Asian stocks fell on Thursday, taking cues from weak U.S. and European shares, as players cut positions heading into the year end with an Italian debt auction later in the day keeping markets nervous.
The world entered 2011 with cautious optimism that things would improve over the gloom of 2009 and 2010. However, the past year has proven to be quite turbulent. The global economy was faced with a myriad of challenges including the European debt crisis, while the overall economic performance in the industrialized world left much to be desired.
2011 was a great year to be an American corporation, as corporate profits rose and taxes fell.
U.S. stocks fell more than 1 percent on Wednesday after a hefty year-end rally and the S&P 500 erased gains for the year on renewed concerns about the euro zone's financial health.
Employers expect to add new jobs in the New Year, but are waiting to see how the economy shapes up before turning up the volume on hiring. Compensation is getting more competitive for skilled positions and voluntary turnover is on the rise.
CIPD forecasts that joblessness will then peak at 2.85-million in 2013.
Venezuela is offering women the free removal of breast implants made by a bankrupt French company that used industrial silicone to make cheap prostheses linked to health risks.
The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Pinnacle Financial Partners, ARM Holdings, Randgold Resources, Infosys, Research In Motion, Amazon.com, Google, and Apple. The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Cavium, Sears Holdings, Windstream, and Cisco Systems.
Talk of closing the Strait of Hormuz is generally seen as an empty threat from Iran. The U.S. State Department said it saw an element of bluster in the threat. Yet it has been made before and since nearly one-third of all tanker traffic passes through the Strait of Hormuz the concern lingers. Most, however, don't seem to think Iran could or would pull it off, for long anyway.
The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Bon-Ton Stores, Neurocrine Biosciences, Vanda Pharmaceuticals, and Dish Network. The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Cavium, Parlux Fragrances, Solazyme, MAKO Surgical, and Rambus.
The top aftermarket NYSE gainers Tuesday were: McDermott International, Energy Transfer Equity, Radioshack, Sequans Communications, Western Digital, Commercial Metals, Korea Fund, CIT Group and Whirlpool Corp.
The top aftermarket NYSE losers Tuesday were: Medicis Pharmaceutical, Beazer Homes USA, Service Corporation International, GenOn Energy, WPX Energy, CapitalSource, K12 and W.R. Berkley Corp.
Crude oil prices gained in Asian trade Wednesday on fears that growing tensions between Iran and Western powers may threaten crude supplies from the Middle East.
Stocks ended flat on Tuesday after fluctuating between small gains and losses in a light-volume session, as investors took a breather following a 5 percent rally last week.
Sears will be closing between 100 and 120 Sears and Kmart stores soon due to poor holiday sales.
Home prices in 20 major U.S. cities fell 3.4 percent in October compared with the previous year, signaling continued weakness in the housing market, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices.
Poor holiday sales at Sears and Kmart across the country are causing the Sears Holding Corp. to close between 100-120 of its over 4000 stores.
China Mengniu Dairy Co Ltd, the nation's biggest dairy firm, said it had destroyed milk found to be contaminated with a cancer-causing substance, the latest food safety problem to hit the country's dairy industry.
The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market movers are: Parlux Fragrances, Makita, Siliconware Precision Industries, Amazon.com, and Apple. The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Sears Holdings, RAM Energy Resources, ZAGG, QUALCOMM, and Research In Motion.
Despite the weak economy, Americans are ever willing to splurge especially with e-commerce making waves this year.
Retailers were bracing for a busy day on Monday, as a day off for many Americans and warm, dry weather were expected to entice shoppers looking for deep discounts.
Tata Motors (TAMO.NS) is upgrading the starter motor of all old Nano models to the one installed in its new 2012 edition, launched in November, a spokesman said on Monday.
Europe faces another year of dismal economic performance in 2012 that will weigh on global growth, but emerging markets and the United States should at least keep the world economy moving in the right direction.
The top aftermarket NYSE gainers Friday were: PHH Corp, American Greetings, Veolia Environnement, EQT Corp, ENSCO, MetroPCS Communications, Ivanhoe Mines, Pengrowth Energy, Fusion-io and Piedmont Office Realty Trust.
The top aftermarket NYSE losers Friday were: M.D.C. Holdings, Frontline, McClatchy, Delta Air Lines, Jones Apparel Group, Bankrate, US Airways Group, Mueller Water Products, MGIC Investment and Lincoln National Corp.
The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers Friday are: Parlux Fragrances, Neurocrine Biosciences, Associated Banc-Corp, Sears Holdings, and James River Coal. The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Diodes, Broadcom, JDS Uniphase, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, and Hudson City Bancorp.
Get ready. The last trading week of the year will be a test for stocks to prove whether they have the strength to carry a rally into next year. The broad S&P 500 index broke through its 200-day moving average on Friday after turning positive for the year as a four-day rally lifted stocks following a spell of better-than-expected economic data.
Markets edged up Friday, extending gains seen throughout most of the week, as optimistic data on durable goods and new homes sales offset lackluster consumer spending and signaled U.S. strength against the Eurozone crisis.
Canada's economy stalled in October after four consecutive months of growth, pointing to a fourth-quarter slowdown as increasing global uncertainty mutes expectations for next year.
The Egyptian economy, battered after months of uncertainty and violence that has followed the political upheaval in that country, is hovering dangerously close to crisis status.
