hosts, as they attempt to win back their center. That is where Paul Volcker fits in. He is back and major changes are about to take place financially and politically.

Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and others in their greed have lost touch with economic and financial reality and they looted the system. Not that JP Morgan chase was blameless, they did their looting and damage to the system as well, but not in the high handed arrogant way the others did. The recall of Volcker is an attempt to reverse the damage as much as possible. That means the influence of Geithner, Summers, Rubin, et al will be put on the back shelf at least for now, as will be the Goldman influence. It will be slowly and subtly phased out. One of the things we have always believed is that Volcker was never out of touch. He is brilliant, brash, irreverent and successful.

There is a real split that has developed over the pa st year between the Morgan and Goldman forces. For Goldman it has been a difficult year; they got caught stealing. First in naked shorts, then front-running the market, both of which they are still doing, as the SEC looks the other way, and then selling MBS-CDOs to their best clients and simultaneously shorting them. Such unethical, despicable behavior is criminal. As criminal as Berkshire Hathaway’s $100 million fine for fraud, but no jail time for the crooks, which includes Warren Buffett. As a result of the antics of Goldman and Buffett, Washington needs a new face on Wall Street, not that of a criminal syndicate. Mr. Obama and the Democrats need a cleaner Wall Street, that can be respected, and that can assist the administration of strong markets, higher employment and sustainable economic recovery. An economy that has floundered and made little gain in spite of a major infusion of stimulus, bailouts and $13.7 trillion in monetary injections.

The attempt will be to bring the financial system back to brass tacks. No more arrogant fat cats. A subtle quieter Wall Street. Stability is what is needed and Volcker can bring that if he is allowed too. That would include little or no MBS and CDOs, the regulation of derivatives and hedge funds and the end of massive market manipulation, both by Treasury, Fed and Wall Street players. Congress has to end the “President’s Working Group on Financial Markets,” or at least limit its use to real emergencies. Needless to say, the Fed has to be eliminated and that power returned to our Treasury Department as we close the revolving door between Wall Street and Washington. In a new terrible wrinkle the recent Supreme Court decision allowing corporate America to buy politicians has to be reversed by Congress ASAP. The SEC and the CFTC have to stop aiding and abetting Wall Street and become protectors of the investors. If that cannot happen they should be replaced by quasi-government entities that will catch the crooks on Wall Street and really punish them. Not with fines but with time in jail. The Glass-Steagall Act should be reintroduced into the system and lobbying and campaign contributions should end. How is that for cleaning house?

Securities firms should not be allowed to be or own banks, and insurance companies. Banks, insurance companies and brokerage firms should only be allowed to control a portion of their markets. No more monopolies and no more too big to fail. All books at corporations should always have to mark-to-market, not mark-to-model and two sets of books should be banned. The BIS and the FASD should be allowed to set guidelines that protect the public as well as participants. What we have now is political force. Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Ginny Mae and FHA should be sold to private interests. The government should not be in the insurance or real estate business. No more politics in lending and banks should be l imited to a lending ratio of 10 to 1. If they do not comply they should be shut down. It is bad enough they have the leverage that they have. State banks such as North Dakota’s are a better idea.

This brings us back to the administration and Mr. Volcker. We know they cannot accomplish these changes; only a few would be helpful. It is obvious there will be little or no recovery and solutions have to be found for immediate problems. We see no way the current credit mechanism can reinvigorate what is left of the system. The money machine will be allowed to because the minute it is turned off the game is over. Mr. Volcker is well aware of that. It could be that will be his solution as it was in the early 1980s. The politicians, particularly the Democrats and the administration are outraged at what Wall Street has done, particularly Goldman Sachs. There are many changes coming and we will have to try to anticipate which way things are headed.

