Analytics, News, and Forecasts for CFD Markets: stock news — 16-04-2012.

European stocks rebounded from their longest stretch of weekly losses since August as companies from International Power Plc to Royal KPN NV rallied amid an increase in takeover activity.

The benchmark Stoxx 600 has risen 4 percent this year as the European Central Bank disbursed more than 1 trillion euros ($1.3 trillion) to the region’s lenders and as U.S. economic reports topped forecasts. The number of shares changing hands on gauge today was 4.8 percent greater than the average over 30 days.

National benchmark indexes climbed in 12 of the 17 western- European markets that were open today. The U.K.’s FTSE 100 advanced 0.3 percent and Germany’s DAX rose 0.6 percent. France’s CAC 40 increased 0.5 percent. Greece’s stock market was closed for the Orthodox Easter holiday.

International Power added 3.2 percent to 416.8 pence after GDF Suez agreed to buy the 30 percent stake at a revised price of 418 pence a share. That’s 7 percent more than an earlier offer of 390 pence that the U.K. utility rejected as too low. GDF increased 5 percent to 18.86 euros as Europe’s biggest utility by market value confirmed that it will raise its 2012 targets if the deal goes through.

KPN rose 0.9 percent to 7.12 euros after the Netherlands’ largest phone company said it has started a review of Belgian mobile-phone unit, BASE. The business will probably attract interest from private-equity firms such as Apax Partners LLP, according to people familiar with the situation. BASE may fetch 1.8 billion euros in a sale.

Vestas Wind Systems A/S surged 13 percent to 55.55 kroner for the biggest gain on the Stoxx 600. Jyllands-Posten reported that Sinovel Wind Group Co. and Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co. are considering bidding for the Danish company.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was little changed, after its biggest weekly loss in 2012, as a drop in Apple Inc. tempered optimism about a stronger-than-forecast increase in retail sales for the world’s largest economy.

Earlier gains in the S&P 500 were driven by data showing that retail sales gained 0.8 percent in March, almost three times as much as projected. Investors also watched corporate earnings data. Profits per share at S&P 500 companies rose 1.7 percent in the first quarter and will grow 8.6 percent this year, according to analysts’ estimates.

Dow 12,934.77     +85.18 +0.66%, Nasdaq      2,986.96       -24.37 -0.81%, S&P 500    1,369.85       -0.41         -0.03%

Apple, which soared 45 percent in 2012, dropped 3 percent to $587.27 today. Verizon Wireless, a U.S. partner of Apple, said last week that it will begin charging customers $30 to upgrade to a new phone. The move suggests mobile-phone service providers may take other steps, including trimming subsidies, to keep sales of the iPhone from eating into their margins, said Walter Piecyk, an analyst at BTIG LLC in New York.

Gannett slumped 9.1 percent to $13.67. Revenue from the publishing division, the largest unit, decreased 6 percent as advertising and circulation fell. Chief Executive Officer Gracia Martore, who took over in October, is struggling to revive revenue growth as the newspaper industry as a whole continues to lose ad business to Internet companies.

Mattel dropped 8.5 percent to $31.22. Its largest retail partners were cautious on orders and reduced inventories at mid- to high-single-digit percentage rates, Chief Executive Officer Bryan Stockton said. Gross sales of Barbie products, which fell 6 percent globally in the quarter, were particularly affected by the retailers’ inventory restrictions, Stockton said.

Google Inc. slid 2.4 percent to $609.33. The world’s most popular search engine “impeded” and “delayed” a U.S. inquiry into its data collection, according to the latest in a series of regulatory probes of the company’s privacy practices. Google said it wasn’t “found to have violated any laws” in the investigation by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.

Resistance 3:1388 (Apr 13 high)

Resistance 2:1380 (МА (200) for Н1, resistance line from Apr 2)

Resistance 1:1370 (resistance line from Apr 13)

Current price: 1360,87

Support 1:1360 (session low)

Support 2:1356/52 (support line from Mar 6, Apr 10 low)

Support 3:1338 (low of March)

U.S. stock futures rose as a stronger-than-forecast increase in retail sales last month bolstered optimism about the world’s largest economy.

Global Stocks:

Nikkei  9,470.64 -167.35 -1.74%

Hang Seng 20,610.64 -90.40 -0.44%

Shanghai Composite 2,357.03 -2.13 -0.09%

FTSE  5,706.24 +54.45 +0.96%

CAC 3,241.12 +52.03 +1.63%

DAX 6,658.75 +74.85 +1.14%

Crude oil: $102.98 (+0.15%).

Gold: $1652.80 (-0,45%).

Caterpillar (CAT) was upgraded to a Buy from Neutral at Bank of AmericaMerrill.

Home Depot (HD) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at Piper Jaffray.

Asian stocks fell, with a regional benchmark index headed for its biggest drop in almost two weeks, after the cost of insuring against a Spanish default climbed and U.S. consumer confidence dropped, clouding the earnings outlook for Asia’s exporters.

Nikkei 225 9,470.64 -167.35 -1.74%

Hang Seng 20,600.46 -100.58 -0.49%

S&P/ASX 200 4,302.3 -21.01 -0.49%

Shanghai Composite 2,357.03 -2.13 -0.09%

Nintendo Co.  a manufacturer of game consoles that gets a third of its sales in Europe, fell 3.2 percent in Osaka.

James Hardie Industries SE, an Australian supplier of building materials that gets more than half of its sales from the U.S., dropped 1.2 percent in Sydney. Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. declined 1 percent in Hong Kong after Goldman Sachs Group Inc. was said to sell a $2.5 billion stake at a discount.

Asian stocks rose for a second day after a North Korean rocket launch failed minutes after liftoff and China’s bank lending surged. Shares pared gains after the Chinese economy grew less than estimated.

Nikkei 225 9,637.99 +113.20 +1.19%

Hang Seng 20,701.04 +373.72 +1.84%

S&P/ASX 200 4,323.31 +42.67 +1.00%

Shanghai Composite 2,359.16 +8.30 +0.35%

Fanuc Corp., a Japanese supplier of automation equipment to mainland factories, trimmed gains after China said its economy grew at the slowest pace since 2009.

Li & Fung Ltd., a supplier to Wal-Mart Stores Inc., rose 1.9 percent in Hong Kong after Federal Reserve policy makers signaled U.S. interest rates will stay low.

Victek  Co. led declines among South Korean defense contractors after a North Korean rocket launched in defiance of international pressure broke up and fell into the sea.