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Strategies & Market Trends : Can you beat 50% per month? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Smiling Bob who wrote (9091)	11/30/2005 4:33:12 PM
From: Smiling Bob	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 19256

DOW close 10805- target from Monday delayed. But today saw the weakness and sharp dip. Message 21923617

To: Smiling Bob who wrote (9091)	12/8/2005 3:08:10 PM
From: Smiling Bob	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 19256

DOW 10760 Stocks Slide on Oil Prices, Toll Brothers Thursday December 8, 2:26 pm ET By Christopher Wang, AP Business Writer Stocks Move Lower on Surge in Energy Prices, Cautious Outlook From Toll Brothers Message 21923617 NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks headed lower Thursday as a cautious outlook from Toll Brothers Inc. and a surge in energy prices spooked investors into a second day of selling. The market was also sorting through revised forecasts from chipmakers Texas Instruments Inc. and Xilinx Inc., which signaled that tech spending remains healthy. But traders were anxiously awaiting Intel Corp.'s mid-quarter update after the closing bell. Colder weather in the Northeast and Midwest drove expectations for greater heating fuel demand, although weekly inventory reports indicate that U.S. oil and gas reserves continue to grow. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, natural gas surged $1.14 to $14.84 per 1,000 cubic feet, as a barrel of light crude jumped 99 cents to $60.20. Without much news to influence trading this week, the market has been drifting since a November rally vaulted stocks to four-year highs. Recent signs that the economy is faring better than expected renewed fears about rising interest rates and inflation, although some traders still anticipate a final runup in stocks later this month. "The dynamics of (this week's) decline have been orderly and nothing to be concerned with," said Steven Goldman, chief market strategist at Weeden & Co. "The market ... cleansed some of its excesses on that pullback." Goldman said interest rates continue to be a main focus on Wall Street and whether the Federal Reserve will extend its string of rate hikes now that the economy appears to be on the rise. Higher rates could lead to a consumer slowdown as lending costs increase, he added. In midafternoon trading, the Dow Jones industrial average lost 58.03, or 0.54 percent, to 10,752.88. Broader stock indicators were also lower. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was down 4.32, or 0.34 percent, at 1,253.05, and the Nasdaq composite index dropped 13.75, or 0.61 percent, to 2,238.26. Bonds reversed Wednesday's losses, with the yield on the 10-year Treasury note falling to 4.48 percent from 4.52 percent late Wednesday. The dollar was mixed against other major currencies in European trading, while gold prices climbed past record highs. The sole economic report of the day came from the Labor Department, which said unemployment claims grew by 6,000 to 327,000 last week, although 8,000 of those were hurricane related. Economists were expecting claims to drop to 318,000. Tech stocks turned lower despite the two chipmakers' upbeat reports. On Wednesday, Texas Instruments lifted the low end of its quarterly earnings estimate and forecast sales near the top of a previous range, while Xilinx boosted its sales target. Texas Instruments lost 96 cents to $32.60, Xilinx dropped 58 cents to $25.90 and Intel was down 72 cents at $25.43. Toll Brothers posted a 72 percent jump in fourth-quarter profit as revenue climbed 40 percent. But investors remained optimistic even though the homebuilder gave a disappointing forecast for next year and said it was unsure about 2007 earnings. Toll Brothers jumped 97 cents to $35.27. Costco Wholesale Corp. said a modest rise in sales helped lift its quarterly profit 12 percent to match Wall Street forecasts. Sales at its warehouse clubs open at least a year grew 9 percent. Costco sank 97 cents to $48.38. Fast-food chain McDonald's Corp. said its worldwide same-store sales grew 4 percent in November, with sales up 4.8 percent at U.S. locations. Its results, however, came in below analysts' estimates, sending McDonald's down 36 cents at $34.90. Advancing issues led decliners by 19 to 13 on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume of 1.03 billion shares topped the 988.3 million shares changing hands at the same point Wednesday. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 1.09, or 0.16 percent, to 681.92. Overseas, Japan's Nikkei stock average declined 1.95 percent. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.4 percent, Germany's DAX index gained 0.38 percent, and France's CAC-40 was higher by 0.20 percent. New York Stock Exchange: nyse.com Nasdaq Stock Market: nasdaq.com