We believe the Treasury Department is in desperate demand for investors to buy Treasuries. After many years the world has finally awakened to the fact that the US is broke and has been for a long time. Now fewer and fewer investors consider Treasuries as a safe haven. Who in their right mind would buy a Treasury bill with a negative or zero return? We would guess because the buyer perceives them to be safe, perhaps willing to lose some 7% to 8% to inflation. These sales are averaging $50 billion weekly. As the buyers dry up and in order to avoid Fed purchase and monetization, government is eyeing your retirement investments to be the source of their new annuity scheme. This past week the PPT allowed the market to fall just to scare investors into buying Treasuries. It fell 552 points in three days from 10,725 to 10,172, in an atmosphere where for a long time, via the PPT it has been controlling the market. Something serious is definitely up and we probably are approachi ng the next wave of trouble. We are not alone. Japan is wobbling; China has gone too far with stimulus and is facing hyperinflation, and the eurozone could be facing a breakup, a reduction in size, and perhaps eventually a total breakup. These problems and all the problems in G-20 countries we need like we need a hole-in-the-head. They have all made the same stupid mistakes. We could be facing a perfect storm, and this time it won’t be different; it will be worse. History tells us it will be worse. This is not bad judgment or incompetence it is a takedown of the world economies and financial structure in order to implement World Government. It has been tried over and over again for centuries for the past more than a thousand years; the attempt to bring back the control that the Roman Empire once had for longer than their 500 year reign. Empires collapse and have over this period in time in part due to greed and power, the power to control people. The theme is not the misma nagement of markets and things fiscal and monetary, but the deliberate takedown of today’s financial structure. In history have you ever heard of financial experts collectively in total buying AAA rated bonds that were Triple B? Can their attorneys not read the fine print? Of course they can. Or have you ever heard of lenders lending 40 to 70 times underlying assets, deposits, when 8 to 10 times is normal? Of course you haven’t, because it is prescription for destruction. Why would lenders simultaneously do such things? Because they were acting in concert to take down the system. There are only a handful of writers who recognize the true meaning of what is happening to our civilization. That is because other writers want to be accepted by their peers and within their society. They do not want to step outside the limits; they do not want to end up in an internment camp. That is why they are seldom correct and why we have the problems we have today. All the economic and fi nancial answers do not add up, don’t work, if you truly understand what is going on behind the scenes.

Tiny Tim has warned us again, like his predecessor Henry Paulson, that if you do not reappoint Helicopter Ben then the market will collapse. This again makes it plain that we live in a corporate fascist thugocracy. This gives even greater importance to auditing the Fed and abolishing it. We need US notes, not Federal Reserve Notes.

The Senate results in Massachusetts have really thrown a monkey wrench into the plans of the Democratic Party. No Cap & Trade, perhaps no medical reform, no immigration reform and not enough votes to pass a new limit of debt of $14.294 trillion. In order to service such giant debt, official short-term Fed rates have to be kept at current levels.

States, provinces, cities, towns, counties and Federal Governments worldwide are in debt for more than they should be and are suspects for bankruptcy. Remember as famous economist Franz Pick once told us that debt paper is guaranteed certificates of future confiscation. Almost all governments have followed the lead of the G-20 trying to stimulate their way out of recession or depression.

Governments within the US are in terrible shape financially. The federal government has unfunded liabilities for pension and medical benefits of some $3 trillion. The November trade deficit was $34.6 billion. The December deficit is $91.9 billion, almost double year-on-year. Quarter-on-quarter the deficit was 17% higher. The deficit for October 30, 2009 was $1.4 trillion and 2010’s deficit will be higher than $1.70 trillion. No sane person would buy government bonds after looking at these numbers. You might say this is the future and we do not like the looks of it.

During this past week the Dow lost 4.1%, S&P 4.3%, the Russell 2000 3.4% and the Nasdaq 100 fell 3.9%. Banks slipp ed 0.8%; utilities 1.4%; high tech 4.5%; semis 4.6%; Internets 4.2% and biotech’s 2.2%. Bullion sank $36.00 and the HUI fell 8.6%. The dollar gained 1.3% to 78.29.

Two-year T-bills fell 7 bps to 0.75%; the 10’s fell 7 bps to 3.59%; the 15’s fell 5 bps to 4.40% and the one-year ARMs fell 7 bps to 4.32%. The 30-year jumbos fell 6 bps to 5.96%.

Fed credit increased $5.1 billion to a 52-week high of $2.231 trillion. Year-on-year it is up $181.6 billion. Fed foreign holdings of Treasury and Agency debt fell $5 billion to $2.946 trillion. Custody holdings for foreign central banks rose $405 billion or 15.9% yoy.

