Indications: U.S. stock futures off lows as joblessness drops

By Aude Lagorce and Nick Godt, MarketWatch

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) â€" Stock futures pared losses on Wall Street Thursday after the Labor Department said U.S. jobless claims fell below 400,000 in the latest week, their lowest level since July 2008.

After slumping more than 30 points, futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average recently fell 11 points to 11,521. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 slipped 1.25 points to 2,227.25. Futures for the S&P 500 dipped 1.3 points to 1,254.50.

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/conga/story/misc/international.html 118959

Initial claims for regular state unemployment insurance benefits fell 34,000 to a seasonally adjusted 388,000 in the week ended Dec. 25.

Economists surveyed by MarketWatch expected a drop to 413,000.

The Chicago Purchasing Managers Index for December comes out at 9.45 a.m. Eastern, and is expected to fall to 61% from 62.5% in November.

Finally pending home sales for November will be released at 10 a.m. Eastern.

On Wednesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average /quotes/comstock/10w!i:dji/delayed (DJIA 11,556, -29.33, -0.25%)  gained 9.84 points, or 0.09%, to 11,585.38, while the S&P 500 Index /quotes/comstock/21z!i1:in\x (SPX 1,257, -3.19, -0.25%)  and Nasdaq Composite Index /quotes/comstock/10y!i:comp (COMP 2,663, -4.16, -0.16%)  both saw marginal gains.

2010 in Review: Top 10 news stories

This was a year of excitement, disappointment, political upheaval and natural disasters. Here's a look at the year's top news headlines from beginning to end. Image courtesy of Reuters.

Shares of Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings Inc. /quotes/comstock/15*!endp/quotes/nls/endp (ENDP 36.06, +0.84, +2.39%)  rose 4% in pre-open trade after the firm said late Wednesday it has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for a low-testosterone treatment.

In the airline sector shares of United Continental /quotes/comstock/13*!ual/quotes/nls/ual (UAL 23.82, +0.36, +1.53%)  could climb after the firm said fleet-service workers at its Continental unit have ratified a new contract.

Finally shares of private-equity giant Blackstone Group LP /quotes/comstock/13*!bx/quotes/nls/bx (BX 14.32, -0.04, -0.26%)  may be on the move after The Wall Street Journal reported it made a preliminary bid for the assets of Australian shopping-mall owner Centro Properties Group.

European stocks quickly lost their grip on early gains Thursday. The Stoxx Europe 600 index /quotes/comstock/22c!sxxp (ST:STOXX600 277.12, -3.51, -1.25%)  fell 0.9% to 277.99.

Most Asian markets also weakened. Exporters, weighed down by the strength of the Japanese yen against other currencies, dragged Tokyo lower. In China, the central bank’s fresh monetary-tightening measures aimed at curbing inflation weighed on stocks.

Turning to metal prices, which have climbed to records recently, gold futures for February delivery fell $5.30 to $1,408.20 an ounce. Copper futures for March delivery rose 5 cents, or 1.1%, to $4.36 a pound in New York.

Crude-oil futures were lower at $90.45 a barrel.

In currency markets the euro was up 0.2% against the dollar at $1.363 The dollar, which hit a three-week low against the yen earlier this week, was roughly flat against the Japanese currency at ¥81.50.

Aude Lagorce is a senior correspondent for MarketWatch in London. Nick Godt is MarketWatch's markets editor, based in New York.

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NYSE Arca Morning Update - 08:30:00 ET

NYSE Arca Morning Update for Thursday, Dec 30, 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
CHGS $2.66 $3.17 19.1% 94,408

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 $16,321,241 $125.82 ( 0.1%) | XING 603,050 $3.01 11.9%
APC $8,392,076 $74.50 5.4% | SHZ 178,901 $9.12 ( 1.4%)
GLD $4,757,075 $137.71 0.0% | IRE 171,193 $2.76 4.1%
EWZ $4,580,516 $76.41 0.6% | C 161,946 $4.76 ( 0.1%)
BP $4,098,967 $43.61 ( 0.8%) | UNG 157,322 $5.91 1.2%
SLV $3,053,598 $29.96 0.3% | AIB 155,830 $0.89 ( 2.1%)
BHP $2,760,194 $92.99 0.2% | SPY 129,771 $125.82 ( 0.1%)
AAPL $2,405,416 $325.39 0.0% | APC 112,939 $74.50 5.4%
RIO $2,095,619 $71.15 0.4% | SLV 101,590 $29.96 0.3%
IWM $2,071,303 $78.74 ( 0.2%) | BAC 94,928 $13.35 0.2%

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.

