Stocks Mixed on Economy While New Deals Emerge
Wall Street was narrowly mixed Monday as lingering concerns about the economy offset better-than-expected sales from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and a flurry of acquisition activity.
Dow Jones industrial Wal-Mart rose after the world's largest retailer said it expected January same-store sales to rise 2.2 percent. Tempering the gain was its projection that sales performance is on track to deliver the lowest growth rate in more than 25 years.
Meanwhile, Wall Street absorbed news of a spate of acquisition and private equity deals -- the largest amount since the start of the year. Triad Hospitals Inc. and Herbalife Ltd. received offers from private equity funds, while State Street Corp. agreed to buy Investors Financial Services Corp.
Investors had little reaction to new data that suggests continued economic growth, which could disrupt the Federal Reserve's plans to ease the economy this year. The Institute of Supply Management's non-manufacturing index, which covers the service sector, increased more than analysts were forecasting.
The market ended mixed Friday after a weaker-than-expected employment report curbed investors' bullish sentiment following three days of straight gains. Also squeezing stocks was continued strength in oil prices, which flirted with $60 per gallon as a cold snap hit the Northeast.
"We're just going to have a topsy-turvy market until investors figure out which direction to take," said Todd Leone, managing director of equity trading for Cowen & Co. "We're seeing some buying come back into the market because there still is a lot of money on the sidelines. And, all these deals announced are really helping the market out."
In late morning trading, the Dow rose 6.65, or 0.05 percent, to 12,646.84.
Broader stock indicators fell. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was down 1.44, or 0.10 percent, at 1,446.95, and the Nasdaq composite index fell 3.09, or 0.12 percent, to 2,472.79.
Treasuries largely shrugged off the ISM numbers. Bonds rose, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note down to 4.80 percent from 4.82 percent late Friday.
A barrel of light sweet crude rose 63 cents to 59.62 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The dollar was mixed against other major currencies, while gold prices up.
Wal-Mart rose 58 cents to $48.66 after it announced same-store sales topped its prior forecast for a 1 percent to 2 percent gain. The retailer said colder temperatures in January drove sales of seasonal items.
Triad Hospitals agreed to go private in a $4.7 billion deal from affiliates of CCMP Capital Advisors and Goldman Sachs affiliate GS Capital Partners. Shares surged $6.61, or 15.3 percent, to $49.88.
Nutritional supplement maker Herbalife said it received an acquisition proposal from private investment fund Whitney V LP that values the company at about $2.7 billion. The company said it is reviewing the offer, and its shares spiked $7.04, or 21.3 percent, to $40.14.
Billionaire financier Carl Icahn made a $2.43 billion offer for auto parts supplier Lear Corp. Shares jumped $4.34, or 12.5 percent, to $39.01.
State Street shares fell $3.53, or 4.9 percent, to $68.22 after the custody bank said it would buy Investors Financial Services for about $4.5 billion in stock. The deal, which comes as rivals Mellon Financial Corp. and Bank of New York Corp. plan to combine, sent shares of IFS up $13.95, or 29.7 percent, to $60.90.
Advancing issues led decliners by 4 to 3 on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 398 million shares.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies was down 1.53, or 0.19 percent, at 807.89. The index surpassed the 800 mark for the first time last week.
Overseas, Japan's Nikkei stock average closed down 1.15 percent. In afternoon trading, Britain's FTSE 100 was up 0.04 percent, Germany's DAX index fell 0.19 percent, and France's CAC-40 was up 0.10 percent.
Published by Joe Bel Bruno, AP Business Writer
Dow Jones industrial Wal-Mart rose after the world's largest retailer said it expected January same-store sales to rise 2.2 percent. Tempering the gain was its projection that sales performance is on track to deliver the lowest growth rate in more than 25 years.
Meanwhile, Wall Street absorbed news of a spate of acquisition and private equity deals -- the largest amount since the start of the year. Triad Hospitals Inc. and Herbalife Ltd. received offers from private equity funds, while State Street Corp. agreed to buy Investors Financial Services Corp.
Investors had little reaction to new data that suggests continued economic growth, which could disrupt the Federal Reserve's plans to ease the economy this year. The Institute of Supply Management's non-manufacturing index, which covers the service sector, increased more than analysts were forecasting.
The market ended mixed Friday after a weaker-than-expected employment report curbed investors' bullish sentiment following three days of straight gains. Also squeezing stocks was continued strength in oil prices, which flirted with $60 per gallon as a cold snap hit the Northeast.
"We're just going to have a topsy-turvy market until investors figure out which direction to take," said Todd Leone, managing director of equity trading for Cowen & Co. "We're seeing some buying come back into the market because there still is a lot of money on the sidelines. And, all these deals announced are really helping the market out."
In late morning trading, the Dow rose 6.65, or 0.05 percent, to 12,646.84.
Broader stock indicators fell. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was down 1.44, or 0.10 percent, at 1,446.95, and the Nasdaq composite index fell 3.09, or 0.12 percent, to 2,472.79.
Treasuries largely shrugged off the ISM numbers. Bonds rose, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note down to 4.80 percent from 4.82 percent late Friday.
A barrel of light sweet crude rose 63 cents to 59.62 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The dollar was mixed against other major currencies, while gold prices up.
Wal-Mart rose 58 cents to $48.66 after it announced same-store sales topped its prior forecast for a 1 percent to 2 percent gain. The retailer said colder temperatures in January drove sales of seasonal items.
Triad Hospitals agreed to go private in a $4.7 billion deal from affiliates of CCMP Capital Advisors and Goldman Sachs affiliate GS Capital Partners. Shares surged $6.61, or 15.3 percent, to $49.88.
Nutritional supplement maker Herbalife said it received an acquisition proposal from private investment fund Whitney V LP that values the company at about $2.7 billion. The company said it is reviewing the offer, and its shares spiked $7.04, or 21.3 percent, to $40.14.
Billionaire financier Carl Icahn made a $2.43 billion offer for auto parts supplier Lear Corp. Shares jumped $4.34, or 12.5 percent, to $39.01.
State Street shares fell $3.53, or 4.9 percent, to $68.22 after the custody bank said it would buy Investors Financial Services for about $4.5 billion in stock. The deal, which comes as rivals Mellon Financial Corp. and Bank of New York Corp. plan to combine, sent shares of IFS up $13.95, or 29.7 percent, to $60.90.
Advancing issues led decliners by 4 to 3 on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 398 million shares.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies was down 1.53, or 0.19 percent, at 807.89. The index surpassed the 800 mark for the first time last week.
Overseas, Japan's Nikkei stock average closed down 1.15 percent. In afternoon trading, Britain's FTSE 100 was up 0.04 percent, Germany's DAX index fell 0.19 percent, and France's CAC-40 was up 0.10 percent.
Published by Joe Bel Bruno, AP Business Writer
posted by Stock Administrator @ 11:31 AM
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