M2 narrow money supply fell $9.4 billion to $8.452 trillion.

Total money market fund assets fell $46 billion to $3.240 trillion. Year-on-year that is off 16.8%.

In Friday’s FDIC Financial Follies, five more banks went under. All were absorbed by other institutions. L ast year 140 failed. It could be as high as 1,000 to 2,000 over the next 1-1/2 years.

Ben “Helicopter” Bernanke has supposedly been bailed out by the White House and the Senate Republican leadership, with Republican flex-spending accounts to buy off Senators. Corporate America owns our country and almost all incumbents have to be thrown out of office in November from both parties. Again, Americans strongly oppose the reappointment of Mr. Bernanke, but that doesn’t mean anything in our corrupt government. Let’s make sure the political spin doesn’t work anymore. Scream at the top of your lungs non-confirmation and the resignation of Geithner.

We found it of great interest that the SEC has disclosed in an e-mail to the Fed that they keep secret financial records related to national security that only two people at the SEC are allowed to access. We heard of such files 30 years ago from our sources in Washington, but were never ab le to get concrete confirmation. We have been told it is not only for financial records, but regarding individuals as well. We have been a political target of the SEC since 1967. We believe this same safe holds the records pertaining to the manipulation of all markets by the “Working Group on Financial Markets.”

Senior executives from J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. also got involved. Rainmaker James B. Lee, who serves as a firm vice chairman, and Jes Staley, who runs the investment bank, each placed calls to senators over the weekend urging support for Mr. Bernanke, according to a person familiar with the situation.

Obama and big-government socialists still don’t get it. Instead of restructuring the US economy and recharging the small business jobs machine, they will try to bribe voters with chump-change tax credits and cost-hike mandates on businesses, which will retard job creation. It’s Sen. Brown’s fault!!

President Obama will propose in his State of the Union address a package of modest initiatives intended to help middle-class families, including tax credits for child care, caps on some student loan payments…the president is calling on Congress to nearly double the child care tax credit for families earning less than $85,000…But the credit would not be refundable, meaning that families would not get extra money back on a tax refund.

Another of the president’s proposals, a cap on federal loan payments for recent college graduates at 10 percent of income above a basic living allowance, would cost taxpayers roughly $1 billion. The expanded financing to help families care for elderly relatives would cost $102.5 million â€" a pittance in a federal budget where programs are often measured in tens if not hundreds of billions of dollars.

President Obama has also proposed an innocuous deficit reduction plan that woul d reduce the budget deficit $25B per year for 10 years, if all those rosy projections come true. They seldom do.

The plan entails freezing $447B of discretionary domestic spending, which is only about 1/6 of the budget. The freeze would NOT include military, foreign aid, national security and mandatory-spending programs such as Social Security and Medicare.



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Indications: Stock futures tentative as Fed, Obama await

Stock Assault 2.0 - Artificial Intelligence Stock Market Software Alert Email Print

By Barbara Kollmeyer & Kate Gibson, MarketWatch

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stock market futures stalled on Wednesday amid upbeat earnings from Yahoo and Tyco Electronics as investors awaited results of the Federal Open Market Committee meeting and a key address from President Barack Obama later.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 3 points to 10,135, while those for the S&P 500 adding1.4 points to 1,088. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 gained 3 points to 1,799.5.

A late swoon erased a day-long stock rally Tuesday, highlighting investors' lingering jitters about the several big economic announcements due over the next few days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 2.97 points to 10,194.07, while the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.3% and the S&P 500 fell 0.4%.

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Wall Street is facing up to some major events from Washington this week, and Wednesday will feature a couple of those.

After new-home sales for December is released at 10 a.m. Eastern, focus will turn to the FOMC meeting, with a decision on rates due at 2:15 p.m.

At 9 p.m., President Obama will deliver the annual State of the Union address, which is garnering more than the usual share of attention for such a speech, as markets look for details on his proposal to restrict bank's speculative trading.

"It should be very interesting to see if the President maintains his aggressive rhetoric of last week with regards to financial reforms," said Jim Reid, strategist with Deutsche Bank in a note to investors. "Press reports have also suggested that the President might use the event to announce tax break measures for small business owners. It will also be interesting to see whether he uses the event to announce any fiscal policy changes and his plan of attack on reducing the country's deficit."