Indications: U.S. stock futures slip ahead of data

By Aude Lagorce, MarketWatch

LONDON (MarketWatch) â€" U.S. stock futures pointed to a marginally lower start on Wall Street Thursday, with investors focused on employment and manufacturing data ahead.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 11 points to 11,521. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 slipped 1.25 points to 2,227.25. Futures for the S&P 500 dipped 1.3 points to 1,254.50.

Global Dow

• Asia Markets | Europe Markets | Lat. Am. • Canadian Markets | Israel Stocks | London • U.S.: Market Snapshot | After Hours

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

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

/conga/story/misc/international.html 114961

Economic data will be in the spotlight Thursday, with the release of weekly jobless claims at 8.30 a.m. U.S. Eastern. The forecast is that the number of U.S. workers who filed for jobless benefits fell to 413,000 in the week ended Dec. 25 from 420,000 in the previous week, according to economists polled by MarketWatch.

The Chicago Purchasing Managers Index for December comes out at 9.45 a.m. Eastern, and is expected to fall to 61% from 62.5% in November.

Finally pending home sales for November will be released at 10 a.m. Eastern.

On Wednesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average /quotes/comstock/10w!i:dji/delayed (DJIA 11,585, 0.00, 0.00%)  gained 9.84 points, or 0.09%, to 11,585.38, while the S&P 500 Index /quotes/comstock/21z!i1:in\x (SPX 1,260, +1.27, +0.10%)  and Nasdaq Composite Index /quotes/comstock/10y!i:comp (COMP 2,667, +4.05, +0.15%)  both saw marginal gains.

2010 in Review: Top 10 news stories

This was a year of excitement, disappointment, political upheaval and natural disasters. Here's a look at the year's top news headlines from beginning to end. Image courtesy of Reuters.

Shares of Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings Inc. /quotes/comstock/15*!endp/quotes/nls/endp (ENDP 35.22, +0.01, +0.03%)  could rise Thursday after the firm said late Wednesday it has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for a low-testosterone treatment.

In the airline sector shares of United Continental /quotes/comstock/13*!ual/quotes/nls/ual (UAL 23.46, +0.19, +0.82%)   could climb after the firm said fleet-service workers at its Continental unit have ratified a new contract.

Finally shares of private-equity giant Blackstone Group LP /quotes/comstock/13*!bx/quotes/nls/bx (BX 14.36, +0.23, +1.63%)  may be on the move after The Wall Street Journal reported it made a preliminary bid for the assets of Australian shopping-mall owner Centro Properties Group.

European stocks quickly lost their grip on early gains Thursday. The Stoxx Europe 600 index /quotes/comstock/22c!sxxp (ST:STOXX600 277.89, -2.74, -0.98%)  fell 0.4% to 279.65.

Most Asian markets also weakened. Exporters, weighed down by the strength of the Japanese yen against other currencies, dragged Tokyo lower. In China, the central bank’s fresh monetary-tightening measures aimed at curbing inflation weighed on stocks.

Turning to metal prices, which have climbed to records recently, gold futures for February delivery fell $1.80 to $1,411.70 an ounce. Copper futures for March delivery rose 5 cents, or 1.2%, to $4.36 a pound in New York.

Crude-oil futures were roughly flat at just above $91 a barrel.

In currency markets the euro was up 0.1% against the dollar at $1.3248. The dollar, which hit a three-week low against the yen earlier this week, was roughly flat against the Japanese currency at ¥81.42.

Aude Lagorce is a senior correspondent for MarketWatch in London.

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