Wednesday also marks the start of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where top government and corporate leaders are meeting. See related story.

And, U.S. Treasury Secretary Geithner will come under fire in testimony before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on "Factors Affecting Efforts to Limit Payments to AIG Counterparties" on the Hill from 10 a.m. Eastern.

Among early stock movers, shares of Berkshire Hathaway /quotes/comstock/13*!brk.a/quotes/nls/brk.a (BRK.A 101,751, -1,449, -1.40%) /quotes/comstock/13*!brk.b/quotes/nls/brk.b (BRK.B 68.00, -0.84, -1.22%) rose 7% in preopen trade as it will join the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index, becoming one of the biggest additions to the benchmark index in years.

ConocoPhillips gained 1.1% in preopen trade after it reported it a profitable quarter.

Shares of Tyco Electronics /quotes/comstock/13*!tel/quotes/nls/tel (TEL 25.37, +0.28, +1.12%) rose over 6% in preopen trading after reporting it swung to a first-quarter profit.

Shares of Boeing /quotes/comstock/13*!ba/quotes/nls/ba (BA 57.71, -0.07, -0.12%) also gained, lately up 3.5%, as the plane maker also reported a profitable fourth-quarter.

Yahoo /quotes/comstock/15*!yhoo/quotes/nls/yhoo (YHOO 15.99, +0.13, +0.82%) shares were up nearly 3% in preopen trading after the company said late Tuesday it swung to a profit in the fourth quarter, while posting a sales decline. Its outlook for the current period lifted Yahoo shares in late trading.

Apple /quotes/comstock/15*!aapl/quotes/nls/aapl (AAPL 205.94, +2.87, +1.41%) shares edged up 0.3%, with the company due to launch its new tablet computer at 1 p.m.

Toyota /quotes/comstock/13*!tm/quotes/nls/tm (TM 86.78, -0.93, -1.06%) shares fell 7.2% after saying it's halting production of eight models in the U.S. due to an enormous safety recall.

In Europe, stocks were down for a fifth session out of six, with Spanish banking giant BBVA /quotes/comstock/13*!bbva/quotes/nls/bbva (BBVA 16.73, -0.10, -0.59%) losing ground after reporting a 94% drop in fourth quarter profit as it had to increase provisions for bad loans. Other banks were under pressure as well.

Asia markets suffered another day of declines, with concerns about Chinese bank lending sending Hong Kong and Shanghai shares further south. India and Australia stocks also fell on fears of monetary tightening.

Crude oil futures fell 2 cents to $74.70 a barrel, while gold futures fell $5.8 to $1,093.70 an ounce.

Global growth concerns served to push the dollar and the yen higher. The euro fell to $1.4061 in recent action.

Barbara Kollmeyer is an editor for MarketWatch in Madrid. Kate Gibson is a reporter for MarketWatch, based in New York.


NYSE Arca Morning Update - 08:30:00 ET

NYSE Arca Morning Update for Wednesday, Jan 27, 2010 :

STOCKS TRADING ON NYSE Arca AT A PRICE 15% OR MORE AWAY FROM
THE PREVIOUS TRADE DAY'S CONSOLIDATED CLOSE PRICE (AS OF 08:30:00 ET)

Stock Tuesday's Close Current Price Pct Change Current NYSE ARCA Vol
KTCC $3.94 $5.34 35.5% 1,700
MNI $4.92 $6.01 22.2% 35,900
SANM $12.31 $14.18 15.2% 11,400


10 MOST ACTIVE STOCKS ON NYSE ARCA AS OF 08:30:00 ET

BASED ON DOLLARS TRADED: | BASED ON SHARES TRADED:
Stock $ Volume Price PctChg | Stock Share Vol Price PctChg
SPY $107259593 $109.35 0.1% | F 981,724 $11.57 3.4%
AAPL $32,888,008 $206.51 0.3% | SPY 981,068 $109.35 0.1%
BRK.B $29,326,733 $73.35 7.7% | C 536,846 $3.18 0.6%
QQQQ $14,364,855 $44.29 ( 0.1%) | BRK.B 397,541 $73.35 7.7%
CAT $13,925,598 $53.59 ( 4.1%) | KFT 380,548 $27.66 ( 0.4%)
F $11,296,314 $11.57 3.4% | QQQQ 324,401 $44.29 ( 0.1%)
KFT $10,478,013 $27.66 ( 0.4%) | ARCC 307,355 $12.77 ( 1.0%)
GLD $7,557,597 $107.06 ( 0.5%) | CAT 254,901 $53.59 ( 4.1%)
X $5,886,950 $49.18 ( 0.7%) | UNG 223,311 $9.71 ( 1.2%)
EWZ $5,522,951 $66.92 0.2% | FSIN 165,750 $8.25 ( 4.1%)


Price changes may be affected by symbol splits and dividends.

Consolidated close price is the last print (excluding prints with trade
conditions) prior to 4PM ET.

This information is also updated on our web page every morning at 8:35ET:
http://www.tradearca.com/data/volume/daily_update.asp

This material is for informational purposes only.
NYSE Euronext and its affiliates ("NYSE Arca") are not soliciting any action based upon it.
This material is not to be construed as an offer to buy or sell any security in any jurisdiction where such an offer or solicitation would be illegal.
Any opinions expressed in this material are NYSE Arca opinions only.
NYSE Arca undertakes no obligation to update any of the information contained in this material in light of new information or future events.
THIS MATERIAL IS PROVIDED BY NYSE ARCA "AS IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED.
NYSE ARCA DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY, TITLE, AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AS TO THIS MATERIAL.
IN NO EVENT SHALL NYSE ARCA BE LIABLE FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOST PROFITS, TRADING LOSSES AND DAMAGES THAT MAY RESULT FROM THE USE
OF THIS MATERIAL, ANY DELAY OR INTERRUPTION OF SERVICE OR OMISSIONS OR INACCURACIES IN THE MATERIAL) WITH RESPECT TO THIS MATERIAL.

Copyright [2010] by NYSE Euronext. All rights reserved. Reproduction and redistribution prohibited without prior express consent.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

NYSE Arca Morning Update - 08:30:00 ET

NYSE Arca Morning Update for Tuesday, Jan 26, 2010 :

STOCKS TRADING ON NYSE Arca AT A PRICE 15% OR MORE AWAY FROM
THE PREVIOUS TRADE DAY'S CONSOLIDATED CLOSE PRICE (AS OF 08:30:00 ET)

Stock Monday's Close Current Price Pct Change Current NYSE ARCA Vol
AMLN $17.45 $20.51 17.5% 298,707
VMW $42.01 $48.98 16.6% 43,300
VLTR $17.80 $20.65 16.0% 800


10 MOST ACTIVE STOCKS ON NYSE ARCA AS OF 08:30:00 ET

BASED ON DOLLARS TRADED: | BASED ON SHARES TRADED:
Stock $ Volume Price PctChg | Stock Share Vol Price PctChg
SPY $120172795 $109.40 ( 0.3%) | C 3,934,447 $3.21 ( 0.6%)
AAPL $58,173,928 $207.20 2.2% | SPY 1,098,537 $109.40 ( 0.3%)
GLD $14,162,766 $106.47 ( 0.9%) | SLV 558,209 $16.22 ( 3.6%)
QQQQ $13,074,217 $44.29 ( 0.0%) | EMC 500,540 $17.47 3.1%
C $12,651,126 $3.21 ( 0.6%) | ERIC 428,391 $9.66 ( 1.4%)
SLV $9,150,798 $16.22 ( 3.6%) | BAC 340,362 $14.98 ( 0.1%)
EMC $8,794,855 $17.47 3.1% | AMLN 298,707 $20.51 17.5%
SI $8,059,778 $92.26 3.3% | QQQQ 295,252 $44.29 ( 0.0%)
IWM $7,775,402 $61.58 ( 0.3%) | AAPL 280,128 $207.20 2.2%
SDS $6,727,482 $36.23 0.7% | MRNA 249,586 $1.17 21.0%


Price changes may be affected by symbol splits and dividends.

Consolidated close price is the last print (excluding prints with trade
conditions) prior to 4PM ET.

This information is also updated on our web page every morning at 8:35ET:
http://www.tradearca.com/data/volume/daily_update.asp

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